Cyber Bullying Research Paper

Cyber Bullying

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Cyberbullying has now become a persistent problem in the recent years although the problem did not exist decades ago. Cyberbullying can be defined as the psychological devastating form of social cruelty towards people in most cases adolescents (Shariff & Hoff, 2007). The internet is widely used and even so the mobile phone which is viewed by many as a positive aspect of the present society. The same positive aspect of the society has been a major target of harmful activities. Since 2010, cyberbullying has drastically increased, and many children have fallen victims to this type of bullying (Notar, Padgett, & Roden, 2013). Due to increased suicidal cases among the teenagers who fell victim to cyber bullying has raised a lot of concern globally. Many states in the world have introduced a rule that all schools should address all types of bullying including cyber bullying (Hinduja & Patchin). Consequently, it is evident that cyberbullying is a major concern that should be tackled with urgency to help protect the youth from falling victims to this menace. The essay discusses cyberbullying as a form of bullying and expounds on the solutions that have been put forward in the 21st century to avert the looming threat posed by cyberbullying.

As many turn to the internet, more and more people are placing themselves at the risk of cyberbullying if they fall vulnerable. Teenagers who are victimized by cyberbullies are tormented, threatened, humiliated and hurt and may result to depression or even suicide. In most cases, cyber-bullies will often post personal data of their victim that diminishes or degrades the victim. Technology is ever changing and as it advances in communication per say, schools are facing a challenge of keeping and safeguarding their students with this current trends (Willard, 2007). Despite the advantages posed by the advancement in technology, it is also important to realize the potential abuse of these facets of communication. In many countries of the world, many children have access to the internet. According to Ana Naisoro, a police spokeswoman in Fiji reported that a significant percentage of children are online and this makes them vulnerable to cyber bullies. This was after research was conducted in the country and indicate that more than three thousand new Facebook accounts are created in the country monthly (Sauvakacolo, 2014). Consequently, more and more teenagers are falling victims to cyberbullying menace, and the lack of schools on maintaining and curbing the problem is very worrying. In Fiji, a high percentage of the Facebook user are teenagers who are more vulnerable to this type of bullying.

It has now emerged that many children are falling victims of cyberbullying and research conducted have indicated that this has posed a significant threat to their health. There have been found a relationship between teenagers’ victims of cyber bullying and negative health indices (Nixon, 2014). These adolescents have shown the tendency increased depression, loneliness and in severe cases suicidal behavior. It starts as simple as having a mixed feeling due to been targeted and insulted just because the cyber bully is mean. The victim slowly starts to experience fear and would tend to skip school to avoid the bullies, and if it does not stop, the performance of that student starts to flop. They end up experiencing symptoms of paranoia making it difficult even to start a conversation or even make new friends due to the perception of lack of acceptance in their peer group. It is crucial to note that adolescence is a critical stage in identity development and therefore, it plays an essential part in directing their personal growth trajectory (Albin, 2012). Therefore, cyber bullying towards adolescence poses an adverse effect of their development and this could result in long-term sociological and psychological consequences. The victims of cyberbullying may tend to get depressed, lonely or even contemplate suicidal actions due to the perception of lack of acceptance by their peers.