Oct. 29, 2014

By Natasha Hillman

In our society, with more and more teens glued to their Facebook and Twitter accounts, the continuation of cyber-bullying rises.

With the simple click of a “like,” peers can instantly express their opinion on their friend’s status or update. A term such as “basic b” is an example of how cyber-bullying can occur on social media outlets, such as Facebook. It can be used to place instant judgment or hatred on someone and can often be easier than saying it to someone’s face.

In fact, a recent study by McAfee, a computer security software company, found Facebook is the most prominent outlet for cyber bullying to occur, with Twitter following in second. The study further pointed out of those surveyed, 92.6 percent said they have witnessed cyber-bullying on Facebook in some form. Twitter followed with 23.8 percent.

McAfee’s study pointed out even the word “back to school,” stirs up feelings of uneasiness, as returning to the classroom often means returning to being the victim of bullying. Sometimes factors such as how many friends someone can place greater emphasis on one’s mind, than how well they did on their math exam, pointing out that academics are often affected.

Shockingly, McAfee’s study found that nearly 1 out of 10 parents were aware that this was going on in their teen’s life. Cyber-bullying can be a very secretive act that can harvest and eventually lead to potentially harmful outcomes, both emotionally and physically.

The same study also shows that many victims of cyber-bullying have admitted to skipping school to avoid their bullies, with 15.4 percent of teens admitting to have avoided school. While this doesn’t seem like a high percentage, it is still a staggering statistic and concerning for both students and parents.

“Kids that are bullied are likely to experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness, and poor sleep,” according to Jennifer Caudle, a physician from osteopathic.org.

Again, it is that secretiveness that puts victims of cyber-bullying at risk, since many are too embarrassed or fearful of telling. Many students will appear quiet, anxious and often exuberate poor confidence, often indirectly affecting a student’s performance in school, Caudle said.

If we want our students to succeed, we need to address this issue of cyber-bullying. School is one place where students should feel safe and ready to learn, not a place of fear and harassment.

Change will only occur if we address this both in school and at home. We need to start by talking with our kids. This trend can be reversed if we start now and talk to our teens about the potential side effects of cyber-bullying.

“We are graduating members from the class of we made it, not fading echoes of voices crying out names will never hurt me,” said Shane Koyczan from Ted Talk. “Of course they did, but our lives will only ever always continue to be a balancing act that has less to do with pain and more to do with beauty.”