All around the world, the internet is being used daily by kids. People in the United Kingdom can experience a complete conversation with a person in Utah with just a click of a button. A housewife can go online and search for an answer to almost any problem she has but she does not think of the dangers. Innocent people have been kidnapped and even killed by being researched through social networks. Anywhere a person is a threat can loom over them. Kids today spend most of their time on social networks, posting their life story on networks such as Instagram and Twitter. They do not see the pain that they can be exposed to; they think no one can hurt them on line. Cyberbullying, one of the newer forms of bullying that occurs through technology, has caused intense consequences for the unsuspecting victims.
Bullying has taken a modern turn with a new scene of the crime, cyberbullying. Cyberbullying has become increasingly more popular as our choices of internet networks increase. Verbal bullying is starting to sift with all the recent internet sources, making it easier for information to spread (McKellor-Kirchoff, 1). This new form is so rapidly expanding that the people trying to stop it cannot keep up to date with it (Campfield, 26). The abuse occurs through texts, Facebook posts, etc.; making it so no one sees it in person, making it harder to stop (“Cyberbullying Crackdown”, 1). Given that the internet is such a huge part of our daily life, like homework, entertainment, or a “social lifeline”, victims may find it hard to escape this type of abuse (Campfield, 28). When adults were younger, they were able to move and the bullying would cease, but kids today cannot escape it resulting in the victims being broken down by the constan...
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... higher percentage of depression and suicidal thoughts opposed to those who are not victimized.
Cyberbullying has become a bigger problem as our use of the internet has increased. People today can go online and post whatever “suits their fancy” with no one questioning them, the people just believing that it is true. Victims of cyberbullying can be targeted by a person they have and probably will never meet and go through such a huge set of emotional and psychological problems. The targeted can be affected for the rest of their life since it extends past the school or office. Cyberbullying breaks down the safety walls people build around their home with a press of a few keys. It can destroy their life with each blink of a little light.
Works Cited
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Cyberbullying is a huge issue that has been present in the latter years. It is important to understand what it is and how does it affect people. Cyberbullying as the name implies is bullying that is being done in the cyber world. It occurs through the use of technology like smartphones, computers, tablets, or any device that allows access to the Internet and social networks. The harm is done through texts messages, videos, pictures and more. When someon...
Let’s first take a look at where the word cyber bullying originated from. The term “bullying” is defined as “physical use of force, aiming at the individual, another person, a specific community or group which can result in injury, death, physical damage, some development disorders or deficiency.” Even though is has been around for years, it has had a spike in increase and a new form of bullying was created. The invention of the internet was created in 1983 giving people the ability to access the web. Cyber bullying became more frequent as online technology became accessible to more people. According to the Christian Science Monitor, "After the school shooting at ...
In recent decades, there have been numerous technological advances. Due to the availability of such advances, the use of this technology, particularly the use of Internet, is overwhelmingly present in our society for people of all ages. For instance, 93% of teenagers, ages 12 through 17 use the Internet, matching the 93% of young adults. Whereas, 74% of adults, ages 18 and older, use the Internet (Lenhart et al, 2010). Studies found that adult users over the age of 18 consider the Internet as a means of completing tasks such as shopping and paying bills, in comparison to those under the age of 18 who considers it a tool for social connections (Bhat, 2008). About 73% of teenagers and young adults as well as 47% of adults use social networks, the most commonly used being Facebook (Lenhart et al., 2010). The use of the Internet is not only limited to that of computers considering cell phones now offer mobile Internet. A large number of the population have cellphones, with 58% of 12 years old, 75% of teenagers, and 93% of adults owning cell phones (Lenhart et al, 2010). With advances in technology and its increased use, we have become perpetually in contact with one another, opening ourselves up to a new form of bullying: cyber bullying.
