Cyberbullying: A Growing Problem in the US

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Recommended: Cyberbullying and its effects on our youth

Cyberbullying is “the deliberate and repeated harm inflicted through the use of cell phones/smartphones, computers/tablets, and other electronic devices (including Wi-Fi gaming devices)” (Lohmann). It began to emerge when technology became more accessible, and it continues to become a bigger problem as technology expands. Cyberbullies are intentionally hurting their victims, and know that they are doing so. Cyberbullying has harmed all of its victims either mentally, physically, or both. The Centers for Disease Control has even gone as far as labeling it an ‘emerging public-health problem’ (Billitteri). This isn’t hard to argue with considering how many deaths it has caused. In schools, many people are affected by this whether they are the one doing the bullying, or the one suffering from it. “The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey finds that 16% of high school students (grades 9-12) were electronically bullied in the past year” (“What Is Cyberbullying”). These were just the people willing to speak up about it. In high school many people are more afraid of the effect that bullying someone can have on them. Whereas, people in middle and elementary school often are more careless, and do not see how badly they can be effected when cyberbullying someone. One study found that 42% of fourth to eighth grade students have admitted to saying something mean or heartful online (“Orie make cyberbullying”). This is almost half of the students saying that they have been bullies. This could mean that an even higher percentage of students were the victims of this. Cyberbullying affects almost half of the teens in the United States. Its scope, outcome, and lack of preventions all show that it is a far worse form of bullying than physica...

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