![]() ![]() Peer-to-peer cyberbullying can take place through exclusion in social media, sexting, or using the internet to post ‘bad’ information about the friends. ‘Sexting’ and sending harassing messages and pictures to a victim’s mobile phone also comprise cyberbullying (Melby 1). From the foregoing scenarios, it may be seen that while parents can educate their children about cyberbullying, they would not possibly be able to control their children’s use of mobile phones, tablets and internet access. ![]() This can cause a variety of effects, including depression and suicide, as evidenced by the highly publicized case of a 13-year-old Migan Meier (from Missouri), who was harassed via her MySpace account by an adult cyber bully who used a fake account (Froese-Germaine 44). Cyberbullying may also take the form of posting provocative, embarrassing or intimidating messages and/or pictures on websites or blogs, in which the victim is attacked or belittled. This could lead to adverse effects on the excluded friend, going as far as resulting in suicide thoughts. An example in this case is a scenario where a group of friends may decide to exclude one of them from a group which the victims considers important to join. Social networks have also been used by the perpetrators for exclusion, which leads to a feeling of exclusion and helplessness on the victim (Strom and Paris 48). Cyber bullies use social website such as Facebook and Twitter to bully their victims through such things as posting intimidating messages or pictures. From this definition, it may be seen that the main factor that contributes to cyberbullying is the new technological advancements which, as Alvarez (1206) notes, are important in the growth and development of the children if leveraged well. Technological advancements and ToolsĪlvarez defines cyberbullying as the intentional bullying or harassment of another person using technology including text, cell phones, pagers, computers, websites, chat rooms, instant messages and social networking” (1207). This essay argues that although some analysts state that parents are to blame for increased cases of cyberbullying because they do not look after their children as responsibly as they should, the nature of today’s society and the new technological advancements makes it hard for parents to effectively control how the youngsters use these technologies. Owing to the seriousness of the issue, it is imperative that stakeholders try to devise measures to minimize cyberbullying with a view to protecting the victims who are almost always the young, unsuspecting internet users. Youth are the most vulnerable demographic group affected by cyber bullies, understandably because they comprise the biggest population of social media users. The internet has given bullies a new, arguably more effective avenue to unleash terror and intimidation on their victims. Cyberbullying is an increasingly serious issue in today’s society. ![]()
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