Cyberbullying refers to a particular type of harassment that occurs over the use of electronic devices like mobile phones, computers among others (Brewer 255). The bullying can happen through social media platforms where people usually share content and view other people’s content. The youths have been victims of the menace to a large extent as compared to people of different ages. The prospect of the teenagers being on the receiving end as far as cyberbullying is concerned is attributable to the fact that they are more prominent on the social media sites as well as other websites (Gray 34). Cyberbullying is a common phenomenon in social media sites like Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram. The aspect has detrimental effects on teenagers as it affects their psychological state. Although cyberbullying is orchestrated and conducted in the social media and internet platforms, it is undertaken by bullies who use the internet platform; nonetheless, several measures can be conducted by both the victim, authorities as well as parents and teachers to end the problem.
Cyberbullying has a couple of adverse effects on victims. For instance, the victims of the harassment are at a greater risk of suffering from depression and anxiety. This is evident through the symptoms that they portray such as; withdrawal, changes in one’s normal behavioral patterns, lack of interest in activities that they previously took a lot of pleasure in, and as well as health problems (Pabian 467). The victims of the harassment also face moments as the harassment renders them to have low self-esteem. Hence, a significant fraction if not all of the victims end up engaging in activities like alcohol and drug abuse, poor grades in school and consequently dropping out of school (Gray 38).
Just like any other form of harassment, cyberbullying may lead to physical and psychological stress. People, however, react differently even in similar situations. This form of bullying has both long and short-term effects. Majority of the school-going teenagers who form a relatively large number of cyberbullying victims fail to attend classes out of fear of being harassed by the perpetrators. A study conducted on the effects of cyberbullying also revealed that a high percentage of school going students fail to turn up to classes due to the perceived danger posed to them by the perpetrators of the harassment.
Furthermore, the survey underlined that 20% of the children and youth’s fear with regards to cyberbullying might lead to refraining from attending classes as well as their increased reluctance to leave their homes (Palladino 197). Also, the survey revealed that 5% of cyberbullying victims who inflict self-harm had been reported. 3% of these victims have been reported for attempting suicide. On cases withdrawal, victims have been observed to shut themselves out of the world for fear of been bullied again. The withdrawal aspects are attributable to the harbored suicidal thoughts by the victims. It has also been recorded that adults who were victims as kids, eventually retaliate to violent measures (Hinduja 34).
Since most of the information that is shared electronically is permanent and accessible by all persons, a negative reputation of a person may be all over and eventually have a negative impact on the victim and also the bully if not reported and removed on time. The information may have an effect when one of the party tries to get a job. Besides, the form of harassment has grave repercussions in areas such as politics if a given person wishes to engage in an election process (Corcoran 246).
The showcased persistency with regards to cyberbullying plays an integral role in highlighting the difference as far as other forms of bullying are concerned. This is because digital devices allow the use of the websites at all times. Therefore, they fail to give room for an end to a given ordeal as the viewers can access the pages at all times (Pabian 470). Hence, it provides frustrating experiences to the victims for a considerable period. The increased persistence has led to the prospect of contemplating suicide among a large fraction of the victims who find it difficult to cope up with the pressure and the innuendos that come along with the form of bullying.
Similarly, cyberbullying as a form of harassment is difficult to identify. Teachers, guardians, and parents are not likely to realize what is going on concerning their children. This makes it hard for them to take appropriate measures before it is too late. This scenario is mostly promoted by the fact that one’s right to privacy should be highly respected, regardless of the relationship one has with the junior (Brewer 35).
As much as cyberbullying has a negative impact on its victims, it also has its benefits. In most cases, cyberbullying aims at the personal attributes of the victim. The bullies often prefer attacking through the devices as compared to a confrontation which may lead to fights and eventually factors such as deaths. However, this works in two ways. The fact that the bully cannot stand up for a confrontation gives the victim more power, and he/she can stand up for themselves. These victims overtime develop a strong urge to stand for themselves.
Consequently, the victims master the art of appreciating themselves and they also realize that other peoples’ opinions about their personal lives do not matter. Another benefit of cyberbullying is underscored by the fact that it can always be recorded or written (Pabian 473). This implies that once an attack has been staged, it cannot be taken back and thus the victim can always give a hard and undeniable evidence that the bullying took place.
Similarly, he or she can identify and bring the perpetrator to book. Proper actions on the bullies can, therefore, be considered in a bid to teach them a lesson or two. Hence, cyberbullying may decline as the perpetrators may fear being identified and punished.
Several measures can be taken by the victims, parents/guardians, teachers and also the authorities to ensure the disturbing aspect has been brought to an end. The victims should stop blaming themselves for the attacks directed towards them since no one ought to be subjected to any form of cruelty. Bullies should always be ignored to ensure there is little or no chance of intimidating them to opt for harassment. Nonetheless, a harassment situation should be traced and an action taken against the offenders (Pabian 476). Thus, victims should keep evidence of the bullying incidence since the bully may attack with an intention to reach a particular audience after which, he/she deletes the content. The saved information may be used to prosecute the bully and take necessary measures since cyberbullying is a crime. It is imperative for the victims to reach out for help when bullied. This helps to avoid the incidences relating to the aftermath of the harassment such as having suicidal thoughts. However, one should not just seek help from anyone. Instead, it should be from a person one trusts. Technology tools have come up with ways of controlling bullying. For instance, one can block a perpetrator, report the problem to the particular service provider among others (Corcoran 249). Parents and teachers, on the other hand, should handle this issue carefully. More often they make things even worse for the victims when they act rashly. Any response about the bullying should be carefully thought about to avoid bullying the bully or making it even harder for the victim. Before pointing fingers, the parents and teachers should gather information from both parties as it will play an integral role in determining an appropriate solution to the underlying problem. Involving the victim in finding the solution makes them feel relevant and helpful thus regaining their self-esteem.
In conclusion, cyberbullying should not be supported or perpetrated by anyone for whatever reason. It is clear that it does more harm to victims than good. As much as it has been criminalized, anyone who bullies others over electronic devices is at risk of a prison sentence. The issue has left victims traumatized to the extent that they cannot even report or sue the harassment incidents. The authorities too should always monitor activities that are likely to lead to bullying and taking action, an aspect that will ensure the people are vigilant concerning elements of cyberbullying.
Works Cited
Brewer, Gayle, and Jade Kerslake. "Cyberbullying, self-esteem, empathy and loneliness ." Computers in human behavior (2015): 255-260. Document.
Corcoran, Lucie, Conor Guckin, and Garry Prentice. "Cyberbullying or cyber aggression?: A review of existing definitions of cyber-based peer-to-peer aggression." Societies 5.2 (2015): 245-255. Document.
Gray, Christina. "Review of the book Impacts of Cyberbullying, Building Social and Emotional Resilience in Schools." Emerging Perspectives: Interdisciplinary Graduate Research in Education and Psychology (2017): 34-36. Document.
Hinduja, Sameer, and Justin W. Bullying beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and responding to cyberbullying. . New York: Corwin Press, 2014. Document.
Pabian, Sara, and Heidi Vandebosch. "Using the theory of planned behavior to understand cyberbullying: The importance of beliefs for developing interventions ." European Journal of developmental psychology
(2014): 463-477.
Palladino, Benedetta E., Annalaura Nocentini, and Ersilia Menesini. "Evidence‐based intervention against bullying and cyberbullying: Evaluation of the NoTrap! program in two independent trials." Aggressive behavior (2016): 194-206. Document.
