Have you ever been bullied by someone you can not see? It is bad enough to know your enemy but having no control over who contacts you, and how, and when, can be a terrifying experience for many teens. Cyberbullying has become an epidemic in this country and is only now getting the attention it should. In completing research for this paper, I found out that cyber bullying takes many different forms. Cyberbullying can have many participants, not only the person/persons who start the bullying, but those who continue it. The purpose of this paper is to inform teens about what cyberbullying is and to help them prevent it from happening to them.
Stopcyberbullying.org defines cyberbullying as "when one child targets another using interactive technologies," which can include online games, e-mail, cell phones, text messages and other electronic devices “(Stop). “Cyberbullying includes death threats, sending someone a virus, hacking into an e-mail account, disrupting a person's playing experience in an online game, intentionally embarrassing someone among his peers and many other actions “(Stop).
So you see, some cyberbullying can start out as what appears to
be innocent fun but can quickly escalate to some pretty serious situations. It can be easy for bullies to target someone that they do not have to see face to face. Until recently, these bullies have felt protected from retaliation and punishment for their actions. They have felt that they can attack others and never face the consequences for what they have done. Unfortunately for them, the same technology that has helped them to attack others, can now also be used to track their activity and help bring justice for their victims. This may sound extreme for some forms of cyberbullying that may just seem like innocent fun, but to the victim, it is usually not as funny or entertaining. Often times if can lead that person to do extreme things to end the bullying. In the next section, I will explain and give examples of several types of cyberbullies and what they can look like in an everyday situation.
Cyberbullies can take on many different forms. Some appear to be innocent and just fun seeking, while others are intentional in their acts. Some examples of
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.
Cyberbullying is one of the easiest ways to bully someone. Most cyber bullies know their victims in person. On the fact sheet “What is Cyberbullying?” it says that 84% of bullies know their victim in real life. A major problem with cyberbullies is that they are posting embarrassing pictures, threatening comments, and rude statements about one that cannot be completely deleted off of the
“20% of youth between ages 11-18 have been a victim of cyberbullying.” states “What is cyberbullying” Each year, many people are cyberbullied. This can lead to physical and mental harm, can affect everyone, and is not being reported as much as it should be. Cyberbullies should be prosecuted for these harmful actions.
Cyber Bullying is defined by the National Crime Prevention Council as - "when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person" (National Crime Prevention Council).
Cyberbully: A word that you may see repeatedly in news and social media, even maybe you or your friends have been a victim of this phenomenon. A survey among 131 undergraduate students (73 female and 57 male) in a US university with an undergraduate population of less than 10000 students shows that fifty-four percent of all respondents reported knowing someone who had been cyberbullied (Walker et al.183).
Cyberbullies do not have to be strong or fast; they just need access to a cell phone or computer and a desire to terrorize. Anyone can be a cyberbully, and such persons usually have few worries about having face-to-face confrontation with their victims. In fact, the anonymity of cyberbullying may cause students who normally would not bully in the tradition-sense to become a cyberbully (Poland, 2010).
Most cyberbullies are mainly young teenagers under the age of 18. They send hurtful messages to others, not caring about their feelings and reactions. Mostly, immature adolescents and do not know better: “When teens were asked why they think others cyberbully, 81 % said that cyberbullies
Cyberbullying has been a big problem for teens and adults around the world. Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. For most cyberbullying isn’t anything serious it’s just a person just joking around or just speaking their mind but its more than that its feelings being involved families being broken even hearts.
“It’s much harder to flee a cyberbully, as they can ‘attack’ through a variety of electronic means,” states Psychologist Eden Foster. Cyberbullies who do “attack” individuals should be prosecuted. Cyberbullies should be prosecuted because most bullies take it too far. Cyberbullying is a form bullying online with any device. Although, some say that under the first Amendment people have a right of free speech, but some cyberbullies take the online bullying too far. In conclusion, cyberbullies should be prosecuted for what individuals say online.
“Cyber bullying is defined as using the computer or other electronic devices to intimidate, threaten or humiliate another individual,” Admin October 13th, 2008. As the
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
Cyber bullying can be more terrifying than standard bullying, because the target typically does not know who is after them. Cyber bullies believe that because they are posting anonymously or not using their names, they can get away with anything. The case is that Internet activity is traceable. It is important to know that cyber bullying can be charged as crimes. In some cases, cyber bullies will be charged as sexual predators and have to be on the registry. Furthermore, items posted on the Internet can affect the person’s ability to get into university or employment.
Cyberbullying happens all over the world, 44 states have issued a law against cyberbullying. Different states have different ways to define cyberbullying but basically “Cyberbullying is the willful and repeated use of cellphones, computers, and other electronic communication devices to harass and threaten others.”("Cyberbullying")
Cyberbullying occurs when technology is used to tamper with, abuse, shame, or target another person online. It is usually a problem that happens among adolescents but when adults are involved it can become a crime that can possibly lead to prison time. Most victims are terrified to report that they were bullied, making it nearly impossible to report the number of people affected. Recent studies have shown that 25% of teens are victims of cyberbullying and 16.67% have admitted that they have cyberbullied another person. The advancement of technology in our society has inevitably brought a rise to cyberbullying, which can now happen anytime and victims can be oppressed from thousands of miles away. The sheer convenience that the internet now offers to bullies allows them to harass victims with just a tap of a keyboard. Experts have recorded that there is a general increase in suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completions from both cyberbullying victims along with the bullies themselves. Some signs of cyberbullying are; “being very secretive or protected of one's digital life, avoiding school or group gatherings, and being nervous or jumpy when getting an instant message, text, or email.” Parents can help their child if they are being cyberbullied by communicating to them and comforting them. Parents should also boost their kids by telling them it's not their fault and they also make them feel less lonely.
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