Cyberbullying is a Disturbing Issue Among Young Adults Today
Cyberbullying is a disturbing issue among young adults today. Availability and easy access to social media platforms via digital gadgets enable people to share offensive content, gossip about and bully others. Such experiences are detrimental to the young adults who are susceptible to cyberbullying. This essay aims at looking into the causes and effects of cyberbullying and the possible solutions and further evaluate their effectiveness by considering their limitations.
Causes of Cyberbullying
Technology advancement is one of the primary causes of cyberbullying. Statistics indicate that today most of the youths have access to the internet through readily available gadgets such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops (Whittaker & Kowalski, 2015). These devices offer ample platforms for the bullies to take advantage of the ignorance of the young adults who unknowingly share their personal information. Additionally, the popularity of social networks like the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, which has been a hub for many youths, has also contributed to increasing cyberbullying (Best et al., 2014; Wisniewski et al., 2014). The security of such social platforms are not guaranteed, and the bullies have an easy time to get into the mind of the youths (Fraser, 2013). Lack of self-control is yet another reason that has resulted in cyberbullying. Due to lack of a better way to settle scores, most of the teenagers tend to use online as a way to get back to those who hurt them (Peebles, 2014). Such means have adverse effects on the victims since it mostly aims at tormenting or shaming and it is usually through sharing offensive contents such as sex tapes and confidential information (Lowry et al., 2016; Shultz et al., 2012). As a result, the victims experience psychological and emotional stress, humiliation, low self-esteem, lack of trust, low grades, indulge in drug abuse or even lead to suicide (Gordon, 2017; Hamm et al., 2015; Smith et al., 2008).
Effects of Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying on young adults call for immediate attention and finding working remedies. Education is one of the ways that can be used to curb the effects or occurrence of cyberbullying. Students who are much susceptible to such crimes should be equipped with information regarding cyberbullying and their consequences. Parents should also be on the look out and monitor their kids’ online activities, guiding them morally, being available, and be taking necessary action when cases of cyberbullying are presented to them (Alek and Herald, 2018; Mohonasen, 2014). In addition, setting policies and strict laws against cyberbullying is another possible solution. As seen in Duke of Cambridge and End of cyberbullying, governments should put in place heavy punishments on those who engage or the perpetrators of cyberbullying. Consequently, it will create fear of being jailed and thus divert them to safer ways of settling disputes. Furthermore, youths should use cybersecurity measures like using strong passwords or encryptions to lock the bullies out of accessing their personal information (Chen et al., 2012). Young adults should also refrain from overexposing themselves to the internet and find other means of socializing. However, some of the remedies have some limitations. For instance, parents monitoring their children's internet activities can infringe their privacy and restrict them from exploring the outside world freely.
Conclusion
In retrospect, cyberbullying is a common problem today among young adults. Since the effects of cyberbullying have a ripple effect on the victim, family, and the society, it is essential to find lasting remedies. Such solutions presented should be applied in moderation while preventing and fighting cyberbullying.
References
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Duke of Cambridge meets campaigners ahead of cyberbullying launch
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