Cyberbullying: Are Parents to Blame?

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According to Ortega et al (2009), bullying is defined as the form of aggression occurring when a person is intimidated, excluded, harassed, or mistreated directly or indirectly. If the victim of bullying is able to defend himself immediately, the negative effects associated with the act are avoided. However, if bullying is extended without offering support or help for the victim, adverse mental effects might be increased. Initially, the major cause of bullying was traditional, in which the victims were attacked directly most preferably by people they knew or by strangers they met. In the modern society, technology has increased daily internet use. This has come up with both positive and negative effects including internet bullying commonly known as cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is the kind of bullying that involves use of an electronic device as the mode of contact (Dooley et al, 2009). Irrespective of the cause of bullying, cases of psychological effects result, which might lead to suicide by the victims. It is notable that bullying associated with social media can be controlled by parents in that parents need to be aware of what their children are doing (Wordpress.com, 2011).
Minors increasingly use the internet even though they are defenseless when attacked by the aggressors. It is also hard for these minors to deal or cope with stress arising from cyber bullying. If the act continues for long and the minors lack help, they suffer from psychological disorders caused by the trauma and the intricate experience faced. Even though in most of the cases the victims are aware of their aggressors, in other instances they do not know them. It is very unfortunate that children undergo bullying via the social media without the knowledg...

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.... Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. 119-42.
Dooley, J. J., Pyzalski, J., & Cross, D. (2009). Cyberbullying Versus Face-to-Face Bullying: A Theoretical and Conceptual Review. Journal of Psychology, 217(4): 182-8.
Moskos, M. A., Achilles, J., & Gray, D. (2004). Adolescent Suicide Myths In The United States- Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention And Suicide Prevention, 25(4): 176-82.
Ortega, R. et al. (2009). The Emotional Impact on Victims of Traditional Bullying and Cyberbullying: A Study of Spanish Adolescents. Journal of Psychology, 217(4): 197-204.
Robertson, L., et al. (2012). An Adolescent Suicide Cluster and the Possible Role of Electronic Communication Technology. Crisis, 33(4): 239-45.
Wordpress.com. (2011). Cyberbullying: Are Parents to Blame? Retrieved 21 November 2013 from http://emilyrobertslpc.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/cyberbullying-are-parents-to-blame/.

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