The Causes And Effects Of Cyberbullying

Bullying is all over the world. Each year there is over 3.2 million victims being bullied. Approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying.17% of American students report being bullied 2 to 3 times a month in a year. To many within a school semester. Since 2002, fighting behaviour has increased, especially in grades six to eight. Boys are more likely to start bullying because of being bullied in their past. Girls are most likely to cyberbully. Nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online. According to Gale, cyberbullying is the use of the Internet, smartphones, or other electronic communication devices to spread harmful or embarrassing information about another person, such as talking about people, telling other people’s

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

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,

Online users are bullied on social media sites. In “The Dangers of Cyberbullying“, author Christopher B. Davison describes cyberbullying as an agressive, intentional act distributed by an individual or group, using contact in an electronic medium continously and relentlessly against someone else who can’t stand up for their rights (Davison 595). Technology affects bullying in a lot of different forms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr or any other form of online communication. Kovalski and Limber discovered that instant messaging (66.6%) is used most frequently for cyberbullying (598). With the increasing use of the internet cyberbullying is likely to be a growing problem. Lenhart found that 68% of students use the Internet during schoolhours for bullying actions(596). Additionally adolescents use the internet 17 hours on average, with some spending up to

With the introduction of Internet, bullying has taken a new form. Most of the victims of traditional bullying and cyberbullying are teens and other youth; they are easy targets as they are the new to the internet and do not know much about what happens online (Campbell, 2005). Bullying is a risk factor for social and emotional change among children. Most bully victims range in age from 15 to 18 years, with the perpetrators turning towards technology to harass the intended victims (Gradinger & Strohmeier, 2009). Technology does not only include social networking sites on the Internet, it can also include the use of other forms of technology like cell phones, pagers, email, SMS and instant messaging (Seals & Young, 2004). Cyberbullies find their targets easily, 24/7, with technology. It becomes easy for them to find and harass their intended targets (Hinduja & Patchin, 2007; Juvonen & Gross, 2008; Dooley,

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.

Bullying that occurs through social media, cell phones, tablets, or computers is called cyberbullying. Studies have shown that 1 in every 4 teens recieved some form of cyberbullying and that number continues to grow. Another survey showed that approximately half of the kids that took the survey had been cyberbullied through social and digital media. These studies and surveys are alarming many law enforcers, schools, and especially parents around the world because this is becoming a serious problem. The parents and families of these teens are effected most due to the emotional stress cyberbullying can put on someone. A person that is being cyberbullied may show different signs such as their grades slipping, being upset or angry after using social media, mood swings, loss of apetite, and more.

Cyberbullying is bullying which occurs via utilization of electronic technology; electronic technology incorporates apparatuses and paraphernalia for instance cellular phones, computers, and tablets in addition to communication instruments which embrace social broadcasting sites, text messages, chat, and websites. Illustrations of cyberbullying include a derogatory text messages or emails, rumors sent through email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or counterfeit profiles. (StopBullying.gov)

What once was the way to communicate with family, post pictures, and stay in touch with the world has now become the world’s easiest way to attack others. According to the article Bullying Statistics, “19.6% of high school students in the US report being bullied at school and 14.8% report being bullied online” (“Bullying Statistics”). Children of all ages are now involved with so much technology and social media that it has become a problem in society. Instead of using social media and technology for good and fun, children are now using it to bully others. This problem has been defined as cyberbullying. “Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology” (“What is Cyberbullying”). Although the causes of cyberbullying are unexplainable, researchers say most children who bully do not receive the structure needed in their lives. Bullying can happen anytime, anywhere. Even when we think our children are out of harm’s way when they are at home, we may be mistaken. Cyberbullying is most likely to happen when the child is at home because it is through social media or messaging. The effects bullying has on children are so diverse. Bullying can cause good kids to start participating in things that they would not normally do. Problems such as drug and alcohol addiction can be a result of a child being bullied.

