A New Form of Bullying: Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a relatively new threat, and it is very similar to traditional bullying. Despite the fact that cyberbullying and traditional bullying both share the common goal of harassment, cyberbullying differs from traditional bullying in that it does not stop at the schoolyard, and can continue when the victim is far away from the aggressor. It is just as devastating as common bullying, and sometimes is even more damaging. Professors Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin note in their journal, “Cyberbullying Creates Dangerous Stress and Anxiety”, that cyberbullying affects anywhere between 10-40% of students (contingent on their age group) (par. 1). J.D. Kelly A. Albin, in her article “Bullies in a Wired World”, defines cyberbullying as “…the ‘willful and repeated harm inflicted through use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices’” (157). It is caused by the fact that children feel their actions are mitigated when they use social media, as it creates the illusion of indirectness, and its effects range anywhere from mild depression to suicide.

Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages in an threatening nature or tearing down an individuals character based on religion, gender, ethnicity, or disability. In terms of effects overall, cyberbullying has increased the use of communication via technology and has become more common among teenagers (Cabral 3). Technology has made it easy for bullies to find individuals via social media in the privacy of their on own homes., which has allowed them to express how they feel anonomously. This has become an issue that is occurring more and more in High Schools and Middle Schools across America. One of the biggest discussions when dealing with bullying and cyber-bullying would be how do we stop this epidemic to save the soul of our youth? Education is key, we have to educate one another on the effects of bullying to know that this is real and affects so many people to this day. Much of cyberbullying is the

Bullying can be found almost everywhere; in homes, on the internet, and especially in schools. Students of lesser abilities or non-conformists can essentially be main targets; however, anyone is vulnerable to a bully’s wrath. Although the common lunch thief threat has been the general association with the word bully, that term has unfortunately evolved and become apart of the violent side of our culture today. All too often students feel the need to “disappear” or escape leading to destructive decisions such as suicide, substance abuse, or depression (Kowalski 6). Today the causes of bullying are involved with social differences such as sexual orientation, physical appearance, ethnicity, or insecurities. For the past few years bullying has gradually increased in the US, and of course worldwide because of the internet’s growing diverse locations and servers. Statistics show that “A total of 29.9% of the sample reported moderate or frequent involvement in bullying, as a bully (13.3%), one who was bullied (10.6%), or both (6.3%)” (NIH Public Access). Forms of bullying include through a computer screen also known as cyberbullying and through physical confrontation leading students to experience symptoms of depression which could also provoke deeper personal issues. Cyberbullying has come across society through social media sites as well as personal opinion. Children are now breaking the norm of traditional confrontation and dunking heads in toilets

Michael M. Honda states that “everyone in America likely has a bullying story, whether as a victim, bully, or as a witness.” Cyberbullying has become a major epidemic in the modern day world because everyone has access to the internet in some way. By taking an in depth look at cyberbullying, one can see just how urgent it is to stop it, because not only can it strike anywhere at any time, cyberbullying can also lead to suicide and cause serious mental health issues.

“Statistics on cyberbullying include: Nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online; seventy percent of students’ report seeing frequent bullying online; sixty-eight percent of teens agree that cyberbullying is a serious problem; eighty-one percent of young people believe bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person; ninety percent of teens who have seen social-media bullying say they have ignored it; only one in 10 victims will inform a parent or trusted adult of their abuse; girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying; nearly 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online; bullying victims are two to nine times more likely to consider committing suicide; furthermore about 75% of students admit they have visited a website bashing another

Statistics have shown that everyone can be victims of cyber bullying, but most incidents occur between the age of 11 to 15 years old, however, some report showed that children’s as young as 10 years old also been a victim of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can have long lasting effects on its ' victims that can lead to mental health issues like depression, anxiety, stress, and even suicide. Increasing number of young kids and teenagers committing suicide because of cyber bullying and sexting have been coming to the public 's attention. As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people with approximately 4,400 deaths every year. The CDC estimates that there are at least 100 suicide attempts for every suicide among young people. More than 14 percent of high school students has considered suicide and nearly 7 percent have attempted it, that is why, sadly, there are increasing coverages about cyberbullying case in the media now more than ever. (NOBullying, n.d.) Despite the physical contact or audible insults, cyberbullying can be even more traumatizing and damage have a life time effect on mental health than traditional forms of bullying. Through social media and mobile communications, bullying can now potentially be viewed by all, a victim 's friends, family, and

Bullying has been happening for generation after generation. Today’s society made possible to bully people without being face to face. This type of bullying is called cyber-bullying. Teenagers uses theirs electronics advices as weapons to attack other people with hurtful things though the use of text messaging or social networking websites. Cyber-bullying can “damage a person emotionally” (Media). It can also make them have low self-esteem. In our society today, cyber-bullying is a new type of problem that many teenagers have to face.

