Essay On Cyberbullying

1742 Words4 Pages

This paper discusses the different types of bullying, particularly cyberbullying, and the effects it has on children and young adults. Also we will identify the policies and programs that are already set in place to try and prevent bullying. Studies done on the effects of electronic bullying in middle school children found that, “on an annual basis in the USA, more than 3.7 million students in grades 6–10 engage in moderate or serious bullying while more than 3.2 million students are victims of moderate or serious bullying” (Moore, Huebner & Hills, 2012, p. 429). There are many strengths and weaknesses to each approach attempting to combat bullying but since it is such a complex topic with many subsections it is difficult to identify any significant change. On the other hand, it is important to know that as long as there are cyberbullies there will be people fighting to end the physical, verbal, and emotional abuse children and young adults endure every day but do not deserve. Terminating Cyberbullying in Georgia Bullying has become a global phenomenon as it steadily increases at an alarming rate. According to Karin Jordan and James Austin (2012) bullying is “an individual or a group (small or large) of more powerful individuals singling out and “picking on” an individual intentionally, repeatedly, and over time”, but cyberbullying surpasses this definition (p. 444). With technology being so easily accessible and encouraged, bullying has gone beyond the boundaries of the classroom and school bus into victims homes. There are eight different types of cyberbullying including flaming, harassment, denigration, impersonation, trickery, exclusion, cyberstalking, and happy slap. Each subsection defines the different methods i... ... middle of paper ... ...eed to focus on what is happening when students get home. It is upsetting to see “that almost 90 percent of teens have seen or experienced bullying on a social media site such as Facebook and Twitter”, sites that are used on a daily basis for most individuals (Internet abuse laws, n.d.). First we need to stop ignoring cyberbullying in our bills and training programs, and shift the power to the victims. Policies don’t mean anything if they are not addressing the population in need and training individuals to deal with bullying within a classroom provides no security outside of those four walls. While not every approach is perfect it needs to at least acknowledge the issues at hand. Cyberbullying will probably never end completely but just to see a decrease in the number of suicides, drug and alcohol use, and depression in children and young adults is worth the fight.

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