The Impacts of Cyberbullying

Naliya Anderson, Columnist

Bullying, it happens everyday to hundreds of people of all different shapes, colors and sizes.  It’s possible you’ve been bullied before or witnessed a bully in action, maybe you were the bully.  Today, because of the major growth in internet and technology, this form of harassment has become easier.  Cyberbullying is usually defined as the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. This type of bullying closely targets teens because of their heavy involvement with social media. Cyberbullying has countless negative causes and effects, with impacts physical, mental and emotional.    

One of the most noticable effects of cyberbullying are the physical signs.  Physical stress especially can be easy to see, usually the person is drained of energy.  Self harm has also become more common where things like, cutting, starvation and attempted suicide are involved.  And although cyberbullying starts online, it can end in face to face with harmful physical contact. Www.uttc.edu reads, ¨There is a power differential between perpetrators and victims.  The power can be physical. It can be social. It can be intellectual.¨ At this point the bully has become physically stronger than their victim when allowed to cause physical damage. All of cyber bullyings physical effects, began mentally.

Mental distress is another notable sign of cyberbullying.  For the parents of victims under the age of eighteen, an indication could be their newfound lack of effort in school.  This could also show in their decrease in social involvement and connections with peers. Equally suggesting mental conflict is the loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities.  https://nobullying.com/what-is-mental-bullying/ states that, ¨Mental bullying is the act of tearing down another person through words, actions or any other means that affect their mental state.  Apart of cyberbullying the mental qualities can cause anxiety and depression, which can become severe and lead to suicide deaths. The detrimental mentality of one person can affect everyone around them, causing a poisonous environment.  

Cyberbullying not only affects the victim but, the people the come into contact with.  The victim could lack quality friendship, which is beneficial for niether party. Also it can cause family problems that could potentially destroy or disrupt the family.  And, the target and bully bring out an unsafe environment for everyone around them. According to http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/bullystoppers/Pages/impact.aspx, ¨Bullying has a negative impact on everyone involved; the target, bully and the bystanders.¨  Cyber Bullying impacts more than just the immediate recipient, clearly stated by researchers. The loophole continues through contact and emotion, anyone could be thinking anything.  

Cyberbullying, a more effective way of causing disdain and suffering to spread.  Whether physically harmed or attacked causing severe outcomes to the point of death.  Or the mental distress and anxiety leading to suicidal thought and tendencies. Even the way behavior resonates and reflects on peers, friends and family.  In whatever approach, cyberbullying causes damage and is an awful erroneous act that uses technology, to destroy the peace in this world.