Cyberbullying And Its Effects On Society

According to the American Psychological Association, “Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words or more subtle actions” (Bullying, 2013). People bully each other for several reasons and there are different outcomes that are a result of those reasons. People can be bullied physically, emotionally, or verbally. Bullying can take place at school or online. Bullying should be a considered a crime, but kids get away with it all the time; furthermore prevention can be used in order to keep kids safe from bullying.

Bullying is defined as “verbal, physical, or psychological abuse or teasing accompanied by real or perceived imbalance of power” and is usually targets what children perceive as different (Olweus, 1993). Bullying is prevalent across the nation. It has devastating effects on students each day. Bullying is a problem for all students, regardless of race, gender or class. The National Education Association reports that 160,000 children are absent intentionally from school each day because they fear being bullied whether it is an attack or just intimidation by other students. This accounts for 15% of all school absenteeism (Hunter, 2012). Dan Olweus (1993) from the National School Safety Center tells us that bullying includes three parts: (1)

An important subject that is affecting a broader amount of people today, especially our youth, is bullying. Bullying is a continuous growing field that is being examined constantly due to its complexity. An important and well known website named stopbullying.com unleashed factual information that helps, as well educates families on this topic: “In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Department of Education released the first federal uniform definition of bullying for research and surveillance … there are many different modes and types of bullying. The current definition acknowledges two modes and four types by which youth can be bullied or can bully others. The two modes of bullying include direct (e.g., bullying that occurs in the presence of a targeted youth) and indirect (e.g., bullying not directly communicated to a targeted youth such as spreading rumors) … the four types of bullying include broad categories of physical, verbal, relational (e.g., efforts to harm the reputation or relationships of the targeted youth), and damage to property.”

A bully is defined as someone who uses his or her superiority to harm or intimidate an emotionally weaker individual. Bullies on the playground and bullies on the Internet are much alike aside from the fact that Internet bullies can easily hide behind a computer with a fake avatar. The anonymity is a primary cause of this crime since the decreased chance for the person to be caught triggers their willpower to torment their victim. Internet bullies, also known as cyberbullies, usually do not think twice about what they do to their victims because as easy as it is to construct a phony identity for their obscurity, it is even easier to send a malicious message, start a rumor, or even upload an embarrassing photo online. But how can we stop it? How can we prevent or reduce cyberbullying? A meta-analysis has demonstrated how an anti-bullying prevention program has been proven beneficial in reducing bullying. In this article, four prestigious authors explain, “Assuming that mechanisms for traditional bullying and cyberbullying are similar, it is plausible to predict that general anti-bullying programs are short- and long-term effective regarding the prevention of cyberbullying and cyber-victimization” (Gradinger, n.p.). Although it is not a promising strategy, it is a first step solution to cyberbullying. However, including a multi-pronged approach along with

With the widespread use of social media and texting, bullies have taken on a new form as trolls hidden in their bedrooms, searching for victims. The three sources, “The Dangers of Cyberbullying” by Brett Warnke, “What is Cyberbullying?” from the Ophelia Project, and Kirk Sigmon’s “Sacrificing the First Amendment to Catch ‘Cyberbullies,’” explain cyberbullying and how politicians plan on stopping it. These steps are necessary and helpful in protecting the “20% of youth ages 11-18 [who] have been a victim of cyberbullying” (“What is Cyberbullying?”). The worst part of cyberbullying is that it doesn’t stop at the end of the

Cyberbullying has been considered to be as worse than traditional bullying as it relates to its effects on the victim. The distinction being mostly accredited to some precise feature that are supposed to differentiate cyberbullying from traditional bullying: an amplified possibility to seek out a larger audience, an amplified potential for anonymous bullying, lesser levels of direct response, reduced time and space bounds, as well as lesser levels of regulation.

Bullying in schools has become antiquated. It seems that cyberbullying has emerged as the latest phenomenon among children and adults. Cyberbullying, in Layman's terms. is the use of electronic communication to bully and harass a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. Cyberbullying has been running rampant over the past few years with no immediate end in sight. The continuing rise of popularity of World Wide Web and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, has played a key role in the development of cyberbullying.

Bullying is a problem that affects individuals from all age groups, but mainly widespread among adolescents. It includes behaviors that focus on making someone else feel insufficient by mocking or harassing them. Bullying involves using physical violence, emotional harassment, and verbally belittling speech. It entails active actions with the intention of ostracizing another person (Howard, Flora & Griffin, 1999). Physical harassment is a form of bullying where the bully attempts to dominate another teenager physically (Stevens, 2010). It consists of punching, kicking, and other physical harmful activities, which are used to introduce fear in the victim and possible coerce them to do something (Howard, Flora & Griffin, 1999). Verbal

With the introduction of Internet, bullying has taken a new form. Most of the victims of traditional bullying and cyberbullying are teens and other youth; they are easy targets as they are the new to the internet and do not know much about what happens online (Campbell, 2005). Bullying is a risk factor for social and emotional change among children. Most bully victims range in age from 15 to 18 years, with the perpetrators turning towards technology to harass the intended victims (Gradinger & Strohmeier, 2009). Technology does not only include social networking sites on the Internet, it can also include the use of other forms of technology like cell phones, pagers, email, SMS and instant messaging (Seals & Young, 2004). Cyberbullies find their targets easily, 24/7, with technology. It becomes easy for them to find and harass their intended targets (Hinduja & Patchin, 2007; Juvonen & Gross, 2008; Dooley,

