Cyber Bullying: Understanding the Definition and Motivations Behind It

Erika Weber Professor Holliday COINS 209-05 25 September 2012 Cyber Bullying Not everyone knows what cyber bullying is, so what is it? Cyber bullying is when a child is being harassed, threatened, or embarrassed by another child using the internet, cell phone or other digital device. Almost half of teens in the United States are cyber bullied. Females are more likely to participate in cyber bullying and get cyber bullied than a male will (bullying statistics). Some children who are cyber bullied think the bullies do it because they think it is funny or they have nothing better to do with their time.

When it comes to cyber bullying, they are often motivated by anger, revenge or frustration. Sometimes they do it for entertainment or because they are bored and have too much time on their hands and too many tech toys available to them. Many do it for laughs or to get a reaction. Some do it by accident, and either sends a message to the wrong recipient or didn't think before they did something. The Power-hungry do it to torment others and for their ego. Revenge of the nerd may start out defending themselves from traditional bullying only to find that they enjoy being the tough guy or gal.

Mean girls do it to help bolster or remind people of their own social standing. And some think they are righting wrong and standing up for others (stop cyber bullying). Cyber bullying is directed towards a wide variety of people, it is good to recognize the signs, and prevent cyber bullying from happening. Cyber bullying has increased in recent years. In a national survey kids between the ages of 10-17 years old, twice as many children showed they had been victims and committers.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics calls cyber bullying the “most common online risk for all teens. ” Cyber bullies do not just target one specific person there are many different reasons for being targeted. Bullies are most likely to harass people who are different, do not have many friends, or are new to an area. Girls are more likely to be targeted than boys infrequently. A lot of people who are cyber bullied are often victims of offline people. Some cyber bullies target people who are younger than them because it makes them feel superior.

Another cause for people to be targeted by cyber bulling is because of their ethnicity. There are different signs to noticing when a child is being bullied online (cyber bullying). Children and teens can go into isolation by not talking to any of their friends and ignoring or avoiding any type of contact with the outside world. If a child just unexpectedly stops using the computer you might want to sit down and have a talk with them or if they are jumpy or nervous all the time because they might be a target associated with cyber bullies.

Another sign that is connected to being cyber bullied is the child or teen unexpectedly gets upset after being on the computer. The psychological and emotional outcomes of cyber bullying are comparable to real-life bullying except that with cyber bullying there is often no escape. Cyber bullying comes in many different forms and can happen though all types of devices. Over 80 percent of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most popular form of technology and a common source for cyber bullying.

You can cyber bully by sending mean text messages to someone you dislike or posting status about them on social media networks. Exclusion is also a form of cyber bullying which means purposely not including someone in an online chat session just because you think their different or you do not like them. Stealing a person's account information to break into their account and send damaging messages can be hurtful and that means you are cyber bully more than one person at a time. Stalking online is a form of cyber bullying also because it can cause fear in a person to know that they are being watched.

Manipulation is an often under-considered form of bullying, but unfortunately there have been many cases of cunning cyber bullying. Examples include putting pressure on someone to reveal personal information or ask to meet up. This can be accomplished by using online friendship status to make it seem like you know the person. There are many different ways to prevent cyber bullying from happening to people. Speaking with other students, as well as teachers and school administrators, to develop rules against cyber bullying can help with other kids who are being cyber bullied.

Because their motives differ, the solutions differ to so there is no "one size fits all" when cyber bullying is concerned. You can also teach the kids the consequence of cyber bully for example getting banned from social sites and losing their ISP accounts (old dizigen). Teach your children to keep their information private and do not tell anyone anything personal that they would not like over the internet. Google themselves at least once a month to make sure no one is putting information up that can hurt them in the long run.

When kids or teenagers check their e-mails they should never open a letter from a person they do not know or even if it is from a person they know they should still be wary especially if the subject looks suspicious. Save the evidence, such as e-mail and text messages, and take screenshots of comments and images. Also, take note of the date and time when the harassment occurs (netsmartz). If harassment occurs through e-mail, social networking sites, IM, and chat rooms, tell your child to “block” bullies or delete your child’s current account and open a new one. Get your child’s school involved.

Learn the school’s policy on cyber bullying and urge administrators to take a stance against all forms of bullying (netsmartz). Be a friend, not a bystander. Watching or forwarding mean messages empowers bullies and hurts victims even more. If you can, tell bullies to stop or let them know harassment makes people look stupid and mean. It’s time to let bullies know their behavior is unacceptable. If you cannot stop the bully from messaging a friend at least tell a trusted adult. In conclusion I have realized that Cyber bully is very wrong and can lead to dangerous situations.

Cyber bullying is directed towards a wide variety of people, it is good to recognize the signs, and prevent cyber bullying from happening. I have learned that no matter what your race, religion, or ethnicity is you can still be cyber bullied. Please recognize the signs of cyber bully and teach yours kids also because you never know when you will need to worry about your child or they have to worry about a friend being cyber bullied. Cyber bullying can be prevented in many ways but one may way that is very affective is telling an adult you trust so they can handle the situation properly.

We can all make a difference if we just stop cyber bullying be against it stand up for it and you never know you just might be one less person cyber bullying or being the one cyber bullied. Work Cited Paul, Richard. "The Duck Sense Bully Prevention Blog. " Cyber Bullying Prevention Tips. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Oct. 2012. <http://www. richardpaul. com/blog/no-bully-club/cyber-bullying-prevention-tips/>. "SafeKids. com. " SafeKids. com. Word Press, n. d. Web. 09 Oct. 2012. <http://www. safekids. com/>. "Cyber Bullying. " Netsmartz. org. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. , n. . Web. 9 Oct. 2012. <http://www. netsmartz. org/cyberbullying>. "Covenant Eyes Header. " Honest Discussions about Internet Temptations. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Oct. 2012. <http://www. covenanteyes. com/2012/01/17/bullying-statistics-fast-facts-about-cyberbullying/>. STOP Cyberbullying. WiredKids, Inc. , n. d. Web. 09 Oct. 2012. <http://www. stopcyberbullying. org/why_do_kids_cyberbully_each_other. html>. "Understanding Cyber Bullying. " Digizen,org. Childnet International, n. d. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. <http://old. digizen. org/cyberbullying/fullguidance/understanding/forms. aspx>.

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