Shelton 1

Caylie Shelton

ERWC Period 1

Ms. Sanchez

3 February 2017

Cyberbullying

Just a generation ago, bullying throughout the media had been unheard of. However,

cyberbullying is rapidly expanding amongst teens which is creating tremendous amounts of

problems throughout the internet and media. Studies have recently shown that 92% of teens

report going online at least once a day which means with an increase in online activity, there is

more room to witness or be a victim of cyberbullying (Rawhide). Since the increasing use of

technology, children and teens have found a new outlet for the internet giving them more time to

be online with their peers and experience even more. Furthermore, giving bullies a greater

chance to hide behind a computer screen and harass the victim in a variety of ways. Even though

cyberbullying may not involve the bully and the victim being face to face, the effects are just as

damaging. These bullying threats can be used through degrading text messages, emails, or even

posts on social media accounts. Between the effects of different social media accounts, the

depression and mental illness cyber bullying leads to, and the different tactics cyberbullies use,

bullying is a growing epidemic amongst teens and the internet.

Nowadays, almost every household gives children and teenagers access to a computer

where they can connect with their peers online through social media accounts. There are many

different social media accounts where cyberbullying takes place on the daily. For example,

Ask.fm was created in 2010 in order for users to anonomously ask or comment to their peers or

random people, therefore, they could get to know them better. In 2013, there was a rapid increase
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in suicide amongst teens due to the social media account Ask.fm where users could anonymously

post comments or questions about the victim. Since Ask.fm is anonymous it was based soley on

negative and degrading comments towards teenagers which resulted in suicides (Pappas). Due to

the widespread reputation that Facebook has because of its massive amounts of users,

cyberbullying is significantly on the rise. As a matter of fact the Washington Post reported that

nine out of 10 teen Facebook users have reported they have witnessed bullying on this social

media site (No Bullying). These cyberbullying tactics can differ between a variety of ways

including posting negative comments, abusive posts, or even pictures of others. All of these

different behaviors have been found on facebook which means most people report they have seen

cyberbullying. Twitter is another well-known social media site where 15,000 bullying tweets

[are] shared daily, according to the Huffington post (No Bullying). Whether it be degrading or

destructive comments each and every day thousands of people are getting hurt by the words of

bullies over this social media account. Instead of being face to face with the victim the bully is

hiding behind the computer screen which is making matters worse because they are prone to

express more hatred towards the victim. Another social media account that has reported similar

controversy with cyberbullying is Snapchat. Furthermore, Snapchat can be secretive because as

soon as a user receives the picture or message that was sent to them it instantly goes away unless

the victim takes a screenshot. Also, it has been reported that cyberbullying over Snapchat has

caused yet another suicide amongst teens because of the repeated offenses and no one to back the

victim up (No Bullying). This makes it an even bigger issue because bullies can harass victims

and intimidate them with no real evidence to back them up or get them in trouble. Just like any

other social media account, these messages from bullies are degrading to ones self worth and yet
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even intensified due to the fact that snapchat messages disappear. No matter what the social

media site may be, they all have their own impact with cyberbullying that needs to be stopped.

A major issue with bullying is that it may be an ongoing cycle and may seem nearly

impossible to escape from. There are many signs in order to identify if a child is getting harassed

by bullies, which include withdrawing from friends and family, dramatic changes in appetite and

loss of interest in activities and exciting moments (No bullying). The end results of the

continuous cyberbullying can be tragic and can often result in the most serious consequence

which is teen suicide. This is because it is crucial for teens to have an outlet to let their emotions

out and not keep them bottled up inside. Furthermore, in the Live Science Article, one finding

stood out. There were consistent associations between exposure to cyberbullying and increased

likelihood of depression (Pappas). Not only can cyberbullying affect the current stage one may

be in, it can also affect their lives down the road in life. The fact that cyberbullying is so

consistent and seeming to be never-ending, it makes it difficult for teens to get away which can

lead to consequences with lasting effects on the child. While cyberbullying may seem to only last

a day, it can truly have a deeper effect on teenagers lives. Statistics have shown that, 41% of

teens say cyberbullying made them feel depressed, 41% of teens also said it made them feel

helpless, and 26% said they felt completely alone because of cyberbullying (Rawhide). Feelings

of depression, helplessness, and loneliness are three major impacts that children have from

cyberbullying which continues to stay with them throughout their lives. Since only 10% of

teenagers report theyve been cyberbullied to their parents, it is essential to monitor and

understand cyberbullying, parents must connect with their kids and show support so that the

teenagers automatically know they have someone to talk to. (Rawhide) With that said, a study

done by Dr. Caudle reports that in order to prevent cyber-bullying, parents must be actively
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involved in their childrens cyber lives. Communication with ones children is the key to bully

prevention (Osteopathic). Teen depression and mental illness are serious issues among teens and

it is necessary to talk to teenagers and children and force them to open up.

Furthermore, there are a variety of ways and tactics that are used when bullying the

victim. The ways that these bullies are approaching situations change on the daily due to the

massive internet constantly giving them new ideas and fueling them with the ways other bullies

are handling situations as well. Cyberbullying may also vary by gender and can differ between

boys in girls as shown in a recent study in 2015 where roles have changed as a new study found

boys are now cyberbullying more than girl. Boys are more likely to post hurtful pictures or

videos, make threats and cyber bully more than one individual (Rawhide). Girls are completely

different and are more prone to spreading rumors. Another tactic that cyber bullies use to

intimidate their victim is creating fake profiles and accounts to embarrass and harass their victim

by pretending to be someone they are not (No Bullying). Many teenagers and children also

continue to bully because of their own anger bottled up within themselves, and unfortunately

they choose to take it out on their victims rather than dealing with it the right way.

All in all, giving children and teens access to technology has its negative effect which can

lead to many cyberbullying issues. Cyberbullying is a growing epidemic that can start with

intimidating, embarrassing or aggressive messages towards a victim in order to harass or control

them. Some may say that physical threats and face to face bullying has a greater effect on the

individual, however 81% of teens say cyberbullying is easier to get away with than in-person

bullying (Rawhide). Furthermore, this displays how most cyberbullying situations are going

unnoticed and often underrated because adults are not informed on the issue. Between the effects

of different social media accounts, the depression and mental illness cyber bullying can cause,
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and the different strategies bullies use to degrade and partake in, cyberbullying is a serious

obstacle one must face.

Work Cited

"Cyber-Bullying and Its Effect on Our Youth." American Osteopathic Association. American

Osteopathic Association, 2017. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.

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<http://www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/about-your-health/health-

conditions-library/general-health/Pages/cyber-bullying.aspx>.

Malcore, Paul. "Teen Cyberbullying and Social Media Use on the Rise." Rawhide Teen

Cyberbullying and Social Media Use on the Rise. N.p., 26 Oct. 2015. Web. 08

Feb. 2017.

Pappas, Stephanie. "Cyberbullying on Social Media Linked to Teen Depression."LiveScience.

Purch, 22 June 2015. Web. 08 Feb. 2017. <http://www.livescience.com/51294-

cyberbullying-social-media-teen-depression.html>.

"Social Media Bullying Has Become a Serious Problem." NoBullying CyberBullying Resources.

No Bullying, 13 Oct. 2016. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.

<https://nobullying.com/social-media-bullying-has-become-a-serious-

problem/>.

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