Cyberbullying-Related Suicide Among Adolescents

Many would agree that technology has advanced remarkably, in the past decade and has impacted the the as we know it in so many good ways. However, it has come with some downfalls as well. One of these downfalls is, the impact technology has on teenagers especially when it comes to social media and instant messaging. With that being said, there is this epidemic that the younger generations face with the internet. This includes, being harassed over the internet or cyberbullying. Unfortunately, bullying has always been an issue especially among young adolescents. However, now we have the same issue yet the bullies are able to hide behind a computer screen and this has been affecting teenagers in a negative way just as traditional bullying has. According to Merriam-Webster cyberbullying can be defined as “the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person (such as a student) often done anonymously”. Cyberbullying usually results in embarrassment and can sometimes lead to an even worse feeling if continued. According to the indicators of school crime and safety report done in 2013; 6% of students in middle school were cyberbullies and 16% of high schoolers reported that in the past year they have been harassed over the internet. Even though those numbers are smaller than students who get bullied in person, cyberbullying still has negative effects on the victim. The purpose of this paper is to reach out to kids who

The internet has created an entirely new world of social communications particularly for youths. There are no more barriers. Family, friends, young and old may now stay in touch with just about everyone, anywhere in the world through the use of email, text messaging, web chat, and instant messaging. Although, most interactions are friendly and in good nature, there are some that are not. The use of technology as a tool to antagonize, torment and intimidate others is now a widespread problem. Sadly, this form of bullying like all others is most common among children and young adults. Research done by Cox Communications on children between 13 thru 18 year-olds, 25 percent said they were cyber-bullied whether online or by cell phone (Cox Com. 2009). Also in 2007, the National Crime Prevention Council reported cyber-bullying as a problem that affected approximately half of all American teens. Since it is popular among this group of American teens, then it is safe look at some of possible reason cyber bullies of this age group are encouraged to take part in such activity.

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.

At 6 p.m., October 10, 2012, fifteen year old Amanda Todd hung herself after she posted a gripping video called, “My Story:Struggling,bullying, suicide,and self harm” after being harassed and bullied online for many years. While she was in the 7th grade, Amanda Todd had an online video conversation with someone who asked her to flash her breasts, which she eventually did. After one year, she was contacted by the same person who threatened to post her pictures on the Internet if she didn’t provide more provocative pictures. Even though she refused to send pictures to him, her pictures were sent to her family and friends. Despite switching schools, the cyber bullying continued and a Facebook page of her with the picture of her breasts as the profile picture was created. Even though Amanda tried to kill herself by drinking bleach, the abuse was too much, so she hung herself (Pendergrass and Wright,in press). Some questions to address with cyberbullying related suicides are: how do we define and recognize cyberbullying, how do we protect those who are cyberbullied, and how do we educate parents and other adults to protect children and adolescents from cyberbullying? With electronic communication becoming so prevalent, we cannot afford to ignore the increasing dangers of the societal shift from a traditional schoolyard bully to to the anonymous cyberbully. Children and adolescents deserve to be protected, parents and teachers need to understand the risks that cyber bullying

Bullying is an undesirable, antagonistic conduct among not only school aged children but also adults. People who are bullied may have serious and long-term problems. Bullying has become more prominent throughout the years, increasing the suicide rate in the U.S. to 24.5% since 2003. (Hey U.G.L.Y, 2006) This results in approximately 160,000 individuals stay home from school or work each day because they are afraid or feel threatened by bullies. (Hey U.G.L.Y, 2006) Approximately 4,400 lives are lost each year due to bullying. (Hey U.G.L.Y, 2006) A nationwide survey was done throughout public schools and private schools in 2014 to find out how many students actually considered suicide due to bullying. (Hey U.G.L.Y, 2006) 15% of students reported

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

Mueller, A. S., James, W., Abrutyn, S., & Levin, M. L. (2015). Suicide ideation and bullying among US adolescents: examining the intersections of sexual orientation, gender, and race/ethnicity. American Journal of Public Health, 105(5), 980-985. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302391

In recent years, a series of bullying-related suicides in the US and across the globe have drawn attention to the connection between bullying and suicide. Though too many adults still see bullying as “just part of being a kid,”

The article, Bullying Suicide Statistics, suggests that a link between bullying and suicide have a strong connection. In the last few years, the correlation between bullying and suicide has caught the attention of the United States, as well as around the world. The article also mentions that suicide not only affects teenage boys, but teenage girls as well. The relationship between bullying and suicide is cause for concern and should be discussed, to save the lives of young people, as well as adults.

Suicide is the act or an instance of taking one’s own life voluntarily and intentionally. Suicide is the third leading cause to death in ages ten to twenty-four. It is approximated that for every successful suicide there are about twenty-five suicide attempts made. Most suicidal teens believe that a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying. This tragic situation is ultimately preventable. The fact of the matter is who has the initiative to enforce suicidal prevention?

According to a study conducted by Yale University, victims of bullying are between two and nine times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims. Suicide is the third leading cause of deaths among adolescence and young adults (“Bullying and Suicide," 2015). Suicide is not uncommon to hear about in society and in everyday life; furthermore, neither is bullying. These two events play hand in hand with each other. Bullying isn't just hitting someone or calling names, it is much more than that and can result in horrible outcomes such as suicide.

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

Bullying is defiantly a big factor in teen suicide; statics show bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims ( ).Teens who are being reported for being bullying are at an increasing risk for suicide-related behavior. ( ) Being bullied is a long and painful path road for teens. Bullying has serious and lasting negative effects on the mental health and overall well-being of a teen ( ). Teens who are been bullying have resulted in a much more painful road,

This paper is a review of the article, Cyberbullying, School Bullying, and Psychological Distress: A Regional Census of High School Students. The article describes a research study performed to determine the prevalence of cyber and school bullying, and how it is associated with psychological distress among high school students. For the study, 20,406 nine through twelfth grade students in Massachusetts were surveyed to assess their victimization via bullying, and the psychological distress that accompanied it, which also included mental health effects like depression and suicidality.

Bullying is a behavior that happens throughout each and every person’s lifetime, whether it be as the victim, the bully, or the bystander. A common image of bullying might be physical: an intimidating boy beating up a smaller child during recess for his lunch money, or verbal which can be as simple as name calling. Bullying is not healthy regardless of what form it happening. Many children do not realize that bullying can really affect someone’s life and they way someone views himself. Besides being emotionally hurt, the big issue with bullying is that people are bullying until the point in which the victim considers suicide as a solution. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among our youth. Over fourteen percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost seven percent have attempted it. Someone’s life is irreplaceable, but we can take preventative measures and lower bullying rates by bringing it to the youth 's attention. If we do not