Updated: October 13, 2010

By Christa Fletcher

Millions of teens are targets of online harassment. With the availability of information about peers on Facebook, Twitter and other websites, many bullies turn to cyber attacks that are just as hurtful as those that happen in person, as they are via text, email or instant messaging. Plus, given the ease of cyberbullying, researchers have found an increase in online aggression among teens.

According to a study by i-Safe, an organization dedicated to internet safety, "58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online." Among the teens they surveyed, 42% feel they have been bullied online. Though these statistics are startling, the recent increase of suicides in response to bullying, is even more so. In Northampton, Massachusetts, nine teens were indicted on March 29, 2009 in connection to the suicide of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince.

The same bullies who taunted her continued to mock her death online after she died. Police are investigating the case. In New York, a similar investigation is underway regarding harassment on social networking sites and the following suicide of 17-year-old Alexis Pilkington. These cases are just two examples of the horrifying reality of cyberbullying.

While some may believe bullying is bullying, a study by Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D. and Justin W. Patchin, Ph.D. of the Cyberbullying Research Center discovered that's not the case. According to their study, "Cyberbullying victims were almost twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to youth who had not experienced cyberbullying."

Dr. Hinduga and Patchin surveyed 2,000 randomly selected middle school students from the most populous school districts in the U.S. The results of their study show that peer aggression is dangerous and in some cases, deadly. Cyberbullying can contribute to low self-esteem, depression and suicide among teen victims.

Do you know how to deal with a cyberbully? Take the quiz to find out. Being bullied? We have tips that can help in the guide below.