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Effects of Cyberbullying Among Adolescents

Cyberbullying is bullying that occurs across digital devices, among them tablets, cell phones, and computers and involves posting, sending and sharing mean, false and harmful information about someone else. While these devices have been said to have more benefits especially in flexibility, the effects of their usage among teens are not only disturbing but horrifying especially since in most cases it has been repeated. The discussion below focuses on the effects of cyberbullying among teens among the losing self-esteem, depression, social anxiety and hopelessness that leads to suicide, despite it being a new form of harassment and bullying.

Firstly, the main effect of cyberbullying is suicide. Recent studies have shown the increase in suicide cases on victims of cyberbullying, this results from the humiliation experienced where people make fun of someone’s defects that the victims are in no control over. While the commonly known bullying only takes place in a school cyberbullying have a large web audience and as its commonly known the internet does not forget. According to some scholar’s claims have been made that cyberbullying itself does not lead to suicide but the victims themselves are at a high risk of committing because of the effects associated with it among them social anxiety and depression where if they are left untreated result is a suicide, (Rueb).

Secondly, cyberbullying has been said to cause emotional and physical effects including anxiety in teens. While the victims of this behavior may not be affected physically, they translate the emotional effects in their social lives for years to come, this has been to lead to trust issues with their partners and family and some cases have been said to result to substance abuse to compensate for the deficiencies they feel. In addition, this type of bullying results in the victim’s esteem and confidence reducing and stigma (Kraft). Additionally, physical ailments have also been experienced among them headaches and can also affect the teens sleeping patterns that may lead to insomnia and eating disorder especially if a teen’s weight was the target for the harassment.

Lastly, cyberbullying has resulted in extreme violent measures. Recently, there has been an alarming increase in the gun shooting that has been witnessed in schools resulting in panic, death, and anxiety, unfortunately, most of the shooting perpetrators have been reported to have experienced bullying at their younger age, (Talpur). This type of violence stems from the use of substance abuse to fill up the inadequacies of the victims’ experience resulting in such extreme measures that continue to drag our society back. Finally, while these victims are affected in these massive ways few of them end up missing or dropping out of schools and end up joining gangs that only continue being a menace to the society leading to increased crime rates.

In conclusion, cyberbullying is a massive issue that if not handled can lead to many effects since the technology advances every day and it is up to everyone to address these issues before they become a problem that cannot be controlled. The long-term effects of cyberbullying especially suicide have been the cause of attention to the legislation that have been enacted to try to deal with this type of harassment among them people are suspended from using the social media platforms when suspicion of such harassment are noticed, helplines to report these behaviors have been pit to place. However, while legislation is useful in ensuring this harassment becomes a problem of the past it is up to individuals to realize that the use of these platforms comes with a responsibility that should be exercised at an individual level especially the teens since its usually the root of these issues.

Works Cited

Kraft, E. Cyberbullying: A Worldwide Trend Of Misusing Technology To Harass Others. 2006, pp. 1-12, https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/papers/IS06/IS06016FU1.pdf. Accessed 16 Feb 2020.

Rueb, Emily S. “Times Topics”. Nytimes.Com, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/cyberbullying. Accessed 16 Feb 2020.

Talpur, Mir Ali Raza. “Effects Of Cyber Bullying On Teenagers: A Short Review Of Literature”. Open Access Journal Of Addiction And Psychology, vol 1, no. 3, 2018. Iris Publishers LLC, doi:10.33552/oajap.2018.01.000511.