Cyber Bullying in Schools

Twenty percent of high school students admit to being a victim and/or participating in cyberbullying (“Cyberbullying”). This form of bullying that takes place on the Internet, is beginning to become a major problem in our society. Cyber bullying must be terminated in order to prevent teenage depression, fights breaking out in schools, and adolescences growing up to become criminals.

Depression in teenagers is a major issue in the world around us. According to the article "Cyberbullying," "Targets of cyber bullying can experience emotional distress, including frustration, embarrassment, sadness, fear, and depression.” A lot of bullies, when caught in the act of cyber bullying, will claim that they were "just joking," or that the victim would "understand." Although it can sometimes seem that way through the bully's perspective, the victim may feel hurt or offended. After a while, that psychological pain might turn into depression. It is extremely disappointing to know that depression in children can lead to death, as cyber bullying has been directly associated with teen suicide in the past (“Cyberbullying”). As cyber bullying continues to reoccur all over the globe, the lives of innocent people continue to be at risk. “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem,” a man at a local church once said. If the world can work together to prevent cyber bullying from being that “temporary problem” in the first place, then suicide rates will drop and the real “permanent solution” will finally be unearthed. It is nearly unbelievable that people can hurt someone else’s feelings so badly and think of it as a joke.

A 2006 incident in which a parent in Missouri created a bogus Myspace profile to bully her daughter’s classmate has bec...

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...d to suicide. It causes anger, starts arguments, and leads to fights. It is even training young children to become convicts in their later years. This cannot continue under any circumstance. The world must come together, put a foot down, and end this horrible thing that we call cyberbullying.

Works Cited

"Cyberbullying." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

Lloyd, Devyne. "What Happens When Bullies Become Adults?" The New Bullying. Michigan State University, 01 Apr. 2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

Uhls, Yalda T. "Cyberbullying Has a Broader Impact than Traditional Bullying." Cyberbullying. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Is Bullying Going Digital? Cyber Bullying Facts." PsychologyinAction.org. 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.