Cyberbullying is the use of electronic devices with the intent of inflicting harm on another. Cyberbullying has steadily increased with new technology. Many international organizations and campaigns have emerged to defend the victims of this crime. An anti-bullying organization came about by youth in Canada to address the issues surrounding bullying in our society. This advocates for bullying awareness online, insisting that not enough government attention has been given to the issue of cyberbullying. It strives to influence the criminalization of this in Canada through public awareness. Its efforts cause question of the tolerance that cyberbullying has in our justice system. It seems ironic and illogical that internet users feel unsafe while participating in the online community. Why are laws not already in place prohibiting any feeling of nervousness? In order to facilitate the feeling of security among internet users, cyberbullying needs further attention from the government in the form of consequences associated with the offense. Legal punishment specific to cyberbullying needs institution as it constitutes the same as that of bullying outside of the virtual world, that it compromises the safety of its victims. By not implementing legal punishment towards cyber bullying, it voices the idea that the justice system condones the behavior and will encourage offenders.

Cyberbullying is any bullying that takes place with the use of electronic technology; cell phones, computers, social media, texting, and other electronic methods of communication. Cyberbullying typically happens to teenagers, when it happens to an adult is considered cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. Cyberbullying is different than in person bullying because it can happen anytime, victims find it hard to escape, the bully can be anonymous, and the bully can be anywhere in the world. Children who are being cyberbullied are also most likely being bullied in person.

Teens have nowhere to hide. Cyberbullying is increasing alongside of advances in technology. Most teens now have access to electronic communications and the Internet, making them easy targets for cyberbullying. Cyberbullies are using e-mail, cell phones and the Internet to cause emotional harm, harass, threaten, ridicule, and exert control over their victims. Additionally, cyberbullied teens are committing suicide at an alarming rate. Cyberbullying must be stopped; it poses psychological trauma and health risks, affects social interpersonal skills, and can ultimately cause suicide. A Cyberbully is able to breach every part of its victim’s life, and keeping teens safe in cyberspace will be a

Cyber-bullying has been an ongoing issue for a very long time; overtime it seems as if over the last few years it has progressed even more due to the development and increase of technology. I believe that cyber-bullying has become one of the most difficult issues to resolve in our society. Cyberbullying can be such a difficult thing to face in a world like today. The victim is usually bullied by an individual or a group of individuals who use this as a way to cope and make themselves feel better. The scariest part about cyber-bullying is that parents are not on top of this and are not aware of what their children are going through, usually until it is far too late. As a previous victim of being cyber bullied, I can 100% agree that if you allow these bullies they will lead you to believe many things that aren’t true about you. Most bullies envy you and will do their all in developing a negative identity for you. Many young immature adolescents are the targets of cyber bullying via different social networks such as , Facebook, twitter, Instagram and etc. Often, young adolescents are not able to understand that what they are going through is a form of bullying and they hold it all in until one day they explode. Being in this position at one point in my life makes me want to do everything possible to prevent another adolescent from feeling the pain, loneliness, and anxiety I once felt. Being in this position makes you feel like you have no self worth and that you are the only

The Internet is a major part of the lives of children of this generation, yet most parents do not know exactly what their children do on the computer. As teenagers socially establish themselves within peer groups, and involve their parents less and less in their social lives, they are less likely to tell their parents what they are doing on the internet, or share internet conversations with their family. This allows cyber bullies to target victims without any repercussions. For the most part, cyber bullying is much like traditional forms of bullying, except for the fact that they take place online. It is generally viewed as a normative part of child development, and is done as a means of elevation one’s own social position. As cyber bullying takes place among other forms of bullying in the modern age research is being done by scientists to learn more about the nature of these aggressive acts and how to best deal with this problem amongst youth.

The article written by Carol M. Walker, Beth Rajan Sockman, and Steven Koehn, “An Exploratory Study of Cyberbullying with Undergraduate University Students” delves into their study done on undergraduate students to address technology and its impact on cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is defined as, “The use of information and communication technologies such as email, cellphones, instant messaging… to promote deliberate, repeated and hurtful behavior with the intent to harm others” (Tech Trends Journal, Vol. 55, Issue 2, pg. 32). The purpose of this study was to examine what instances of cyberbullying undergraduate students experience, as well as what forms of technology are used in such instances. The questions posed were: What instances of cyberbullying do undergraduate students experience, and what role does gender play in cyberbullying at the undergraduate level?, and What forms of technology do undergraduate students use to perpetrate or receive bullying , and how often does it occur? Some questions that were also addressed were: What impact does the cellphone have on the interactions of undergraduate students as they maintain their status according to the Social Dominance theory?, How do social networking sites affect these students?, and Has the ability to reply instantly, without personal contact, augmented the bullying scene?