Everyday millions of preteens and young adults log on to the internet to complete various amounts of tasks. With the new age of technology many young adults have easier access to the web and social media than their past generations. “Over 80 percent of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most popular form of technology and a common medium for cyber bullying” (Cyberbullying Research Center, 2010). The World Wide Web and social media have opens up a black hole to psychological and emotional stress for some young adults. Cyber bullying is defined as a form of teen violence, torment and harassing via the use of technology to bully another person. One out of five young adults has experienced cyber bullying to the extreme (Hackett, 2013). Cyber bullying may not seem like it is a problem in the young community but it is a huge problem. Cyber bullying can have a huge effect on a person it can led to a numerous amount of outcomes such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and even suicide.

Today’s youth are often led to do and say crueler things compared to what is done and said in a typical traditional face-to-face bullying situation, due to the separation effect technology devices have (Donegan, 2012). Technology now offers the ability to make fake profile pages on social media sites, and the use of applications which provides fake telephone number, both of which facilitate cyberbullies. Like traditional bullying, cyberbullying is associated with several negative impacts that many parents should be aware of since many allow their children to use the internet and have cell phones.

Cyberbullying is any bullying that takes place with the use of electronic technology; cell phones, computers, social media, texting, and other electronic methods of communication. Cyberbullying typically happens to teenagers, when it happens to an adult is considered cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. Cyberbullying is different than in person bullying because it can happen anytime, victims find it hard to escape, the bully can be anonymous, and the bully can be anywhere in the world. Children who are being cyberbullied are also most likely being bullied in person.

For decades, physical bullying has been a consistent problem for young people attending school. Yet the growth of the Internet has redefined how students pick on one another. Cyber-bullying has become one of the most difficult issues to resolve in our society. Cyber-bullying can come in many forms. Cyber harassment, for example, refers to repeated hurtful emails, text messages or instant messages. Another form of cyberbullying is impersonation, in which cyber-bullies pretend to be their victims online in order to sully their victims ' reputations. Cyber denigration occurs when a cyber-bully spreads derogatory or untrue information about someone online, or digitally posts an embarrassing or altered photo or video of that person. (Prosecuting Cyberbullies) The bully can remain anonymous while behind a computer screen because many social media websites allow people to make up fake user ids and many bullies tend to give false information while registering for these sites. About 20% of more than 4,400 11–18-year-olds surveyed by the Cyberbullying Research Center in 2010 reported having been cyberbullied at some point in their lives. About 20% also admitted to having cyberbullied someone else. The survey found that cyber-bullying is a growing problem because of the increasing frequency with which students use the Internet and cell phones to do homework and socialize. (Prosecuting Cyberbullies) The person being bullied will feel alone, powerless, different,

Cyberbullying has the power to tear down a life. Once it has started, there is no delete button that will automatically clear everything that has been said. The process of cyberbullying is difficult for the victim but possibly enjoyable for the bully. Often there is only one receiver and one trigger but multiple people join in because the comments are public for others to see as well. Being on the receiver side is difficult to deal with the comments every day and night because it is constantly on one’s mind and subconscious. It is challenging to search for help because of the comments said towards the victim, it is embarrassing and shaming, even though they are not the truth. Back then, there wasn 't much awareness as to what was happening online and how it was affecting people. Today there is more security on the Internet, like blocking and reporting, but cyberbullying is still happening. Victims may feel powerless and hopeless as to standing up for themselves. Cyberbullies should not only have a greater punishment, but there should be a higher awareness towards cyberbullying because it can cause harm in others lives.

We use technology in almost every aspect of our daily lives; it is how we stay connected in this fast-paced world. Technology provides many benefits, but it has the potential to destroy many people. With technology use on the rise, bullying has taken a new, more destructive form. Cyberbullying, as defined by the Cyberbullying Research Center, is the willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text (qtd. in Chait). Cyberbullying is a serious problem and has serious consequences.