Cyberbullying : The Negative Effects Of Social Media

People today would be surprised to know that social media has not been around forever. In fact, even more surprising is the realization that people did not really even have or use cell phones almost twenty years ago, and in those days cell phones were only used for calling. We have come a long way. Now, the whole world is in the palm of our hands, or in our cars, or on our wrists. Possibly the greatest thing to come out of this drastic evolution is social media. Social media is where everyone can keep up with family, check in with friends, and share their big time experiences with the rest of the world. However, it has opened up many, many more doors than ever intended, both good and bad. Social media has ironically turned people less social, provided an easy outlet for people to bully and point out insecurities, but also has changed the way we receive important information and news.

As much as social media has managed to ruin our society, it plays a positive role for the public as well. Social media allowed people to use their networks as a form of reaching out to old friends and family across the world. With America being known as the melting pot of the world, our society has several people with family on the other side of the Earth. With social media in effect, this permits people to stay in touch with long lost loved ones and keep ties tight. Not only has it sanctioned friends and family to keep in touches but has granted people to relocate birth parents and unknown family members as well. Yes, social media has failed our society greatly but there is always a rainbow somewhere after a rainy day. Social media can play a positive role by bringing people back together.

In addition, the social media allows adolescents to gain access to websites anonymously that can provide excellent means of resources for health concerns such as sexually transmitted diseases, depression, stress, and making appointments or communicating with professionals for these types of issues and concerns about them or loved ones. However, there is always a down side to the social media for our adolescents that range in sub groupings such as peer to peer, inappropriate content, privacy violations, and how third parties advertising groups that target our children due to our Like responses on social media. The number one media issue that is brought by parents today’s is cyber bullying or on-line harassment concerns for their children. This was concern by a parent in the PBS video to Mr.

Social media has led many benefits. For example, people are able to spread awareness about mental illness, connect with support groups, and expand searches for research participants. However, users of social media may unknowingly spread false information. Social media also has other drawbacks, which include decreases in-person interactions and increases in cyber-bullying. Children are now have the availability to access a vast amount of information through social media, but the responsibly of having a social media account may be beyond their developmental age abilities. Therefore, the vast increase and interest in social media may lead to researchers investigating human behaviors while noting differences among groups. Additionally, researchers will likely investigate how to assist parents in maintaining appropriate boundaries with social media while remaining safe. From a prevention viewpoint, educating parents and teachers about talking to children about proper use of the internet may be a practical

More than 40% of adolescents and teens have been cyberbullied online and 1 in 4 have been repeatedly cyberbullied. Cyberbullying started to become a problem once the internet became a common tool. Today around 90% of teens go online everyday.

In this cyber bullying article, Social Media Cyber Bullying Linked to Teen Depression by Stephanie Pappas, it explains how there is a connection of depression with cyberbullying. Many cases have shown that the cause of depression and death in teens were linked to cyberbullying. According to this article, “The deaths of teens who had been subject to abuse on the site prompted Ask.fm (which was acquired by Ask.com in 2014) to launch new safety efforts.” Teens from age of 12-18 has had bad health effects because of cyberbullying. Hamm told Live Science, “There were consistent associations between exposure to cyberbullying and increased likelihood of depression.” Social Medias such as facebook can lead to cyberbullying. According to the article,

Visualize this: It is almost time to eat dinner, and the teenagers have not bothered to do their homework because they have been preoccupied with social media all afternoon. They are spending a majority of their time taking pictures and posting them for ‘likes’ to fit in with everyone else, or they are stalking other people’s posts and pictures, wondering why their lives are not as thrilling as the others’ lives appear. Worst of all, kids of all ages are committing suicide after being cyberbullied to the point that they cannot take it anymore. Picturing it now? Regrettably, that describes the scenery of how their generation is now – the effects of social media on young people are horrifying.

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.

Virtual harassment is a common and growing occurrence, and offline intimidation has continually been and remains to be a problem. Bullying of all kinds peaks in Middle School and in greatest cases spills off by College age, when scholars are more self-regulating and more developed. Shortage of organization amongst school staff, parents and scholars make cyber- and offline bullying a constant risk to young people 's assurance and well-being. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services delivers a much briefer yet wider meaning of the term: “Cyber bullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology.” It goes on to clarify precisely what is intended by “electronic technology” as well as gives a very decent impression of the matter, as well as ideas for action. Much of the government’s distress is that bullying, in overall, frequently includes illegal or criminal behavior.

Bullying is undesirable, forceful conduct among school matured kids that includes a genuine or saw power irregularity. The conduct is rehashed, or can possibly be rehashed, over the long haul. Harassing incorporates activities, for example, making dangers, spreading gossipy , assaulting somebody physically or verbally, and barring somebody from a gathering intentionally

The abundance of technology and social media today has led to many positives and negatives in our society. The

As parents, we strive day in and day out to provide healthy meals, drive our kids to soccer practice, cheer at the games; attend parent-teacher meetings at school and teach them to say “no” to drugs and other bad habits.  While we are busy covering all the basics of being a good parent, we can be far too oblivious of the effects the social media is having on children.

Many times, disputes that normally would have simply been resolved by a manger or boss, are suddenly spewed all over Facebook for their peers to see. This makes people feel validated in their arguments, but also slanders the coworker or even the company. People have a hard time keeping things of this nature to themselves and social media and texting are just other outlets for people to blow off steam these days. This allows people to be more emotionally detached from a situation as well, allowing them to be crueler and ruder than they would be in person. These situations are harmful to productivity and all around morale in the work place.

Bullying has been an increasing problem in our society for some time, social media has made it possible to have access to individuals with no respite. There seems to be no escape from constant ridicule and body shaming, we are seeing an increase in many psychological issues not only in our young people but adults as well. I am going to attempt to share and explain to you how social media has a major roll in how we view our body image as well as the role it plays in bullying.

The internet and social media have come a long way in the past decade. “This is an exciting time to be a young person interested in media” (Jennifer Shewmaker, PhD) Technology has evolved into something that we as humans use every single day. Nowadays children are growing with electronic devices and internet surrounding them. With technology on their hands all day they get exposed too inappropriate content, devolving mental problems and, in some cases being victims of cyberbullying. And yes, there’s no doubt the internet is a useful tool that we use every day for homework and other uses. “But instant messaging, chat room, emails and social networking can also bring trouble – from cyberbullying to more serious internet dangers, including exposure to sexual predators (Katherine Kam, par.3) Too children, who’s brains aren’t well developed they fall to being victims of the to what the internet can cause too their young lives. Many adolescents don’t see the dangers of the internet, but us as adults should prevent introducing the internet too them as such a young age before it’s too late.