When do Rights End and Consequences Begin? “Everybody in O’Fallon knows who you are. You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a bad rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you.” (qtd. in Klien 119). These taunting words appeared on the computer screen of Megan Meier, a thirteen-year-old living in O’Fallon Missouri. One of Meier’s friend’s mother, Lori Drew, created a fake profile, “Josh”, and friended Meier on Myspace (Ibid). At first “Josh” was kind and friendly with Meier but then threatened her with posts similar to the one above (Ibid). Soon enough, Meier was found hanging in her bedroom closet (Ibid). Cyberbullying is very common among young adults in public schools. Due to the detrimental effects of …show more content…
Additionally, cyberbullies have the power to remain anonymous online, causing the comments to be more aggressive and hurtful (Hogan 23). They know they will not be held accountable for their wrongdoings as their username may not necessarily represent their identity (Patchin and Hinduja 18). Therefore, because bullies have a fear of obtaining a punishment for their inappropriate behavior, they prefer a cyber-attack making it a more comfortable setting for them (Klein 114). Mrs. Willis, a social studies teacher in a north-eastern public school, proclaims that a cyberbully thinks “because I am this screen name,” he may not view it as something wrong because it is not “himself” doing it (Klien 114). Similarly to Meier, many victims do not know who they are being bullied by (Patchin and Hinduja 18). Compared to the affects associated with the bully, cyberbullying has a greater impact on the victim. Victims try to withstand the online harassment, so their parents will not take away their means of socialization (Klein 21). According to the National Crime Prevention Center, more than 40 percent of all teenagers with Internet access have been reported being bullied online (99). As technology develops, the younger generation is inclined to stay connected through social media. Many students have different accounts and applications on their smartphones to socialize. Although social media can be a useful way to be in contact with peers, it also is
Cyberbullying is a type of bullying that takes place over electronic technology throughout all hours of the day that can affect teens and adolescents on their daily basis. This electronic technology includes text, gaming devices, internet, emails, blogs, cell phones, apps, computers, and tablets which can be used for positive activities but can also hurt people. According to Edwina Thomas Washington (2015), these electronic technology gives the bully the capacity to contact the victim without having a face-to-face encounter. In addition, it occurs on different social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. This harmful behavior incorporates posting, sharing, or sending opposing, conflicting, and false content regarding someone else. Additionally, it includes sharing information referring to someone else with the purpose of producing discomfort and humiliation. Some cyberbullying passes the line into illegal or culpable behavior. Through the years, cyberbullying has become very common in teenagers.
The internet has created an entirely new world of social communications particularly for youths. There are no more barriers. Family, friends, young and old may now stay in touch with just about everyone, anywhere in the world through the use of email, text messaging, web chat, and instant messaging. Although, most interactions are friendly and in good nature, there are some that are not. The use of technology as a tool to antagonize, torment and intimidate others is now a widespread problem. Sadly, this form of bullying like all others is most common among children and young adults. Research done by Cox Communications on children between 13 thru 18 year-olds, 25 percent said they were cyber-bullied whether online or by cell phone (Cox Com. 2009). Also in 2007, the National Crime Prevention Council reported cyber-bullying as a problem that affected approximately half of all American teens. Since it is popular among this group of American teens, then it is safe look at some of possible reason cyber bullies of this age group are encouraged to take part in such activity.
Cyberbullying has been on the rise in the past years because of the rise in the usage of social media. People tend to go to social media with positive intentions, but not everyone’s intentions are positive. Social media can bring what usually takes place at school to the household. For bullies, cyberbullying requires less physical contact and their bullying
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
“Cyberbullying is reported as an aggressive, intentional act distributed by an individual or group, using contact in an electronic medium, continuously and relentlessly against someone who cannot stand up for himself or herself easily”(Davison & Stein, 2014) With social media being so popular, bullies now have many avenues in which they can attack their victims, research shows that adolescents spend up to 17 hours a week on the internet, some children even up to 40hrs a week. (Davison & Stein, 2014) This is an
In their e-book, Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard, Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin define Cyberbullying as: “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, or other electronic devices” (36). Hinduja and Patchin are both Ph.D.’s, professors at universities, as well as primary researchers at the Cyberbullying Research Center. The research and community outreach that they are involved in could greatly reduce the number of cyberbullying cases worldwide. Cyberbullies typically operate through social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to harass, intimidate, threaten, embarrass or otherwise target an individual. Cyberbullying is awfully prevalent nowadays and it is a far bigger issue than most people realize. It is an issue that is quickly growing; as there are hundreds of thousands of people signing on to use these networks for the first time every day. According to NoBullying.com, 25% of teenagers report that they have experienced repeated bullying via their cell phone or on the Internet, while 52% report having experienced it at least
Every year, "over 25 percent of adolescents and teens [are] bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the Internet." (cyber bullying stats) and "Cyber-bullying [is] becoming more and more rampant in school and after school among teens and children." (Bullying stats). Social media can be a great thing that can open doors to new opportunities and discoveries, however, when used incorrectly, the digital footprint left behind may greatly affect future opportunities. To prevent a negative digital footprint, children and teens must be educated about internet uses.
