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Sophie, a 14-year old British girl, suddenly changed her behavior in class. She lost interest in studies and would sit in the corner with her head down.
Ethan Miller, one of Sophie's teachers, discovered the reason: she had been bullied (欺凌) online. Sophie was receiving abusive (辱骂的) messages on her phone and on Facebook. Miller shared Sophie's story on the official website of The Children's Society, a children's charity in the United Kingdom.
Sophie was not alone. One in three young people in 30 countries, said they have been victims of online bullying. Twenty percent of those bullied students, reported skipping school because of it. The study surveyed more than 170 000 young people aged 13-24 from countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.
Three-quarters of those surveyed said social media, like Facebook and Twitter, are the most common places for online bullying which includes threatening and humiliating (羞辱性的) messages, comments and images.
"The new generation was born in a digital world of constant connection, but there are clear risks for young people as well as benefits, and it is surprising that online bullying troubles many young people more than anything else," said Andrew Dunnett, the director of the Vodafone Foundation, a UK charity.
Meanwhile, online bullying could have serious results for young people. For example, it makes young people more than twice as likely to self-harm, according to a 2018 study by the University of Oxford, the UK. The research also found that, young people who suffered from online bullying, were less likely to ask for help than those victims by traditional ways.
To deal with the problem, UNICEF has called for national helplines to support those affected, along with training for teachers and parents to prevent and deal with online bullying.
"Improving young people's education experience means explaining the environment they experience online as well as offline," said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF'S Executive Director,