Cyberbullying

In today’s world which has been made smaller by technology, new age problems
have been born. No doubt technology has a lot of benefits; however, it also comes
with a negative side. It has given birth to cyberbullying. To put it simply, cyberbullying
refers to the misuse of information technology with the intention to harass others.
Okay, what is a cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is the act of bullying in the form of digital media or devices. It is a
modern term for bullying, which emerged with the rise of the internet and mobile
devices. (Definition)
In other words, cyberbullying has become very common nowadays. It includes
actions to manipulate, harass and defame any person. These hostile actions are
seriously damaging and can affect anyone easily and gravely. Cyberbullying takes
place on digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. It can take the form
of texts through SMSes, online chat forums, social networking sites and gaming
forums. Acts such as posting, sending or sharing negative content that is harmful,
mean or obscene, defines cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying can also take the form of some illegal physical activities and unlawful
behavior. The internet is the place where cyberbullying is most common. Social
media sites like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram, to name a few are the most
common sites for cyberbullying.
The real case of cyberbullying
Born in 1996, Amanda Todd was like any other teenager with dreams and a
fascination for the internet. She met a stranger online who flattered her and
convinced her to go topless. The stranger took pictures of her and kept stalking here
for several other shows. When she tried to fight back the photos were sent to her
family and friends. After which, she was abused and disrespected in school by her
friends.
Going into major depression and anxiety, she tried taking her own life several times
and finally succeeded. A month before she killed herself she released a video telling
her story which became viral after her death and people realized how dreadful it was.
This is a prime example of how cyberbullying can destroy innocent.
How cyberbullying begins:
We live in a world dominated by technology and not only teenagers, but adults too
are addicted to the use of electronic devices and the internet. The internet has
played a major role in connecting the entire world and individuals from across the
continents.
Cyberbullying starts in the virtual world. The cyberbullies enjoy the anonymity and
the infinite reach of the internet to prey on unsuspecting and potential victims. Once
they get hold of something personal of the victim, they start to either blackmail or
harass them.
Furthermore, Victims of cyberbullying are most commonly from the age group of 12
to 18. Teenagers get attracted to the online glamour and the attention that they get
from strangers. The virtual fandom is what they seek, and they tend to do things for
gaining followers on social sites such as Facebook and Instagram. But older victims
can get caught in it too. School students are easy to target, and if they have a bully
within they school then, it becomes more difficult to escape the bullying.
Therefore, the victim will get Effects from cyberbullying
2.1 Mental And Physical Effects:
Cyberbullying can result in increased distress for the victims along with increased
anger and frustration. They will vent this out on various occasions, and it might force
them to get addicted to the virtual world where they can have several identities to
hide their real one.
The victims will automatically have lower self-esteem since that is the sole purpose
of bullying. Prolonged bullying will lead to severe withdrawal from their family and
friends. They will begin favoring isolation most of the time and indulging in harmful
activities like drugs and alcohol.
2.2 Feel alone and isolated:

Most of the victims are forced to stay away from any and all social sites in a bid to
escape the cyberbullies. They separate themselves to feel a sense of protection form
the outer world. Most of the victims do not reveal anything to their parents or family
members to disappoint them. To escape the bullies, they may try to change their
schools or home, but they are hardly able to escape the clutches of the tormentors.
Most of the time the victims would give up fighting the bullies and kill themselves to
escape the pain and horrors of the continuous cyberbullying.
2.3 Disinterested in attending school:

If a schoolmate bullies a kid, then the first way for him to avoid the bullying is to stop
going to school. He/she would choose to skip classes to escape the tormentors
temporarily. The feeling of embarrassment and humiliation from the fellow students
will prevent the kid to return to school and have a healthy school life. Their grades
will start dropping, and most of the time they will drop out.
2.4 Victims might get ill:

Apart from the usual mental and physical effects of cyberbullying, it can take a toll on
the health of the victim. Symptoms like headaches and stomach problems are very
often seen in the victims. It can also result in issues that are caused due to stress
like various skin conditions and stomach ulcers.
Prevention
Cyberbullying prevention is the need of the hour. It needs to be monitored and put an
end to. There are various ways to tackle cyberbullying. We can implement them at
individual levels as well as authoritative levels.
Firstly, always teach your children to never share personal information online. For
instance, if you list your home address or phone number there, it will make you a
potential target of cyberbullying easily.
Secondly, avoid posting explicit photos of yourself online. Also, never discuss
personal matters on social media. In other words, keep the information limited within
your group of friends and family.
Most importantly, never ever share your internet password and account details with
anyone. Keep all this information to yourself alone. Be alert and do not click on
mysterious links, they may be scams. In addition, teach your kids about
cyberbullying and make them aware of what’s wrong and right.
For the conclusion, cyberbullying is a serious issue, and it can be truly horrific to go
through such a difficult period. Staying strong and fighting back is the only option
against these bullies. It’s possible to get over it and live your life again. Seeing a
counselor can help the victims handle the incident in a better and a safe way. Life
does not get over if you are a victim of cyberbullying and it is possible to fight back.

Cyberbullying

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In today’s world which has been made smaller by technology, new age problems

2.2 Feel alone and isolated:

2.3 Disinterested in attending school:

2.4 Victims might get ill:

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