002+Cyberbullying



A sixth grade girl sits at her computer readying to ridicule another girl in one of her classes because she heard a rumor relating to the boy she liked. She has no hesitation when she types an email that states what a loser the other girl is, how stupid she acts, how the other girl has no friends and never will. She has no reservations at all when she clicks the send button. She does not think of the consequences that her actions will have. She does not think about how the other girl will be affected. She does not care. She is a cyberbully. Cyberbullying is becoming more and more prominent within schools especially in today’s society because both students and teachers do not realize the effects or how to prevent cyberbullying.

"Cyber bullying is when a child, preteen, or teen, is threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed, or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen, or teen, using the internet, interactive technologies, or mobile phones" (Parry, 2002). Cyber bulling is anything from sending repeated emails to someone who wishes not to respond to them, to threats, sexual remarks, and “hate” remarks. Some cyber bullies specifically attack one’s personal information by posting it online, or even posing as another child, preteen, or teen to disclose personal information. The term cyber bullying is only for bullying that occurs amongst minors. Once adults get involved it is termed as cyber stalking or adult cyber harassment.

Certain characteristics make cyber bullying easier than traditional physical bullying. Unlike physical bullying, electronic bullies can remain anonymous, using sources on the internet to mask their identity. Electronic forums also often lack supervision. There is not a lot of control, and some children know more about technology than adults, using what they know to manipulate adults and continue bullying.

There are many negative effects of cyberbullying. Based on the fact that cyberbullies try to psychologically agitate their victims, cyberbullying tends to be very harmful. The victims may feel embarrassed, hurt, angry, or sad. This may leave them with low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and other stress-related disorders. In a survey of more than 700 participants, those who had been cyber bullied reported feeling depressed, hurt, and confused. One reported feeling “meek and small, very alone, and helpless” ( Kowalski, 2008 ). Many victims begin to feel alone because they start to avoid friends and activities, which is often the intention of the cyberbully. They also start to become scared because they do not know when the cyberbully is going to attack again. Cyberbullying has also shown to affect students’ school performance. Victims have low school achievement, absenteeism from school, and poor concentration ( Dueck, 2006 ). Cyberbullying is sometimes so damaging that victims have committed suicide. There are at least four examples in the United States where cyber-bullying has been linked to the suicide of a teenager ( Nowak, 2010 ). Since cyberbullying can happen at home as well as at school, a victim can be a target of bullying for essentially 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For kids who are being cyberbullied, it can feel like there's no escape.

There are a multitude of ways that both youth and adult alike can prevent cyberbullying. The most obvious way that cyberbullying can be completely eliminated would be for the instigator to simply not do it. However, this seems unlikely now that cyberbullies will cease their torment on others. If an individual is being cyberbullied, there are multiple options that can be explored in order to prevent it from spreading or happening again. One option would be to resist forwarding or sending mean or emotionally detrimental messages to others. Most students may want to fit in by passing along these messages, however, teachers should be able to enforce a sense of respect in the classroom that can be continued out of the classroom between themselves and the students. Another option to prevent cyberbullying would be to block or completely eliminate communication with cyberbullies through email, instant messaging, or social networks. If a person is being cyberbullied through one particular outlet, then simply eliminate that outlet. One other way to prevent cyberbullying would be for students to immediately report if they, or someone they know, are being cyberbullied to a trusted teacher or adult.

Flash back to the sixth grade girl that is cyberbullying another girl because of a silly rumor that she heard. Now, imagine the situation being completely put to a halt because the girl realized the causes and effects of cyberbullying which then prevented the entire cyberbullying situation from occurring. Implementing each of these ways to prevent cyberbullying, hopefully, brings society closer and closer to eliminating it completely.

Works Cited: Dueck, S. (2006). //Effects of cyberbullying//. Retrieved from http://www.lba.k12.nf.ca/cyberbullying/effects.htm Hinduja, S. (2007). Offline consequences of online victimization: school violence and delinquency. //Journal of School Violence//, //6//(3), Retrieved from ^ [] <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 22.15pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -22.15pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 1.1pt;">Kowalski, R.M. (2008). Cyber bullying. //Psychiatric Times//, //25//(11), Retrieved from http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/cyber-psychiatry/content/article/10168/1336550?pageNumber=2 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 22.15pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -22.15pt;">National Crime Prevention Council (2010). //How can I prevent cyberbullying?// Retrieved from [] <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 22.15pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -22.15pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 1.1pt;">Nowak, J. (2010, Apri; 29). //Cyberbullying as a factor in teen suicide//. Retrieved from @http://www.suite101.com/content/cyberbullying-as-a-factor-in-teen-suicide-a231507 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 22.15pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -22.15pt;">Parry, A. (2002, January). //What is cyberbullying, exactly?//. Retrieved from http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/what_is_cyberbullying



Kristin, Corrie, Amber

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