- mediabistro
Monday, March 29, 2010 By Vikki Finzi
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Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me… NOT! Every single day after school, practice, when you wake up you go on the computer and check your facebook, my-space, and form spring’s . If you go on somebody’s page and call them useless, a waste of life, fat, or make racial comments, do you really think it does not bother that person? Do you really think you are not being a bully? Well, sorry to tell you but YOU ARE.
Cyber bullying is the act of bullying or harassing a person by use of electronic devices thru means of e-mail, instant messaging, text messages, blogs, and websites like formspring. Some people take everything said said to heart people may not think it is a big deal but that person may feel as if they want to cry.
Why do people cyber bully? Does it make a person feel good after making fun of the way a person looks? This type of bullying can be more serious than conventional bullying. “At least with conventional bullying the victim is left alone on evenings and weekends“, says Ann Frisén, Professor of Psychology at the University of Gothenburg.
What are some ways of cyber bulling?
- posting harsh rumors about someone
- altering photos using Photoshop
- creating confrontational/ mean spirited polls/ groups about the person.
- Stealing somebody’s name and password to a social networking site, then using their profile to post rumors, gossip or other damaging information.
- Recording conversations without the individual’s knowledge or consent, then posting the call online.
- sending inappropriate pictures of the person and sending them around.
- starting or forwarding inappropriate messages about someone on your cellphone.
What does cyber bulling do to a person?
A recent survey found that 10% of 770 young people surveyed were made to feel “threatened, embarrassed or uncomfortable” by cyber bullying. Also According to the National Crime Prevention Center, over 40% of all teenagers with internet have reported being bullied online during the past year. Also which is not to surprising, girls are more likely than boys to be the target of cyber bullying. When someone is being bullied by being called names they feel as if everyone feels that way. Being called fat is so damaging to someone. When girls especially get called names they go to extremes, such as fasting, anorexia, bulimia, drug use, hurting themselves, and thinking about what they have been called constantly.
Does cyber bullying lead to suicide?
Absolutely! There are 5000 teens who commit suicide every year, for reasons to do with drugs, depression, and the way people treat them . Did you know that teen suicide is the third leading cause of death of young people aged 15-24. That is about 10 teens out of 100,000 who decide to kill themselves. While teenagers are known for their hormonal changes and mood swings, it is important to watch for long negative moods because those moods may be warning signs of suicide. According to the Children's Hospital in Boston, as many as 12 to 25 percent of teens experience some form of suicidal thoughts at some point. Look around in your classroom, there is about 20 kids in their, about 4 of them had thought of killing themselves. Suicide seems pretty drastic, but not to someone who thinks their life isn’t worth living.
Do parents know?
Did you know that almost 60% have never told their parents about an incident involving bullying. For parents listen to how your kids feel. Let him know that everyone worries, even adults, at one time or another. But also make sure he/ she knows that there are ways he can feel better and less fearful. Go over some strategies that he can use if someone teases him. Ignoring the bully and simply walking away or using humor to combat aggressiveness might get the bully to stop. Bullies often give up when they don't get a response from their target. Try to get you child to talk about what has been going on at school, just listening can be helpful. Even kids can resolve many cases of bullying on their own, do keep an eye on the situation. If your kid gets a mean comment don’t reply to it, or just simply make a joke about it. It is so important for you to feel loved if something is bothering you someone has said even at the age of 17, parents are always their to help and reassure you when times get hard.
Cyber bullying in the media
Whenever kids watch TV it is usually a non-educational show. Today kids watch shows such as family guy, the Simpson’s, South park and other shows which seem funny. Well for example you are watching family guy and they are making for a Jewish people you may laugh but a Jewish person is going to take offense. Children see these shows on television making fun of others and they think now it is ok to make fun of people. You could even consider a Perez Hilton as a cyber bully, he makes fun of people constantly over the internet. The media is the one that emphasizes on comedy as making fun of someone else.
So the next time you are bored and on formspring about to put something anonymous on somebody’s page saying how they are dreadfully disgusting, think again about the consequences!