Do teens know when they are bullied on social media?

By Dr. Taaha Shakir

Dr. Taaha Shakir

Teens spend a lot of time online, texting and digital messaging each other. Unfortunately, this high level of connectivity can lead to “potentially troubling and nonconsensual exchanges,” according to a recent Pew Research Center. This report states that 59% of US teens have been bullied or harassed online, mainly through name-calling and rumor-spreading. Schools offer lessons on how to handle being bullied. Out-of-school programs, such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, are equally concerned about the problem of bullying.

The final session of Virtual Ability’s 2019 Mental Health Symposium from 5-5:45pm Pacific time on Friday, April 26 will feature Dr. Taaha Shakir. His talk is titled “Do our adolescents know they are being bullied?” Dr. Shakir is a pediatric hospitalist at Edward Hospital, in Naperville, IL (US).

Dr. Shakir’s current research on the impact of social media on teens assesses the reasons for its negative effects. He fears that the healthcare community has not dealt well with the growth of technology that led to cyberbullying. The goal of his work is to create solutions that will improve teens’ ability to identify and work through stressors in their daily lives and that will assist healthcare providers to identify and support victims of cyberbullying.

For more information about the Mental Health Symposium and the full schedule of sessions:

https://virtualability.org/mental-health-symposia/mental-health-symposium-2019/