Technology has changed the world for today’s teens, and not all for the better. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, cyberbullying can happen twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone. By definition cyberbullying is “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the median of electronic text” (Deuck). This happens in many ways shapes and forms. The use of information and communication technologies such as e-mails, cell phones, pagers, text messages, instant messaging, and defamatory online personal polling web sites has became common among teens. As a result of cyberbullying, victims suffer from emotional harm, loss of self- esteem, and experience physical harm.
Over 2 billion people use the internet today. In North America, 78.6% of the 300 million people that inhabit it are users online. Some of these users are users are children, ranging from ages of 12-17. Of these children, many simply use the internet to do research, complete homework and even play games. However, a large portion of these children use these tools to threaten, harass, or gang up on other kids. This is what we call cyberbullying. The ease of communication due to a significant online advancement has helped move bullying beyond harassment at school or on the playground and into cyberspace. As a result, schools, authorities, corporate organizations and the third sector need to come together to try and alleviate the ongoing causes of cyberbullying, because it is a problem that greatly affects our children, who are the future of tomorrow.
There are numerous types of bullying, whether it be the traditional physical bullying, verbal bullying, sexual bullying, or even the indirect type of bullying where someone damages your belongings. Today there is a new bullying epidemic called cyberbullying, which according to Smith (2008), is described to be an aggressive and intentional act of bullying carried out by one or more individuals. It is generally carried out in some sort of electronic devise, such as a phone or a computer. The bully will usually use Facebook, text messages, or even private e-mail’s to repeatedly torment their victim. When being cyberbullied, a victim cannot easily defend themselves due to the fact that he or she is not face-to-face with the perpetrator.
In many cases, cyberbullying poses an even greater threat in comparison to the “normal,” more physical form of face-to-face bullying as it usually results in the both cyberbullying and bullying. Since cyberbullying is commonly conducted by acquaintances of the victim and even ex-friends seeking revenge, real-life bullying is usually taking place as well. With screennames and distance to hide behind, perpetrators often feel that their actions will not be punished or discovered, leading many – even those who would not normally be a face-to-face bully – to participate in the harassment of another. In 2011, the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) reported that approximately 2.2 million students who had been subjected to cyberbullying. Being one of the few studies to focus on cyberbullying overtime, the NCVS revealed that in just two years, the percentage of students who had been cyberbullied rose 2.8 percent. If this data were to represent the whole population of teenagers from the age of 12 to 18, it would mean an increase of approximately 700,000 students (Cyberbullying Research Center). Regrettably, these statistics show no sign of decreasing. Instead, the numbers continue to increase every year as more teenagers and young adults become active on social
In her article “How the Internet Has Changed Bullying”, Maria Konnikova explained how bullying has reached technology, and in the workplaces of many adults. The Internet has made it harder to escape from bullying, and easier for bullies to escape from confronting their victims. Furthermore, the author stresses that cyberbullying not only targets high schoolers, but it’s affecting the lives of college students as well (Konnikova 1). Cyberbullying takes place in the Internet world where is easier for a bully to gossip and humiliate multiple of victims in a faster pace. The studies have shown that cyberbullying is making a greater impact in the victims’ and the bullies’ lives more than the traditional bullying and many people are not aware of it; therefore the schools, witnesses, and employers should work together to fight against cyberbullying and provide help to the victims and bullies.
