Cyberbullying

1196 Words3 Pages

In the beginning, there were computerized bulletin boards. In 1997, AOL created instant messaging, a real-time way to chat online. The next big sensation was Friendster. Friendster, created in 2002, was one the first social networking sites. However, the site was slow and not very efficient, leading to a drop in the amount of users. Before long, MySpace replaced Friendster, launching in 2003 (Szumski). This led to the development of many other social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. With the creation of these sites, communication was transformed. Statistics have shown that 73% of U.S. adult use social networking (Lunden). However, do the people who use these sites know how they affect our society? Social networking …show more content…

Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person. Before social networking, those who were being bullied at school could go home and escape the bullying. Now, the bullies just have to log in to their profile and can continue to bully their victim. Even worse, more people can see it and join in on the teasing and taunting (Szumski). In addition to causing stress, this form of bullying can increase the chances of alcohol and drugs use, skipping school, low self-esteem, and lower grades at school. It can also increase the risk for several health problems (“What is Cyberbullying.”). These health problems include depression, anxiety, loss of sleep, and suicidal inclinations and/or thoughts (“Cyber-Bullying and its Effect on Our Youth”). A recent research done by members of the Cyber Bullying Research Center stated that those who are being cyberbullied are almost twice as likely to have committed or attempted suicide compared to those who are not cyberbullied. As unfortunate as it is, several cyberbullying cases end in suicide. In 2006, 13-year-old Megan Meier committed suicide as a result of cyberbullying. In another case, friends of 18-year-old Tyler Clementi revealed that Clementi was gay on Twitter. In the end, Clementi decided he could not take the public humiliation and also committed suicide (Szumski). Although these problems are the same for all types of bullying, victims are a lot less likely to report cyberbullying than in-person bullying. One study reports that more than half of young victims do not tell their parents/guardians about the cyberbullying (“Cyber Bullying Statistics.”). According to one study, 33% of teenagers have been cyberbullied. In 2011, one million children were bullied through Facebook (“Cyberbullying

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