Cyberbullying is a new form of bullying that allows individuals to threaten or intimidate others via online resources like social media and instant messaging, as well as other electronic technology like smartphones and tablets. Due to the fact that cyberbullying is a fairly new concept, due to the advances in technology it has become one of the most prevalent sources of bullying among adolescents. The ease in which children can gain access and use electronic technology, and the fact that cyberbullying most of the time can remain anonymous, has led to an increase in this form of bullying. With reports indicating that 93% of teens are active users of the Internet and 75% own a cell phone, up from 45% in 2004, there is great potential for cyberbullying among youths (Schneider, O’Donnell, Stueve, & Coulter, 2012).The increase in cyberbullying has led to an increase in suicide rates among adolescent, and has expanded bullying past the traditional school environment.

Bullying is everywhere and with the recent stories about the most violent cases it is becoming so public, a new major issue has been found for in our nation. The tolls of years of bullying are effectively pushing victims into two corners. The victims either seek out help and fight back or fall in deeper and resort to self harm. Whatever it maybe be, it's everywhere. Bullying has found a new home on the internet. Cyberbullying is so common in today's society. Teenagers spend most of their time on social media sites and those sites are perfect for potential cyber bullying. One in ten teens go to parents for help when cyberbullying is involved.

In the United States, 23% of teens, in a study, reported being targeted by cyberbullying (Pappas). Once someone is singled out by a bully, different peers will know that the person is a target, and they will join in the bullying against that particular child. The number of adolescents being directly affected by cyberbullying has grown everyday. As more adolescents get involved with technology, unfortunately more of them have felt the need to get involved with other peers in a negative manner. Without finding a root cause to stop it, children and teens can be affected by serious and sometimes fatal mental health illnesses. According to a study, more than 15% of children said that they were either being cyber bullied or they were the target of some aspect of cyberbullying. (Ockerman, Kramer, and Bruno). As a result, whether children are bullying or being bullied, the numbers are increasing. This has the possibility to dig America in another hole that it does not need to be in, with adolescents being horribly affected every day. Cyberbullying worsens the mental health of children ages 12-18 in the United States. Online abuse worsens the mental health of adolescents by increasing

Cyber-bullying has become a fast growing problem in the nation. Due to the growth of technology today. Most cyber-bullying cases are likely to occur at school. Cyber-bullying is done through the use of cell phones, social media, and Email services. There are however steps to reduce the cyber-bullying at schools, and at home. Elementary School students that have become victims to cyber-bullying, for example, go through name calling such as you are gay or making fun of their clothes. Students are harassed, threatened with the use of violence, making up false rumors, and even taking pictures, or a video of a student to sexually blackmail them. Students Self-esteem, academics and social skills are also affected. Many students commit suicide due to the result of bullying.

However, it has also brought alone with it the dangers of cyber bullying. In today’s interconnected world, bullying poses a serious problem for countless teens. According to the UK 2013 annual bullying survey –taken by 2,000 teens- 69% of young people aged 13-22 had experienced cyber bullying, with 20% also having had extremes cases and were twice as likely to be bullies on Facebook than any other website. And although cyber bullying is fairly recent, and traditional bullying has been around for years, cyber bullying is actually more prevalent. Not only bullies have the ability to cyber bully, but also even those who are bullied can participate. Often times the bullied individual will take out their anger and callous frustrations online via cyber bullying. This is not right. We need to find more positive, non-technological outlets to express our emotions. Over time, our world is getting morally worse, we can be the generation to stop cyberbullying, and make a safer internet environment for our

Bullying can be identified since the beginning of written history. Its in human nature to feel the need to create a class system and define it, from the Lepers and Jews in the bible, to the Salem Witch trials, to the African American civil rights movement; these are all severe cases of bullying. It is often cruel in nature and modern day bullying is no exception. Cyberbullying is, simply stated, the evolved state of modern bullying. Why is cyberbullying on the rise and how do you stop it?

While cyberbullying affects each child differently, there has been a clear correlation between victims and non-victims and their self-esteem. In one study, bullied victims had less self-esteem than those who were not bullied online. Additionally, it was reported that victims of cyberbullying were thirty percent more likely to think about committing suicide (Cyberbullying Research Center, 2012). With the lack of parent supervision, it was found that those who spent more than three hours per school day on social networks were 110% more at risk to be a cyberbully victim as compared those who do not spend as much time online (Gilkerson, 2012). What may be worse is the fact that majority of those bullied online do not tell their parents or an adult about what occurred. Despite the fact that most adolescents state that bullying occurs more offline then online, cyberbullying is still a real and large threat to the youth of America (Lenhart, 2007).

We use technology in almost every aspect of our daily lives; it is how we stay connected in this fast-paced world. Technology provides many benefits, but it has the potential to destroy many people. With technology use on the rise, bullying has taken a new, more destructive form. Cyberbullying, as defined by the Cyberbullying Research Center, is the willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text (qtd. in Chait). Cyberbullying is a serious problem and has serious consequences.