Cyberbullying hits LGBT youth especially hard

A recent Iowa State University study surveyed 444 youth ages 11 to 22, including 350 self-identified non-heterosexual subjects and 94 people who identify sympathetically with LGBT youth, often called straight allies. The study found that 54 percent of these youths report being cyberbullied within the 30-day period prior to the survey–either about their sexual identities or for their identification with LGBT people.

“There’s a saying that we’ve now changed to read, ‘Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can kill,’” Warren  Blumenfeld, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction at Iowa State University, says. In the school’s statement, he adds:

Especially at this age–pre-adolescence through adolescence–this is a time when peer influences are paramount in a young person’s life. If one is ostracized and attacked, that can have devastating consequences–not only physically, but on their emotional health for the rest of their lives.

[ via CNET News ]