Is social media harmful? it’s just fun and games right? Social media are websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. Some examples of social media websites and apps are Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and etc. Most people in America have some form of social media that they participate in so no wonder this is a significant topic that pertains to everyone. No matter how old or young someone is social media is dangerous because of cyber-bullying, depression, or the decrease in social skills.
In 2004 the i-SAFE America surveyed 1,500 students in grades 4th-8th who had been victims of cyberbullying. The survey showed that “42% of kids have been bullied while online. 1 in 4 has had it happen more than once”(i-SAFE Inc.).This number is way too high. i-SAFE also states “The physical assault has been replaced by a 24 hour per day, seven days a week online bashing”(i-SAFE Inc.). Cyberbullying can almost be worse than bullying because parents can't see the pain because it's not physical so they can't tell. Also, another study was being performed and it showed “that 70% of teens hide their online activity from their parents. Allowing teens to participate in unmonitored online activity”(END TO CYBER BULLYING, INC. ).When adolescents hide their social media activities from their parent whether they are the one being bullied or they are the bully the parents can't see what they're up to so they can't do
Bullying has been around since the beginning of time. Parents may remember when they were kids and the bully would pick on them or their friends by stealing lunch money or just getting beat up, and that was the end of it. The victims remember the hurt, frustration, and sadness it caused. However, these days, bullying is not just happening on the playground or at the bus stop, it is happening on the Internet and on cell phones, making it possible to bully a child 24 hours a day with multiple bullies and thousands of kids watching. Cyberbullying follows children nonstop and into the safety of their house. Sometimes kids are afraid to inform their parents about the cyberbullying that they will think its there fault. Or that their parents will call the bullies parents or other parents, making the bullying worse. However, the effect and pain that comes from cyberbullying is real. People underestimate cyberbullying, just because it is happening online and not in person. Cyberbullying can lead to many different factors like drinking, and drugs, poor grades, depression, eating disorders. Many students have even taken their own lives because of another student saying something to them online. Cyberbullying has been taking place a lot more in middle and high schools because of the increased usage of social media networks and technology. Cyberbullying is worse and more harmful than traditional bullying.
Since the beginning of time people have always had to deal with bullies. Just like anything else, however, things tend to evolve with technology. With the evolution of social media and technology some adolescents and even adults are simply unable to escape harassment from their peers in school and in the workplace. This social phenomenon is what has come to be known as cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying is a type of bullying that is highly overlooked, unlike traditional bullying. Cyberbullying is a very serious topic, it can lead to victims committing suicide and it can have long term effects on their life. There are many different forms of cyberbullying, it is not just limited to a cyberbully sending a mean text. Parents must keep a close eye on their kids when they are using the internet, their mood after using the internet may be an indicator if the child has been cyberbullied. Schools must provide help for students who are being cyberbullied. Schools should provide a program which shows kids that cyberbullying is serious and that they should not do it, the program should also provide students with the help they need to get
Social media is an outlet that lets people post everything and anything on to a social media site. Users are compelled to post things onto social media to try and get as many likes and retweets as possible. Between food, parties, bullying, and to new life adventures it gets posted onto the internet without anyone thinking about the consequences that could come from a post. Once it is posted on the site people are constantly checking to see how many likes they have received.Society as a whole has let social media control almost every aspect of their life. Social media has also opened a door for cyber bullying, this has made it hard for kids to have a safe place to go because people have to be on their
Millions of comments get posted every day. Some are bound to be offensive. some democratic senators want to make a law against cyberbullying. The law includes trolling and flaming. Although some people may argue that it is necessary to protect kids, if someone is getting bullied there is always a block button. Some reasons that this bill is impractical are that it can burden the court system, restrict freedom of speech, and even discourage responsibilities.
People tend to be worried about being criticized or blamed by other people whom they talk to. However, cyberbullying is always looked over, although it is very dangerous and has numerous harmful effects on victims. Furthermore, cyberbullying is one of the cause of countless problems in victims especially kids, if they are not taken care appropriately. Therefore, by examining this issue and gathering the information with several resources, there are several effects that cyberbullying victims are facing.
