Paper Example on Effects of Cyberbullying on the Adolescent's Health

Introduction

With the constant technological advancement and enhanced online form of communication in the modern world, cyberbullying, an unexpected killer has emerged to affect teenagers' lives. Cyberbullying has risen recently is due to the widespread use of the internet as well as the use of personal Smartphones among teenagers daily. In addition to that, another related research study also indicated that youths between ages 12 to 17 years old, which are approximately 95%, (Walrave et al., 62)consumed both internet and Cellphones more than once weekly. Consequently, significant effects of cyberbullying among teenagers involve severe stress and anxiety, low self-esteem, high probability of suicidal behaviors, and increased rate of school dropout and failures amongst youths.

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Cyberbullying means the application of the internet as a channel for inflicting harmful behavior among teenagers repeatedly over a long time. Even though the researchers have come up with several adverse impacts concerning the different traditional types of bullying in society, recent research studies have indicated that cyberbullying has severe health consequences towards the growth and the developments of the youths in the community. Typically, this particular problem is because of the reason for "a greater power imbalance," whereby most teenagers who are the victims of cyberbullying may be unaware of their identities of bullying (Kraft, 160). Additionally, cyberbullying is very common and rampant among young adults since it does not only affect children while still in school but also follows them home; that is, cyberbullying is very addictive (Aoyama et al., 100). Also called the electronic cyberbullying is most frequently done through the messaging process, which is approximately 35%, while through the internet it is about 20%, and lastly by Smartphone about 10% among the youths. Therefore, in this case, cyberbullying is one of the major problems affecting teens in today's world that need adequate attention.

Effects of Cyberbullying on the Adolescents' Health

Cyberbullying happens at any given the time of day in someone's life, leaving most youths who are victims to feel as if there is no escape from the severe embarrassment provided that they use their phones as well as the internet while socially interacting with one another. Consequently, harmful messages, as well as the images, can quickly get spread across a large group of peers as this may negatively affect them psychologically as they watch them. Additionally, cyberbullying hides the identity of the perpetrators of this woeful act among the youths. This challenge of cyberbullying makes most of the teenagers very fearful for their safety while interacting with others online.

Similarly, cyberbullying frequently causes depression, anxiety, helpless feeling as well as vulnerability among teenagers who have been its victims in today's world. Generally, the adolescence stage is one of the crucial steps in human life and development. This particular stage has been profoundly affected by peer pressure among young adults. During this stage, reports indicate that most victims of cyberbullying often suffer critically from either mental, physical, psychological, and emotional challenges, leading to either academic failures and school dropouts (King et al., 845). Psychologically, cyberbullying may also lead to the "self online effects," whereby an individual gets significantly influenced by the cyberbullying. Mostly, online self includes the pictures related to adolescents like online quotes, pictures, comments as well as the contacts.

Consequently, when self online happens on an individual for a very long period, a person online gets annihilated. According to Sylvester, a great online philosopher, given that the teenager has realized that the digital self has gotten destroyed, they automatically become depressed, several thoughts of suicide come in their mind to the extent of deciding to commit suicide. This problem is due to the lack of self-recovery among teens.

However, Sylvester proposed that rather than preventing adolescents from using internets and their phones in an attempt of avoiding further bullying, both parents and guidance should advise the teenagers to generate an online blog whereby only the invited friends can have access to their online data or writings (Mesch, & Gustavo, 388). This recommendation will help in creating favorable online surrounding for the teenagers. Additionally, this particular strategy has more benefits instead of ultimately preventing youths from using the online platform and other technological-social channels to interact with their friends freely.

Lastly, cyberbullying may lead to the harmful effects amongst the youths. Statistically, suicide is one of the significant causes of death among teenagers across the globe. Depression and anxiety are the major causes of suicidal deaths and behaviors in the modern world. Researchers indicate these most suicidal deaths among the youths are as a result of cyberbullying. For instance, in the case of Tyler Clementi, a student Ridgewood school in New Jersey committed suicide by jumping from Washington bridge after secretly getting recorded having sex with a fellow male student and then distributed the video clip online. Hence, through severe depression and mental torture from online bullying, he committed suicide at a very tender age.

Conclusion

To prevent or somehow minimize cyberbullying among teenagers in the entire world, the government, through the schools' management, has introduced policies of zero tolerance for cyberbullying to encourage the victims to participate in more of the positive behaviors. The global relevant authorities should also create public awareness among teenagers on the effects of cyberbullying. Thirdly, the government, through the law enforcing bodies should develop strict policies and regulations on the culprits of cyberbullying to reduce the rate of cyberbullying. Lastly, teenagers, parents, and society as a whole should jointly work together to prevent the adverse effects of cyberbullying among adolescents in the community.

Works Cited

Aoyama, Ikuko, Terrill F. Saxon, and Danielle D. Fearon. "Internalizing problems among cyberbullying victims and moderator effects of friendship quality." Multicultural Education & Technology Journal 5.2 (2011): 92-105.

Hoff, Dianne L., and Sidney N. Mitchell. "Cyberbullying: Causes, effects, and remedies." Journal of Educational Administration 47.5 (2009): 652-665.

King, Alison Virginia. "Constitutionality of cyberbullying laws: Keeping the online playground safe for both teens and free speech." Vand. L. Rev. 63 (2010): 845.

Kraft, E. "Cyberbullying: A worldwide trend of misusing technology to harass others." WIT Transactions on Information and Communication Technologies 36 (2006): 155-166.

Mesch, Gustavo S. "Parental mediation, online activities, and cyberbullying." CyberPsychology & Behavior 12.4 (2009): 387-393.

Walrave, Michel, and Wannes Heirman. "Cyberbullying: Predicting victimization and perpetration." Children & Society 25.1 (2011): 59-72.