We have all experienced cyber bullying in some form or another. We just brush it off as normal, but it isn't. We need to rise against cyber bullying and help out. 20% of kids cyberbullied think about suicide, and 1 in 10 attempt it. 4500 kids commit suicide each year. Suicide is the 3rd killer of teens in the US.
Cyberbullying is becoming a bigger issue. From 1990-2000 the average percentage of cyberbullying in youth has doubled. Boys are less likely to be cyberbullied, girls are twice as much cyberbullied than boys. 33% of ALL youth has been cyberbullied. Only 18% will end up telling an adult. Nearly 43% of kids have been cyber bullied, and 4 out of 10 say they have been cyber bullied more than once. Over 80% of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most common medium for cyber bullying. 68% of teens agree that cyber bullying is a serious problem, and 81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person. 90% of teens who have seen social-media bullying say they have ignored it. 84% have seen others tell cyber bullies to stop. Bullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider committing suicide. About 75% of students admit they have visited a website bashing another student. Cyber bullying affects many adolescents and teens on a daily basis. Cyber bullying involves using technology, like cell phones and the Internet, to bully or harass another person.
Cyber bullying can take many forms:
•Sending mean messages or threats to a person's email account or cell phone
•Spreading rumors online or through texts
•Posting hurtful or threatening messages on social networking sites or web pages
•Stealing a person's account information to break into their account and send damaging messages
•Pretending to be someone else online to hurt another person
•Taking unflattering pictures of a person and spreading them through cell phones or the Internet
•Sexting, or circulating sexually suggestive pictures or messages about a person
Cyber bullying can be very damaging to adolescents and teens. It can lead to anxiety, depression, and even suicide. Also, once things are circulated on the Internet, they may never disappear, resurfacing at later times to renew the pain of cyber bullying. Many cyber bullies think that bullying others online is funny. Cyber bullies may not realize the consequences for themselves of cyberbullying. The things teens post online now may reflect badly on them later when they apply for college or a job. Cyber bullies can lose their cell phone or online accounts for cyber bullying. Also, cyber bullies and their parents may face legal charges for cyber bullying, and if the cyber bullying was sexual in nature or involved sexting, the results can include being registered as a sex offender. Teens may think that if they use a fake name they won't get caught. We have to help end cyberbullying today, so #RiseAbove to end cyberbullying.