With all of the tremendous technological advancements, there are downfalls, and there are people that will abuse them. Cyberbullying is one way that the different forms of technology are being abused. Cyberbullying is a relatively new way for youth to harass one another and with more and more social media outlets becoming available, the ways people can cyberbully is continually changing and this can make it harder to stop. Half of the youth today admit that they have experienced cyberbullying in some way and only 1 in 10 children say that they have told their parents (Bullyingstatistics.org, 2015). Technology has made life more comfortable, but it has also made it easier for children to victimize one another.
ccount and send damaging messages, pretending to be someone else online to hurt another person. Sexting, a circulating sexually suggestive pictures or messages, is reported that one in five teens have posted or sent sexually suggestive or nude pictures of themselves to others (“Cyber Bullying Statistics”). Taking unflattering pictures of a person and spreading them through cell phones or the internet. A statistic from the Harford County states that one in ten teens have had embarrassing or damaging pictures taken of themselves without their permission (“Cyber Bullying Statistics”). On Twitter, a social networking site, subtweeting is a new form of bullying. Subtweeting is the act of post a rude comment without the name of the person it is about (Hinduja). Usually the person who posted the tweet does not have the guts to tag the other person or say it to them in person. For example, a girl and a boy broke up and the boy went to twitter to express his feelings. He would post something emotional for the whole twitter world to see. In reality this, boy was talking about his old girlfriend and did not have the guts to say it straight to her.
Parents need to be more involved and better monitor what their teens are doing on social media. Teens feel they are completely free to do and say what they want online without any fear of consequences. These sites allow cyberbullies to hide behind a screen without facing an actual person at all. Many states do not have laws against this type of verbal assault. Unfortunately, attention only rises to these situations after the victim has taken drastic measures. This is where parents need to be more involved. If these bullies had more guidance, restrictions, and education at home, there would be a major decline in the amount of cyberbullying that plagues today’s youth. Several cities around the nation are considering passing laws that will hold parents responsible for the actions of their children in desperation to stop cyberbullying among youths (Swan 2015). Studies from 2013 showed that 15% of students in high school were bullied online by their peers (U.S Department of Health and Human Services). If
The article written by Carol M. Walker, Beth Rajan Sockman, and Steven Koehn, “An Exploratory Study of Cyberbullying with Undergraduate University Students” delves into their study done on undergraduate students to address technology and its impact on cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is defined as, “The use of information and communication technologies such as email, cellphones, instant messaging… to promote deliberate, repeated and hurtful behavior with the intent to harm others” (Tech Trends Journal, Vol. 55, Issue 2, pg. 32). The purpose of this study was to examine what instances of cyberbullying undergraduate students experience, as well as what forms of technology are used in such instances. The questions posed were: What instances of cyberbullying do undergraduate students experience, and what role does gender play in cyberbullying at the undergraduate level?, and What forms of technology do undergraduate students use to perpetrate or receive bullying , and how often does it occur? Some questions that were also addressed were: What impact does the cellphone have on the interactions of undergraduate students as they maintain their status according to the Social Dominance theory?, How do social networking sites affect these students?, and Has the ability to reply instantly, without personal contact, augmented the bullying scene?
Did you know that girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying? Although the use of technology has created many opportunities to enhance teaching and learning, it also has led to some severe problems (Morgan, 2013). Online communication can become an addiction, but we have to be careful on what we post or send to other people. Cyberbullying affects people from kinder to college, or even higher. Before the internet, bullies dominated the schoolyard. Now, bullies of twenty-first century release their aggressions online, as cyberspace becomes the “high-tech playground for intimidation” (Albin, 2012). Teens, especially, are reluctant to tell adults—for fear of overreaction,
This research benefits everyone who engages in the social networking on the internet with the primary focus being the school aged adolescents and their parents. By exposing the issue in hand and the negative impacts it carries will hopefully create positive response. Not only is cyberbullying a huge threat in present time, but it can also lead to long term effects that could permanently ruin an individual going through adulthood. Some of these devastating effects include: suicide, grades start dropping, overall school participation begins to decline, depression, and vengeance (Mirsky, E. L., & Omar, H. A. 2015). The more society becomes involves in the situation, the better chance society has in creating new laws to combat cyberbullying
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
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.
With the easy access to various forms of technology, young people are using the internet and social networks more than ever before. They view the internet and even more so their mobile phones as a positive aspect of our society. These devices play a crucial role in our daily lives and development of identities. However, these devices are often used negatively. With the increased usage of advanced communication technology, a new type of bullying, cyberbullying, has emerged. Cyberbullying allows individuals to target victims either openly or anonymously via the internet. Research shows cyberbullying is detrimental because victims develop psychological disorders, experience a decreased in academic achievement, have an increase in health complaints.