Most people in the world have some form of social networking such as Facebook Twitter, Instagram, etc. In today’s day, kids are getting more and more attached to these types of sites, especially kids under 16. It even seems like an average teen or pre-teen has to take a “selfie” every 5 minutes. Some of these teens say it is good to have such a reliable way to connect with friends over social networking websites. Is this an accurate statement? Is this true without any complications or flaws? Does a person on an average daily basis hear good news on a channel stating that there is no danger? There are noticeable flaws within these social networking websites. Such flaws can lead to horrific danger, and it is at a person’s fingertips! Even though, kids have an easier way to communicate with their friends online through social networking; kids under 16 should not have a social networking account because kids suffer from cyberbullying by using social networking websites, and this is causing kids to commit suicide at an alarming rate.
One major flaw nearly every person has heard of is cyberbullying from social networking websites. Kids that suffer from cyberbullying can sometimes commit suicide, such as the death of 12-year old Rebecca Sedwick in September 2013 along with other tragedies across the United States (www.today.com). Currently, there are more than 84% of kids that have a social networking profile, and the number of suicides are rising at a very alarming rate (www.bsecure.com). That is not all cyberbullying can take a major toll on. Kids who suffer from cyberbullying have a higher chance of using alcohol and drugs, skiping school, not wanting to go to school, end up receiving lower grades, haveing a lower-self-esteem, and ri...
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...l the hype or trends that Facebook is getting. Use common sense and realize all the dangers that sites like these have behind the sign-up.
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The article “Girl’s Suicide Points to Rise in Apps Used by Cyber Bullies,” by Lizette Alvarez discusses the seriousness of cyber bulling and its effects on teenagers, specifically Rebecca Ann Sedwick. For starters, people are trying to raise awareness about teenagers driven to suicide since a 12 year old girl, Rebecca Ann Sedwick, committed suicide because she was terrorized on social media. As many people knew, Rebecca was brutally bullied online to the point where she had to leave school and go get help, but sadly the bulling started again once she returned, and this time she put on a “brave face” and didn’t tell anyone; untimely, she should have gotten adults to help her because she couldn’t handle the bulling on her own. In addition, social
Young children along with adults use the Internet as a doorway to push around or intimidate someone else of a different race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion or even sometimes for an unknown reason. According to DoSomething.org, approximately 43% of kids have been bullied online and nearly 75% of students admit they have used the Internet as a way to bash another student. One of the most horrific ways children deal with cyber bullying is by taking their own life. Hundreds of families each year loses their younger son, daughter, brother, sister, cousin, niece, nephew or dear friend because of the malicious, yet often disingenuous regretted words typed by
In the United States of America, practically everybody can agree on the importance of the youth and their education. The youth and children of today are the future leaders of tomorrow. Although education, undoubtedly, is beneficial to America’s youth, there are some experiences, such as bullying, that negatively affect and stick with these youth for the rest of their lives. Certain children find an outlet for their frustrations through bullying others. In the past, these actions could be better controlled because they were limited to face-to-face interactions. However, due to the recent booms in technology over recent years, cell phones, social media sites, group chats, and other forms of technology have allowed bullying to expand into the Internet. This new form of abuse is known as cyber- bullying. According to the Online Merriam-Webster Dictionary, cyber-bullying is, “the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.” This can be done through cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyber-bullying may seem like nothing since there's no physical contact, but in reality it can hurt even more than the actual thing. The victims of cyber-bullying are real people with real feelings; and the bullying has led some to depression, and further more driven them to suicide. Cyber-bullying is a serious issue that negatively affects the youth today.
Since Teen suicide is the second leading cause of teenage death in the United States, there is a need for legislation that promotes awareness and education about Cyber-Bullying. Due to the growth of technology in the American society, the younger generations of adolescents are adapting to the excessive use of computers, cell phones, and social-networking sites. According to a study done by Amanda Lenhart, 87% of adolescents who are between the ages of 12 and 17 are using the internet on a daily basis (Trolley, Shields, and Hanel, “Demystifying and Deescalating Cyber Bullying in the Schools”).With these numbers increasing across the nation, the numbers of adolescents being harassed through technology means is growing as well. The relationship between cyber bullying and teenage suicide has been named “cyber bullycide”. Studies show that 1/3 of teenagers who have used the internet have stated that they have received threatening or offensive messages either through text, e-mail, IM, and other technology related programs. In 2007 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially labeled “electronic aggression” being cyber bullying as an “emerging public health problem” (Billitteri 387).
Teenagers are starting to commit suicide because of cyber bullying because they are tired of getting picked by others. Nowadays teenagers are afraid to talk to their parents about them getting cyber bullied on the internet. People who have fake social media pages or are unknown can easily cyber bully individuals and sometimes never get caught. People take cyber bullying for granted everyday not knowing whether it’s their sister, aunt, or cousin that’s getting cyberbullied. People are getting years in prison for cyber bullying. My opinion is that social media creators screen participants on social media before allowing them to set up a page. Therefore, when that person start to bully others or do things he or she shouldn’t do, there pages are
Social Media Being Unsafe Social media is starting to become a global addiction. Since 2010, the amount of social media users has increased from 0.97 billion people to 2.22 billion people (Statista 2016), and that number is expected to keep rising. The first social media website was called “six degrees”, it was a blogging site that was created in 1997. Ever since then, there have been many websites that help us communicate with others.