This sort of phenomenon makes major headlines regularly in recent times and effects a clear majority of today’s youth. State and local lawmakers have taken steps to prevent this type of bullying by making illegal under several criminal law codes. Michele Hamm, a researcher in pediatrics explained, “There were consistent associations between exposure to cyberbullying and increased likelihood of depression.” Cyberbullying became widespread among students with the rapid growth in use of cellular devices and the Internet. With this kind of technology bullies have the ability to send harmful messages to their recipients at any given time. This type of bullying is the hardest to control because it involves students but often happens off school grounds. However, because the evidence is material, students and parents could bring this evidence to the school and local police departments if a situation were to happen. Parents should be mindful of their child’s use of the internet and electronic messaging, cyberbullying usually takes place in a medium in which adults are seldom present (Mason, 2008). Also, instead of sending direct messages to other students, bullies use platforms such as social media and anonymous blogs to post harmful things for others to see. Educators must understand the significance of social media use to their students, especially
The advent of the internet was lauded as a great and knew era for the advancement of society. And, for a while it was. It allowed for the freedom of ideas and knowledge to be accessible to anyone in any given instant. However, the newfound independence the internet provided came at a cost. Soon after its creation, many people began to harass each other online, especially on social media networks. One of the highest demographics discovered to be both perpetrators and victims were middle school students. On the website The Cyberbullying Research Center a survey found that, “About half of young people have experienced some form of cyberbullying and 10 to 20 percent experience it regularly.” A number that is astounding considering how it involves
As we are living in the age of technology, we are seeing our youth being victimized by a new phenomenon of bullying, called cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is defined as the use of information and communication technologies such as email, cell phones and pager text messages, instant messaging, defamatory personal Web sites, and defamatory online personal polling Web sites, to support deliberate repeated and hostile behavior by an individual or group, which is intended to harm others. Cyberbullying can also employ media such as PDAs, blogs, and social networks (Beckstrom, 2008). This form of bullying is progressive because it can happen instantly due to the technology involved, whereas traditional bullying tends to take longer to evolve and happens
“Unless and until our society recognizes cyberbullying for what it is, the suffering of thousands of silent victims will continue”─ Anna Maria Chavez (n.d). The rapid progression of technology has turned into fundamental part of the everyday lives of individuals globally. Although this phenomenon offers life change general society wish, it has serious drawbacks that rapidly increased cyberbullying among teenagers. Strom and Strom (2005) define cyberbullying as an act of threatening or harming others via technological devices such as emails, mobile phone messages, online voting booths, and social networking sites. The cyber bully typically covers up "behind the mask of anonymity" (Schneier cited in Strom & Strom, 2005, p.22) through nonexistent screen names, display pictures, and fake email address which spare them from sentiments of regret and sympathy. This paper aims to argue that although the booming of the digital stage of the 21st century offers many benefits among teenagers, it requires effective methodologies to promote security against the growing threat of cyberbullying.
Mickie Wong-Lo and Lyndal M. Bullock, in their encouraging attempt to intervene in incidents of cyberbullying, have recommended many ways to deal with it. In their article entitled “Digital Aggression: Cyberworld Meets School Bullies”, they asserted that children do not acquaint their parents with their activities on the Internet and as a result parents do not know how to address similar situations (67). According to Kowalski, parents ought to follow “reporting techniques, which includes knowing when to ignore, block, or react, being mindful of the language being used and respond appropriately;” (qtd. in Wong-Lo and Bullock 68). In other words, the authors rightly emphasize that systematic supervision and knowledge can be valuable measures because parents will monitor children’s use of Internet and will be able to provide appropriate guidelines just in case a danger arises (Wong-Lo and Bullock 68). Moreover, as Keith and Martin argue, “[…] incorporating popular youth technology would be to teach youth how to use a social networking site to promote themselves in a positive manner that would appeal ...
Cyberbullying is one of the main causes of suicide and teens dropping out of school. Cyberbullying is a life threatening or even a harmful thing
The online bully’s goal is to make their target feel weak; these online bullies can be referred to as a cyber bully. Cyber bullying is the exercise of using technology to embarrass, threaten, harass, or target another person; according to its definition it occurs among young people (New, 4). It is usually performed by a child’s peers and surprisingly occurs early as the second grade (Jacobs 1). Cyber bullying can even be unintentional, especially through the use of emails, IMs, and text messages because the tone of the sender may be hard to depict. However, recurring emails, online posts, and texts are hardly ever unintentional (124). As the number of youths increase that have the availability to technology, cyber bullying is likely to continue to rise and continue to take its toll on youth. Due to its excessive effect that it has on children today, Cyber bullying should be taken more seriously.