Paige Carnahan

ED 206Cyber Bullying
We live in a world of information. Life in 2014 is fast-paced, ready now, and all about
convenience; and most of us never think of the price that we pay to keep technology at our
fingertips. While the Internet and other technologies have opened a whole slew of opportunities,
there are certain dangers that come with it. I would like to address one of these dangers, an act of
online abuse known as cyber bullying.
Cyber bullying has become an increasingly frequent occurrence, particularly affecting
young teens. The rising need to take prevention precautions has called organizations to action
across the United States. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for example, has
posted a website to help inform the public of both the dangers of cyber bullying, as well as ways
to stop it. The site defines bullying as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged
children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the
potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading
rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on
purpose. Bullying takes many different forms and has been a problem particularly in schoolaged children for years. However cyber bullying presents an unprecedented threat. The Internet
offers a safe haven for bullies. It becomes much easier to dehumanize another person when they
are not immediately in front of you. Bullies can become bolder, with less fear of punishment or
tattle-tailing.
Cyber bullying is basically the use of technology to socially attack, humiliate, harass, or estrange
another person. Examples of cyber bullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent
by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or
fake profiles. And though it may seem like a sad but trivial occurrence, cyber bullying has been
known to cause real damage in the lives of its victims. The Fund of Civility, an organization
determined to increase civility, respect and understanding and build healthier local and global
communities, has created a website in retaliation to violence and abuse. Their research on cyber
bullying includes some of the effects that this act has on behavior in teens. Like all forms of
bullying, cyber bullying causes psychological, emotional and physical stress. Each persons
response to being bullied is unique, but research has shown some general tendencies
Symptoms may include increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating
patterns, loss of interest in activities, and more health complaints. They then note that the effect
of cyber bullying on behavior can become increasingly more dangerous. According to their
findings, Bullying can lead to thoughts about suicide, sometimes persisting into adulthood. In
one study, adults who were bullied as youth were three times more likely to have suicidal
thoughts or inclinations. Youth who are bullied may retaliate through violent measures. In 12 of
15 school shooting cases in the 1990s, the shooters had a history of being bullied. The evidence
is terrifying, and illuminates the need for prevention and awareness.
By increasing adult awareness of the situation, and particularly in signs to be aware of,
cyber bullying can be stopped. Studies show that many teens are hesitant to come to adults with
help, unless adult figures can exude trust and understanding. Many children dont understand the
effects that could come from their actions. Helping them to understand the amount of damage
that words cause could also be a big factor in helping to stop it. I hope that increasing awareness
about the dangers of cyber bullying will help everyone to use technology to uplift, create, and
explore in safe and gratifying ways.

Bibliography

"Cyberbullying Effects - Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding." Fund for
Civility, Respect and Understanding. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.

"What Is Cyberbullying." What Is Cyberbullying. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2015.