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Name Professor Course Date Cyber-bullying, Sexting and Slut-shaming among Teens The modern world and contemporary life particularly have been significantly influenced and shaped by technology. Advancements in technology have altered every aspect of life, bringing with it both positive and negative effects. The conception of a myriad of digital devices has revolutionized communication and social interactions (Kowalski, Limber and Agatston 1). Teenagers have particularly been drawn to these devices, especially with the development of the internet and social networking sites such as MySpace, Twitter and Facebook. Portable devices such as laptops, cellphones and iPads have encouraged communication via text and instant messaging. An amalgamation of these factors has resulted in increased vices among teenagers, in particular cyber bullying, sexting and slut shaming. This paper will discuss these three practices, analyzing their causes and effects on teenagers today, and giving suggestions on how they can be controlled. Although technology has been associated with many positive effects, cyber bullying, sexting and slut shaming among teens are detrimental practices that have been encouraged by the advancement of technology owing to the obscurity that the cyber space provides. The first practice that this paper will focus on is bullying. Bullying is a form of intimidation that can take different forms and has been in existence since time immemorial. Cyber bullying is a type of bullying in which the bully harasses their victim over the internet or

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through a technological device. While the internet provides opportunities for self-affirmation and self-expression, these opportunities can quickly become vehicles for denigration and cyber bullying (Kowalski, Limber and Agatston 9). At first, victims may choose to ignore the behavior by turning off their computers or cell phones and avoiding social functions. Increased directed attacks at a teenager owing to their weight, sexuality, appearance or nay other personal factor may have more serious results. Bullying through technology has accelerated and amplified the pain in some teens to levels that have resulted in an increase in suicide rates. Statistics show that teen suicide is increasing these rates declining for a number of years (Kowalski, Limber and Agatston 13). The second practice that is on the increase among teenagers is sexting. Sexting is the transmission of sexually charged materials or messages via cell phones, and the posting of such material on the internet (Shariff and Churchill 113). While sexting often starts out as a way of flirting among teens, engaging in sexting can lead to some significant social and legal consequences. The internet provides anonymity and allows individuals to set up fake profiles of themselves. As A result of this, many of the images posted by teenagers wind up in the wrong hands, including those of sexual predators who post them pornography sites. Research shows that over 20% of teenagers have sent or posted seminude photos of themselves (Hinduja and Patchin 52). Some of these images sent or posted by these teens are shared widely amongst their friends and even family, resulting in bullying and humiliation. This humiliation has in some cases resulted in suicide, such as the case of Amanda Todd. The third misuse of technology by teenagers is slut shaming. This refers to the practice of faulting a woman and publicly persecuting them owing to the sexual choices they make (Hinduja and Patchin 57). Slut shaming is commonly done by spreading rumors, most of which are untrue,

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concerning an individuals sexual activities. Private information about a teens sexual activities may be disclosed to their friends and family, causing them humiliation and making them feel inferior. This is mostly done by girls against other girls as a result of jealousy or rivalry over a boyfriend. Slut shaming may include criticizing a girl over her mode of dressing, and her choice of company. It is a form of bullying and bears similar consequences, including pushing the victim to commit suicide. In conclusion, this paper has discussed the differently way in which teens misuse technology, namely cyber bullying, sexting and slut shaming. While technology is not the problem, the use of technology to harm others is decadent and illegal. These three practices have been shown to have detrimental effects on teenagers, including low self esteem, withdrawal from society, and even suicide. It is recommended that parents, teacher and other stakeholders in the lives of teenagers take necessary measures to avert the dreadful effects of these practices.

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Works Cited Hinduja, Sameer and Patchin, Justin. School Climate 2.0: Preventing Cyberbullying and Sexting One Classroom at a Time. New York: Sage, 2012. Print. Kowalski, Robin, Limber, Susan and Agatston, Patricia. Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age. Massachusetts: Blackwell, 2008. Print. Shariff, Shaheen and Churchill, Andrew. Truths and Myths of Cyber-Bullying: International Perspectives on Stakeholder Responsibility and Childrens Safety. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2010. Print.