Cyberbullying Is Growing At An Alarming Rate

Social media itself is a huge danger to society. It causes many suicides within the world because of the cyberbullying and spreading of rumors. “Recent studies have shown that one out of four teens have been the victims of cyberbullying and one out of six have admitted to having cyberbullied someone” (Trautner 1). The internet and social media is supposed to be used to communicate with friends and for searching information, “Kids use technology different than their parents do. Sometimes it is hard for adults to understand that this can even be a possibility” (Trautner 1). It is not supposed to be used to bully someone, especially not to the point where the victim would think about suicide. “One of the statistics that has been highlighted within this news coverage is the threefold increase in the suicide rate for girls ages 10 to 14. The rates for girls in this age group increased from 0.5 to 1.5 per 100,000 during this time period. The increases for boys in this age group were not as high, climbing from 1.9 per 100,000 during 1999 to 2.6 per 100,000 in 2014” (Olsen

Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are huge contributors to cyberbullying. These social network sites grant their members the privilege to engage in the actions of the attacker which is a menace. A majority of the cyberbullied population have committed suicide due to the abusive comments. Cyberbullying has gone into a hyper drive with new devices and faster types of social media.

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.

Rebecca Sedwick, a 12-year-old girl, committed suicide after being repeatedly cyberbullied by 15 girls for many months. Once again, cyberbullying through social media has led to the suicide of a child. (“Phillips, Suzanne”) Social media allows hundreds of ways to communicate with others with electronic devices. Sometimes communicating with strangers, and sometimes unanimous. This idea of constant messages, notifications, and texts can be very dangerous when it comes to cyberbullying because the victim feels like they have no way out, or nowhere to hide. Social media for kids and teens ultimately has only negative effects because it leads to cyberbullying, a decrease in education, and suicide.

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.

As of 2016, suicide has replaced homicide as the second-leading cause of death among U.S. teenagers because of social media bullying. Social media has taken a significant toll on our society, one that affects millions of students around the globe. Every day, online platforms are gaining in popularity. So much that study now shows that the average person spends more time each day on their phone and computer than they do sleeping! While social media offers some benefits in regards to education and relationships, the risks of cyberbullying, social anxiety and identity theft far outweigh these advantages.

The use of cyberbullying has heightened throughout the years between teenagers and “statistics reveal an increasing problem. Four in ten teens have experienced online bullying [...]” (Phillips 1). Cyberbullying is a rising problem found among students due to the expansion and wide use of technology in our society today. The important controversy of cyberbullying in the world around us causes many individuals to have critical mental diseases. From this, a wide variety of other problems occur such as suicide and alternative fatal situations that are prompted by rude or negative comments found on social media. Rude comments that are posted on social media diminish teenagers self esteem, which makes it difficult for them to achieve in school and

Social media is the ultimate platform for bullies. Using social media, perpetrators can bully their victims to the point of anxiety, fear, low self-esteem, suicidal ideations and in some cases to the committal of the suicidal act. Cyberbullying is defined as the deliberate repetition of hostility toward a group or persons with the intent to induce psychological, emotional, or physical harm through the use of digital communication (Niels, Menno, et. Al, 2013). A study conducted in 2014, stated that nearly 75% of school age youth have been the victim of cyberbullying (Giumetti, Kowalski, et al., 2014).

With the widespread presence of teen suicides, parents can 't help but wonder and worry, but they never find out where the child’s depression came of. A review of data collected between 2004 and 2010 via survey studies indicated that “lifetime cyberbullying victimization rates ranged from 20.8% to 40.6% and offending rates ranged from 11.5% to 20.1%” (PubMed Central) There are several specific ways that social media can increase the risk for the suicidal behavior. Cyber bullying and cyber harassment are serious and prevalent problems, as “approximately 2000 middle school children that indicated that victims of cyberbullying were almost two times as likely to attempt suicide than those who were not” (PubMed Central). Although cyberbullying cannot be identified as the only factor for suicide between teenagers, it increases the risk by intensifying feelings of isolation, instability, and hopelessness. According to the recent study, “approximately 43% of the students report experiencing cyberbullying during their lifetime, and 15% of students admitted to cyberbullying others during their lifetime” (Patchin, 2015). There are even more statistics showing how cyber bullies affect teenagers’ emotion and push them to self-destruction. Nowadays, social media has created virtual

When victims of cyber bullying are publicly put down, it can be frightening and destructive. The effects of cyber bullying on its victims are nothing other than pernicious. Though most effects that cyber bullying inflicts on its victims are minor to moderate (ex. Depression or low self-esteem), some cases have resulted in suicide or attempted suicide, which wistfully, I have personally heard of on numerous occasions. In fact, “Many cyber bullying victims have a low self-esteem and are more likely to commit suicide or other harmful act as a result” (Huskerson 59). Irrefutably, it is obvious that the world would be a happier place without the existence of cyber bullying. In addition to cyber bulling, there more are negative effects of social media, such as growing body dissatisfaction among

A growing issue in America today is cyberbullying. As technology advances in society, it also becomes a ground for bullying and harassment of others. Most cyberbullying will occur at school or work through mostly social media. Teachers and principals strive to prevent these situations from happening with zero tolerance for bullying. Although, it may be hard to monitor such actions over the internet, outside of school, or the work place, efforts have been made to break such barrier.

Bullying is a major problem that impacts many teens over generations, causing an endless cycle of bullying. With the new age of technology, this leads to new issues that are affecting teens’ lives. One of these issues is that cyberbullying is quickly becoming more common than the traditional playground bullying, as more social media are appealing to teens. Cyberbullying is a type of bullying that happens using electronic devices such as phones, laptops, and tablets. This form of bullying includes spreading rumours, sending mean and hurtful messages and sharing embarrassing videos or photos. Cyberbullying over social media has become extremely easy for bullies to victimize other teenagers affecting the victim’s mental health. Therefore,

Being in one of the first generations to deal with the roaring wave of social media has had a huge impact on my life. I have been personally affected by the most common form of bullying in 2015; cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is an underrated and, I think, the most effective and harmful way for someone to bully another. Those that have not been affected believe that someone can just “turn the screen off”. It’s not that easy, and I know from first hand experiences. Almost my entire childhood was filled with bullying on Facebook. Now, I see it everywhere on sites like Twitter on a daily basis. Cyberbullying can lead to self-harm, depression, or worse. As a survivor of serious bullying, I know the cost that it can have on someone. Person-to-person

Contrary to this general misconception, cyberbullying has the potential to be more dangerous than traditional bullying because the aggressor has the ability to be anonymous and can harass the victim 24/7 every day of the week. Scientific research examining the consequences of cyberbullying helped establish it as a social problem by linking it to emotional and mental health conditions. The rapid spread of cyberbullying-related media over the Internet has raised awareness on its possible hazards and helps justify cyberbullying as a social problem. Cases and rulings related to cyberbullying helped it become recognized as a social problem by framing it as an issue deserving of legal consideration and leading to laws passed to prevent cyberbullying. Over the recent decades, the findings of scientific research, advances in communication technology, and litigation on cyberbullying have contributed to the construction of cyberbullying as a social

Facebook and other social media platforms have brought communication across the world to a whole new level. The rise of social media has created a place for children to communicate with others in both a positive and negative manner. Although it has made a positive impact on American youth, it has also contributed and exacerbated bullying in our schools. This new form of bullying, often referred to as cyberbullying, has created an around-the-clock atmosphere where bullying can occur even when school is not in session. Many professionals have sought to address the negative aspects of social media and have worked to develop a solution to bring cyberbullying to an end.