Social Media Cyberbullying Essay

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Discover new people, play games, advertise, keep up with family, and share pictures and videos—oh, the things you can do on social media! This use of cyberspace lets users from all over the world interact with each other in a free and fun environment, but in this unrestricted environment also lurks a menacing threat. Because of its widespread use, veil of anonymity, real life imitation, and various formats of communication, social media not only allows but also encourages people to insult, bully, and threaten others—an activity often referred to as cyberbullying—without fearing punishment.
The first way that social media encourages cyberbullying is by allowing victims to receive insults and threats anywhere and at any time from the bully. According to one study, more than 80 percent of young people use their cell phone on a regular basis, and it’s the most frequent way for bullies to affect their victims (Connolly). This means that the bully has constant access …show more content…

Close to 43 percent of all adolescences have been cyberbullied, and about 25 percent have been cyberbullied several times (Connolly). A different survey, completed by Cox Communications, shows that 81 percent of adolescents believe cyberbullying “is easier to get away with than bullying in person” (23). Because of its difficult effects, many have likened cyberbullying to an epidemic. It can affect anyone at any time. Adolescents—one of the most common users of social media, according to The Statistics Portal, which showed that people between the ages of 16 to 24 were the leading users in three social networks, with the same age group right behind the 25 to 34 age group in 5 other social networks—are especially at risk; because children lack experience in life and often do not know how to handle social conflict, bullying is extremely dangerous for

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