Teens New Fear: Cyber Bullying

These days a teenager’s worst fear is not getting acne or losing their best friend. The enemy in their eyes is called cyber bullying. It has become common over the past 5 years. Numerous children from the ages of 13, to adults, as old as 25, are susceptible to cyber bullying.  Children as young as 6 - years old have been a target for cyber bullying. It is becoming an increasingly and alarmingly trend into today’s society.

Cyber bullying is when a person receives threats, negative comments, or negative pictures or comments geared toward themselves from another person. This is all done online. It can be in the form of chatting, instant messaging, email, status messages, or commenting on someone’s page in a negative and threatening manner.

Websites such as, Facebook, myspace, and twitter have had users subjected a lot in the past to cyber bullying.  Email, chat rooms, text messaging, and other forms of technology can be used as a bullying tool.

Here are some facts for cyber bullying. These facts are according to www.dosomething.org:

·         Cyber bullying can affect kids as young as 10 years old. Sometimes younger.

·         35% of kids have been bullied online.

·         1 out of 5 kids have been bullied more than one time

·         There is a 56% higher chance of cyber bullying happening in a chat room

·         Girls are two times more likely to be affected by cyber bullying

·         4 out of 10 middle school students have had their password changed by a bully and has had the bully send threatening or mean messages pretending to be them.

Cyber bulling can reach a limit of humiliation, depression, and aloneness. It can do a lot of psychological damage to the teens mind.  A person who is being bullied online can reach a high state of depression, which may cause acts of suicide.

The rates are rising for cyber bullying. There are no laws in affect at the moment for cyber bullying. Parents who have lost children to cyber bullying are gathering to try to pass a law stating that there is some form of punishment for the accuser.

If you or someone you know is being bullied online or in real life make sure to get them help, if it is becoming too much. Talking to friends and family about the issue will help them understand and talk out their feelings. There are multiple hotlines available to call for cyber bullying. Online help is also available. Www. Cyberbully411.com and www.cyberbullysolutions.com can help also.