Cyber-bullying

The new media has its benefits and has created its own online society. But again as fast as the technology evolves and updates, the darker side of new media is right there affecting us too.  I believe the biggest danger people face when they use the internet or other social media is Cyber-bullying.  Cyber-bullying is when the computer is used as a tool to torment, harass, threaten and humiliate others online. The worst by far are children bullying another child or children within their age group or even younger.  For the most part the internet and Cyber-bullying is legible to control the ages from twelve to eighteen.  So as the internet progresses and updates our world, bullies and stalkers do not only have to show their faces or bully in public any more, they have the internet to hide their identities.  A large majority of those individuals attend junior high-school, and you would think the hardest part of that is beginning to find your inner self, or experiencing some of the world away from your “family roof.”  The battle is serious with kids who purposely find amusement out of tormenting and bullying children online. To the point where they can commit suicide, that’s a serious problem in our society today.

            According to 2014 statistics, fifty two percent of young people report of being cyber-bullied (No bullying).  11% of adolescents and teens reported that embarrassing or damaging photographs taken and shared without their knowledge or consent (No bullying). One of the most memorable suicide cases of suicide was that of a young boy named Ryan Patrick Halligan who only lived until the age of fourteen up in 2003. Growing up was already difficult due to his speech, language and motor skills difficulties and that led to him receive special education services from pre-school through the fourth grade. He became a regular target for bullies from fifth to seventh grade up until February of 2003, when he took his life. Ryan and a bully first altercation led to “a supposed friendship” for a little while. But after Ryan shared an embarrassing personal story, the newly found “friend” returned to being a bully and used the information to start a rumor that Ryan was gay. The taunting continued into the summer of 2003, although Ryan thought that he had struck a friendship with a pretty, popular girl through AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) (No bullying).  The girl used Ryan and tricked him into thinking she really liked him, but instead she wanted to find out more embarrassing stories of his life to show to her friends, which she copied and pasted into her Aim group chat. On October 7, 2003, Ryan hanged himself in the family bathroom. Then his parents found a folder later that summer of all the terrible messages and IM’s sent to their son. His words were “that technology was being utilized as weapons far more effective and reaching [than] the simple ones we had as kids.” It’s terrible but true. This is an example of an innocent kid that faced his own problems before the bullying started, and was only seeking for someone his age to understand him. Instead they took his kindness for weakness and caused a young innocent, warm hearted teen to kill himself.

Every year the rates of cyber-bullying are increasing, its rates are getting out of control. I was also Cyber-bullied online but I believe I became strong enough to take “it” as jokes rather than threats. I fear for the younger generations such as my brother who is fourteen, on social networks and also trying to find himself as any teenager is.  Parents need to learn more about the social networks and talk to their children daily about what their feeling and is their social networking life hurting them emotionally. It hurts to read articles like this because these are innocent lives who commit suicide, and the kids causing it don’t see the seriousness of it until the effects or consequences are shown. Even then, some don’t care or show remorse. Cyber-bullying can’t be erased, but parents can take initiative in being concerned with their children’s social lives on the internet.

Work Cited:

·      No Bullying. The Movement Against Bullying. Cyber Bullying statistics 2014

·      Ryan’s Story. Ryan Patrick Halligan Anti Bullying. Cyberbullying prevention  2010