Cyberbullying Is A Common Cause Of Death Especially For Young Adolescents

The world today is on a platform of heightened technological stimulus, that unfortunately have incredibly negative affects on people’s lives especially throughout the bullying culture that has sprouted from this stimulus. Bullying has rapidly increased since the introduction of multimedia cell phones in the 90’s. Cyberbullying is the current problem and an issue that will continue to be current until we as a society stop it. There is a distinction between traditional bullying and cyberbullying and its effects are different as well. Cyberbullying has its own societal norms and its own exclusive factions. Exclusive groups that support and encourage bullying behavior, because it’s seen as a norm. Digital harassment has evolved alongside technology, to the point that the issue is uncontrollable and extremely accessible; the web has created anonymous identities to those who harass now have become untraceable. Bullying is influenced by internal emotions, social factors, and the accessibility of other’s information. Although, cyberbullying is extremely prevalent there is no federal law for cyberbullying. There should be change to societal standards and harassing should be seen as a severe issue, not simply general school behavior.

This type of bullying can take place 24 hours a day and is brought into the student’s home where it was once considered safe. Cyber-bullying has changed the world's view on this age-old subject, meanwhile the media suggests that bullying is an epidemic by reporting on tragedies that happen among our youth shedding light on the problem. One thing everyone can agree on is that the internet has provided a non-stop opportunity to bully. Nicole Edgington was celebrating her 17th birthday at a concert when it would be turned upside down by cyber-bullying. A senior in California was wrongly accused of turning some students in for coming to school intoxicated. Because the students assumed she had turned them in, they began a barrage of social media attacks along with text message threats. Nicole wrote an article, the girl who got even: A true cyber bullying story, explaining how she rose above the threats and daily negative texts. It takes courage to stand up and face your fears especially when you feel isolated. Nicole’s mom started to speak out on cyberbullying and found that teens wanted to hear other teens. Nicole would face her bully’s by speaking out about the behavior. The media has suggested that bullying is an epidemic, reporting on tragedies that happen among our youth shedding light on an age-old problem. When bullying moves to the internet it becomes more

Societal norms in the United States in terms of adolescents utilizing the Internet once as an additional source of communication has become the primary mode of communication. Today, “92% of teens proclaim they go online daily to check popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter among others” (Lenhart 1). The alteration from physical communication to online communication has exposed a dangerous interaction for social relationships known as cyberbullying. In order to understand cyberbullying, it is critical to understand traditional bullying. Traditional bullying thrives off on aggressive behavior that is repetitive and involves a real or perceived power imbalance. Cyberbullying is a form of violence predominantly seen in teens that has the potential to lead to long-term harm. It involves the use of technology such as cell phones and the Internet with the primary objective of

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.

In their e-book, Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard, Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin define Cyberbullying as: “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, or other electronic devices” (36). Hinduja and Patchin are both Ph.D.’s, professors at universities, as well as primary researchers at the Cyberbullying Research Center. The research and community outreach that they are involved in could greatly reduce the number of cyberbullying cases worldwide. Cyberbullies typically operate through social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to harass, intimidate, threaten, embarrass or otherwise target an individual. Cyberbullying is awfully prevalent nowadays and it is a far bigger issue than most people realize. It is an issue that is quickly growing; as there are hundreds of thousands of people signing on to use these networks for the first time every day. According to NoBullying.com, 25% of teenagers report that they have experienced repeated bullying via their cell phone or on the Internet, while 52% report having experienced it at least

In order to understand the importance and consequences of cyberbullying, the main idea of cyberbullying must be expressed. Suzanne Phillips states that “cyberbullying like any form of bullying is relational aggression. It is intended to make the victim feel frightened, humiliated, helpless and too often—hopeless. What makes cyber bullying particularly harmful and in the case of too many young people who have committed suicide, so deadly, is the nature and virulent reach of electronic medium” (Phillips 1). Students are put in danger everyday due to the relevance of cyberbullying that surrounds them. The effects are detrimental to their health and have major impacts on the society. Justin Patchin explains that teens have unhealthy ideas when he states that “cyberbullied youth also report having suicidal thoughts, and there have been a number of examples in the United States and abroad where youth who were victimized ended up taking their own lives” (Patchin 1). Average teenagers express everyday that the effects of cyberbullying are harmful to their well being and self esteem. This causes most teens to feel worthless and makes them believe that their lives are not meaningful. Justin W. Patchin also shows the many outcomes of cyberbullying and displays that at “first, many targets report feeling depressed, sad, angry, and frustrated.

