Is Cyberbullying Becoming An Added Struggle Of Mental Health Essay

Is cyberbullying an old problem with a new disguise? Bullying in the real world has been around for a seemingly endless amount of time. Due to the rise of technology in society today, bullying in the cyber world, also known as cyberbullying, has erupted. Cyberbullying can be defined as using technology, such as the Internet, social media, and text messages, to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person (Hirsch). According to 11 Facts About Cyberbullying, nearly eighty-three percent of teens believe bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person. This shows that cyberbullies use online networks to camouflage themselves from reality. Cyberbullying is emotionally abusive to the victim’s mental health because the scars imprinted from the cruel remarks sent through text messages and posted throughout social media are bound to forever impact one's life.

As the drastic increase of social media networks has increased, so too has the cyberbullying prevalence. Merriam-Webster defines cyberbullying as the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person often done anonymously. Kassandra Gahagan and her fellow colleagues studied cyberbullying among students and its outcomes. Studies show higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors with victims of cyberbullying, along with higher rates of depression, anxiety and paranoia (Gahagan, Vaterlaus & Frost, 2015). While cyberbullying can be both intentional or unintentional, it is a negative process which effects the victim. This includes comments, posts without consent and messages. The study conducted sought to determine the prevalence of cyberbullying among young adults and the negative outcomes through asking three questions.

Notar, 2013), yet the problem has become a pervasive one today. It is a sad fact that cyberbullying, particularly in schools, is prevalent throughout the world, with Australia being no exception. It seems to be a part of human nature to try to dominate other people and the lessons that are learned in school tend to stay with children more than the official education they receive. With easy access to internet, teens are empowered with information and using the information for good or bad cause but intent hardly teaches us with power comes the responsibility. In schools, cyberbullying emerges most commonly from relationship problems (break‐ups, envy, intolerance, and ganging up); victims experience powerfully negative effects (especially on their social well‐being) ( Dainne L.Hoff, 2009).

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.

Society is now immersed in the era of the digital age. Gone are the days of searching for hours in the library for the answers to a particular question, writing letters that can take days if not weeks to reach its recipient or simply visiting friends to reconnect. The Internet has provided a way to obtain and share a vast amount of information instantaneously on devices such as laptops and mobile phones. As a result, the number of users is increasing at an exponential rate as more people go online and embrace the convenience of the world-wide web. Social media sites allow the user to share personal information, photographs and videos at their own discretion as well as view the information shared by others, such sites have become an integrated part of everyday life especially amongst adolescents. Although, this modern way of social interaction and information sharing has its advantages it can likewise have a negative impact on the lives of some individuals. This essay will suggest that while the Internet has advanced communication and is growing in popularity, the issue of bullying has similarly evolved. Consequently, cyberbullying is now a recognised problem faced in most societies and educational institutions. To deal with this new phenomenon, countries such as New Zealand is proposing changes to existing laws and legislations.

It was given to students between the ages of 12 and 17, to find the extent of cyberbullying in the particular age bracket. Five different forms of bullying was reported, with insults having the highest percentage reported, embarrassing pictures being the lowest, and threats, privacy violation, and password theft in between. Almost 1/5 of the respondents reported repeated experiences, and 72% reported that they had been bullied online during the past year. In 2002, Finn (2004) documented survey results that 10 to 15% of 339 students at University of New Hampshire had experienced multiple e-mail or IM messages that “threatened, insulted or harassed” (pg. 2) them. A survey that was given to 666 students at a university in Turkey in 2009 was used to assess the psychological needs of the cyberbully. The results that were found from this survey were “that aggression and succorance positively predicted cyberbullying, but interception negatively predicted it” (pg. 2). Also, 22.5% of students reported that they had cyberbullied at least once, and 55.3% reported that they had been a victim of cyberbullying at least once in their lifetime (Dilmac, 2009). Technology is becoming more accessible to today’s youth, and more questions are arising because of this. Extended research is needed to focus on the increase of technology and its impact on the events that are rooted from

There are some who see the rapid growth of Facebook and similar social media platforms as the vehicle that enables a new form of bullying that is even more devastating than the physical bullying we’ve always seen in schools for centuries. However, this form of bullying is even more insidious because it is invisible to all but the perpetrator and the victim. The victims have no way of avoiding the attacks because it even follows them into their bedrooms when they check their social media accounts. As the internet continues to grow, cyberbullying will continue to grow along with it – if not even more quickly. It either is or will soon become a crisis of

Social Networking has taken bullying to the extreme. Before advanced technology, children and teenagers were troubled by school bullies. Today, they are targeted by bullies via internet. Most people undergo some form of bullying in life. Growing up, I experienced the typical name calling and spiteful comments. I also dealt with minor cases of virtual bullies. These bullies are known as cyber bullies. I find this topic compelling because it’s a matter that has spiraled out of control.

This article has reviewed the key aspects of cyber-safety and how technology is harming young adolescents predominately focusing on females, as they are more vulnerable. This initial article has implemented and discussed the interventions to help victims of cyberbullying, whilst using the internet to reduce the risk of the key factors that contribute to depression, physical health and suicide associated with cyberbullying. The research methodology used within this article demonstrates the different study 's and research conducted regarding cyber bullying these include statistics, surveys, cross-sectional studies, longitudinal studies and comparative research of the different countries these include the UK, USA, China, Sweden and France. In addition, the first chosen article 'Bullying, cyberbullying, and Suicide ' by Hinduja and Patchin (2010), focuses on a link between traditional school

Today, teenagers rely more on the internet, and other technologies to keep in touch with their friends, and social lives. They are on all sorts of social media platforms such as facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat and so much more. They also use different forms of technology such as cellphones, and online chatrooms to communicate with friends and social circles. Many adolescents use this growing technology as a bridge between their everyday reality, and virtual reality, and sometimes, use this technology to intimidate and harass other students which is a form of cyberbullying. Jemica Carter and Wilson Feleta, authors of “Cyberbullying a 21st century health care phenomenon,” define cyberbullying as,“covert, psychological bullying [conveyed] through electronic mediums’” (Cyberbullying) Elizabeth Anderson publisher of the article, Teenagers spend 27 hours a week online: how internet use has ballooned in the last decade, demonstrates how there has been a dramatic increase in the use of technology in the last

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

As social media gets popular and provides an easier access to the Internet, the more difficult it gets to control people’s outburst. Many people wonder, “What is the difference between traditional bullying and cyber bullying?” “What is cyber bullying?” Traditional bullying is when a person is bullying another person face to face. However, with cyber bullying is different. Cyber bullying occurs through out social media and on the Internet. Once in a while I overhear a person questioning about how teens and young kids use social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and etc. Social media has its pros and cons, pro because it gives us an easier to access to sources when we need it right away. Social media also has its cons because social media is very powerful tools, which can be taken advantage of like for example, making shanky comments on pictures or post inappropriate information about another person. Therefore, how fast is cyberbullying expending? How can we use the Internet in a positive way? Two great essays by Jesse Fleck, Leigh Johnson-Migalski, Jemica Carter, and Feleta Wilson explain these reasoning’s.

Review of the Status of Cyberbullying and Cyberbullying Prevention (2014), a scholarly article written by June Chisolm PhD, with the Department of Psychology at Pace University in New York, explores the effects of cyberbullying and the impact that it has on adolescents. The author first defined cyberbullying as “the intentional and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, or other electronic devices” (pg.78). In recent studies, it was found that one in five youths will be cyberbullied, and the adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 years of age, 19% of them will either be the victim or the perpetrator (para.4 pg.78).

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.

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