In general, social critics and specialists have discussed this abuse in two ways: online bullying and online exploiting. A prominent pediatrician and health journalist, Gwenn O’Keefe, acknowledges, “…cyberbullying is quite common, can occur to any young person online, and can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, and, tragically, suicide” (2). The significance of O’Keefe’s statement is that in our society, there are individuals who are not aware that their actions online can lead to detrimental consequences, which has allowed social media to become much easier for someone to oppressing others. Another journalist, June Chisholm, even believes that cyberbullying is thought to be worse than face-to-face bullying as she states, “…cyberbullying is a distinct, separate category of bullying behavior because of the unique psychological processes involved in cyberbullying and being cyberbullied” (n.p.). In making this statement, Chisholm positions that cyberbullying has an entirely different set of psychological effects on the victim. These effects are often caused by anonymity considering that a victim can be cyberbullied by a stranger or even someone close to them, and they will never be able to tell who the perpetrator is. Because they hide behind a computer, bullies may feel empowered to say and do more harsh things to their target than they would
Many students abuse the privilege of using technology. For students are putting obstacles in each other's way in learning and even outside of school. Students are breaking into mental breakdowns. Those who enjoy bullying kids on social media or any communication source affects many students more than they realize." Cyberbullying is systematic abuse that takes place on electronic devices, such as cell phones and computers. Most teens spend time online every day, which exposes them to the possibility of such harassment quite often. Most cyberbullying takes place on social networking sites. According to a 2014 surveys, 54% of young people claimed to have been bullied through Facebook, followed closely by Twitter and Ask.FM" ( Gale students/ MackinVia para 2). So many students suffer when they have so much to give to this
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,
Cyberbullying has recently become an issue in the United States. With the continuum of advancements in technology, and the ever-growing online worlds, bullying has turned from taking a classmate’s lunch money to posting hateful comments about them online. Sometimes the people know exactly who posted it, but other times the perpetrator can post completely anonymously. People are now able to be mean behind closed doors. The worst thing about it is that people cannot always see who the true bullies are anymore. I chose to research this topic because it has become such an issue in today’s world. I also chose to research this topic because I have experienced cyberbullying personally and have seen it done to my friends. Cyberbullying can
Cyberbullying is a new form of bullying that allows individuals to threaten or intimidate others via online resources like social media and instant messaging, as well as other electronic technology like smartphones and tablets. Due to the fact that cyberbullying is a fairly new concept, due to the advances in technology it has become one of the most prevalent sources of bullying among adolescents. The ease in which children can gain access and use electronic technology, and the fact that cyberbullying most of the time can remain anonymous, has led to an increase in this form of bullying. With reports indicating that 93% of teens are active users of the Internet and 75% own a cell phone, up from 45% in 2004, there is great potential for cyberbullying among youths (Schneider, O’Donnell, Stueve, & Coulter, 2012).The increase in cyberbullying has led to an increase in suicide rates among adolescent, and has expanded bullying past the traditional school environment.
Technology is a big part of everyday life and some would be very lost without it. It helps benefit many in ways as helping store information, creating faster communication, and even as much as running a business. However, among teens, there also seems to be another use of technology such as cyberbullying. The internet has no limitations to what can and can’t be said, also making it easier for these bullies because it requires no face-to-face interaction. PEW Internet Research Center, FOSI, and Cable in the Classroom in 2011 took count of how many teens have experienced this cruel networking behavior and this number came out to 95 percent of social-media teens confirming seeing this type of behavior. Not only is this becoming a part of teens lives, but parents are also becoming more comfortable with this concept. PEW Internet and American Life Survey discovered in 2011 that only 7 percent of parents are worried about cyberbullying, while 33 percent of teens are victims. This hateful and cruel behavior is becoming a part of
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
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