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
Some believe that social networking sites should be controlled by the government as it would protect our fellow children and maybe another generation. It has been reported in the news for some time that some children have been bullied on these sites which caused them to commit suicide. Was the invention of social networking sites good or bad? Not all children use social networking sites to create havoc or destroy other people’s lives and many agree they have a positive effect.
With all the new networking site it makes it easier for bullies to target their victims. Kids don’t understand when they reach a certain limit it can trigger the young kids mind to commit suicide. Bullying and suicide have a huge connection between the two. Getting bullied at school is one thing getting bullied on social media is another, there are more people that can see if they post public. Getting made fun of on social media can make the other kid sensitive and can get to them to the point where they cannot take it anymore. If kids have easy access to get online it is easy for them to find their victim, now a day kids know how to work the new websites. Among average 61% have received mean or embarrassing posts online and 59% have received mean texts, e-mails or instant messages (Anderson, Bresnahan, & Musatics, 2014). It is easier to bully on social media then is at school or anywhere else. Embarrassing pictures or even inappropriate pictures of the victim can be uploaded by the bully leading to embarrassment for everyone to see. It is much easier to be behind a screen not being face to face to attack with harsh word, or whatever it is to embarrass the kid. Being behind a screen doesn’t like kids socialize, which is what is wrong with the society
Cyberbullying has risen since the inception of social media sites and the rise of the internet. While the statistics regarding cyberbullying vary widely, anywhere from ten to forty percent or more of adolescents have reportedly been bullied online. The percentage of those on social media, like Facebook, has an even gre...
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
There are about one and a half billion users of social media worldwide. It can be used to meet new people, find old friends, chat the day away, join interest groups, or even to share pictures. Social networks were mostly created so people could meet and find new friends. What most users of social media don't know, are the dangers of using social media. One example is when you meet a person online, because they are not always who they say they are. If someone is not who you may think they are, who could they be? They can be a stalker or a person that wants to steal your identity; which could be done easily thanks to new developments of new technology. Also thanks to new technology it is now easier for people using your information to track you. Posting personal information can risk your family and friends lives. Social media can be used as a weapon against you. It can even lead to a kidnapping, or even someone's death. Many people use social media to help to waste time, but could also become an unhealthy addiction. Also social media can damage your future. When you are a teen you tend to post pretty much anything you want. This is dangerous because you can post too much personal information. What most teens don't realize is that what they do on social media now can affect them for the rest of their life. It can even come back to haunt you in the future. Social media is dangerous because it makes it easier to be stalked, identity theft to happen, kidnappings and murders, and also can ruin your future.
Before students only had to worry about being bullied at school, but due to technology advances and the use of social media, teenagers can be bullied twenty four- seven. Cyberbullying causes a huge impact on students and when they are too busy with the anxiety of being bullied their grades can suffer or they can even drop out. According to HealthDay News, 9,590 students were surveyed from 580 U.S. schools. Compared to kids who were not bullied, students that were cyberbullied experienced a 0.049 drop in their GPA between grades 9 and 12. This number is too big when you think about the potential students have but the constant bullying by their peers on social media effects that. For some, dropping out or taking the bad grades feels like their only option. Some teenagers that get cyberbullied on social media can’t take the constant criticism, which can lead to suicide. An example is Hannah Smith, a 14-year old student from England. Smith had been on ask.fm, a social networking site that allows people to ask questions anonymously. Cyberbullies urged her to drink bleach and cut herself. Eventually she couldn’t take the bullying any longer and committed suicide. Social media has a huge impact on these suicides because it’s through these websites that these teens are being bullied by other students. If teens don’t stop soon the side effects of cyberbullying
In today’s society, much advancement has been made throughout the universe. However, one that seems to stand out in particular is the use of social media. Social media has both positive and negative effects on society. This advancement has led to a difference in communication to everyone by reconnecting with others, or even informing the public nationwide through televisions such as the news or talk shows. However, is social media safe to use? Social media has a great impact on everyone in society. While allowing your children or teenagers to engage in social media a few things to consider are the risks of youth using social media, what age is too young, and also how social media is useful in some cases. Children participate in cyber bullying now and even find themselves involved in bad habits, such as sexting (Schurgin O’Keefe). According to a recent poll conducted, over 22 percent of teenagers log onto their social media site more than ten times a day (Schurgin O’Keefe). Not everything is negative towards social media, but there are precautions that need to be taken when there is the youth involved.
Did you remember to tell your cousin happy birthday on Facebook? Do you know how many people liked your latest picture on instagram? Or how many retweets did you get on your totally relatable and borderline inspirational tweet? As of January 2014, 74% of online adults use social networking sites (Rainie). Also more than 9 out of 10 American teenagers use social media(Blaszczak). Because of social networking we are becoming more connected than ever before. Important information can spread faster than wildfire, and we now have the ability to have friends and relationships all over the world. With the ability to communicate and interact with anyone at our fingertips what could go wrong? Well...lots of things.