Cyberbullying is just one of the many forms of bullying that can occur and unfortunately, it continues to occur in ever-growing amounts. In this generation, the internet is so easily accessible that no one can prevent themselves from potentially being entrapped by the heinous claws of cyberbullying. Since cyberbullying can reach so many people, it can also bring the detrimental effects along with it. Mental illness, self-harm, and suicide are just a few of the effects that can happen to a person being cyberbullied. Most of the time these effects can be prevented by the intervention of schools, friends, or loved ones. Most cyberbullying incidents happen to students and in most cases, schools are unable to take any form of action. People, especially young Americans should speak up and take action against cyberbullying. They must voice their concerns and make schools be required to intervene in cyberbullying matters that occur off campus, because it can affect them, their friends, or others around

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

Doctors Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin defined cyberbullying as “willful and repeated harm to others inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices” (208). It is a serious problem amongst children and teens all around the world. Many consider cyberbullying as merely expressing one’s thoughts which is considered freedom of speech. Many live in constant fear of what’s the next thing that’s going to be said about them. Although cyberbullying is considered freedom of speech and is therefore not breaking the law, it should ultimately be illegal because it causes low academic performance, depression and suicide in teens and young adults.

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 recently become an issue in the United States. With the continuum of advancements in technology, and the ever-growing online worlds, bullying has turned from taking a classmate’s lunch money to posting hateful comments about them online. Sometimes the people know exactly who posted it, but other times the perpetrator can post completely anonymously. People are now able to be mean behind closed doors. The worst thing about it is that people cannot always see who the true bullies are anymore. I chose to research this topic because it has become such an issue in today’s world. I also chose to research this topic because I have experienced cyberbullying personally and have seen it done to my friends. Cyberbullying can

After being cyberbullied, 20% of victims have suicide in mind, while 1 in 10 victims actually go through with it. Suicide has grown to be the third leading cause in the death of teens. “4500 kids commit suicide each year” (Laird). Cyber bullying is a growing issue that needs to be resolved. However, can a solution actually exist after so many years of tyranny? Government officials, parents and even students have tried and tried again to raise awareness and thus enact a movement against this life-threatening illness that has infected social media. School officials don’t do anything to prevent these actions mainly because they are unaware that it starts in the classroom, in the hallway, or on school campus before it ever becomes a problem on

Internet usage in children and adolescents has been increasing in a steadily fashion in the past number of years and with the increase in internet usage, a new form of bullying has developed – Cyber bullying. Cyber bullying can be defined as “the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person,” (Merriam-Webster, 2012). This form of bullying can come through various mediums including but not limited to text messages, emails, videos, and social networking sites. There is an overwhelming amount of information that defines cyber bullying, identifies the demographics of bullies and victims of cyber bullying, and identifies the outcomes of cyber bullying on victims. More focus needs to be placed on who the perpetrators

There is not one “typical bully”. There are many different types. A website called “StopCyberbullying” has made a list of the different types of bullies such as the “Mean Girls”, the “Vengeful Angel”, the “Power Hungry” and the “Inadvertent Cyberbully”.

For such a long time, physical bullying has been the largest problem schools and parents had to face with their children, but now another form of bullying has arisen; cyber bullying. In society today, teens are drawn cell phones, laptops, and other technological advancements. Social media is a way for many teens and adolescents to interact with one another and share countless happenings of their personal lives. Cyber bullying occurs when individuals use the internet to send or comment cruel and unnecessary messages to another. In its various forms cyber bullying includes, indirect and direct harassment, posting inappropriate pictures, impersonating another being, or just being plain cruel. Although anyone can become a victim of cyber bullying, improper use of the internet can further induce harassment, due to the adolescents desire to use modern day technologies. The harassers could be classmates, online “friends’’, or anonymous users. One barrier that is difficult to overcome is determining who is responsible for the attacks online, because many bullies hide behind fake usernames or profiles to protect their real identity, which is commonly known as “hiding behind a screen”. (Bonanno 2013). The motives for a cyber-bully are never clear, some might say