Hart 1

Ashley Hart
Wilson 2
HELA 10
2 March 2016
Cyberbullying is a Major Issue
The internet has had such a large and negative impact on the world. Yes, internet has
brought up many helpful ways of communication and entertaining social media, but it cons have
outweighed the pros. It has also brought knowledge to businesses and studies. (Masket) . Since
the internet has become an everyday norm, cyberbullying is very common. Its one of the main
reasons that this generations communication skills are as poor as they are today.
Most people in America dont go a day without using the internet; the problem is that it
has brought up a lot of cyberbullying, that is mainly directed towards teens over social media. A
statistic shows, Approximately 34% of the students in our sample report experiencing
cyberbullying in their lifetimes. (Cyberbulling Facts), which is a ridiculously high percentage.
Cyberbullying can be more severe than traditional bullying; the bully can contact the victim at
any given time due to the communication over social networks. Cyberbullying alone has caused
the depression and suicide rate in people 15-24 to increase (Cyberbulling Facts). Cyberbullying
is more difficult for a child to avoid because most kids and teens today have access to some sort
of device outside of their home, and usually in their possession that is theirs. The fact that it can
seem impossible to get away from is why the internet poses such an issue.
Victims and offenders of cyberbullying have agreed that the best way for teens to avoid
cyberbullying is to get rid of the social network or the device itself so the constant harassment
can come to an end (ConnectSafely.org). Even parental controls or prohibiting access to these

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social networks can help lessen the risk of cyberbullying. Many teens and even young adults
have taken their own lives due to cyberbullying. This is an obvious reason that the internet can
have a very negative impact on society. Twelve year old Rebecca Ann Sedwick took her life due
to cyberbullying, Tricia Norman, said her daughter's school should have done more to help her.
(Siner). It seems like the government hasnt done much to prevent cyberbullying, if they were to
monitor media more closely, maybe there could be a way cyberbullying would decrease.
As of today, it is not true that there is more cyberbullying than traditional bullying. But as
the internet and social media evolve, cyberbullying is predicted to increase as well (The
Telegraph). Another myth about cyberbullying is that is ends as you become an adult, but
unfortunately this is not true. Cyber and traditional bullying still occurs to adults today, even by
their co-workers, mainly by verbal abuse. But cyberbullying is still present no matter what age
you are.
Cyberbullying is one of the most negative things about the internet, but this does not
mean the whole online world is bad. Positive communication skills have formed from the
internet and new knowledge and opportunities have been brought up. But its a major issue for
people of all ages. It causes unnecessary stress and can be hard to stop, 47% of 14 year olds have
claimed to be cyberbullied before (The Telegraph). Some schools and organizations have taken a
stand and tried to prevent cyberbullying. The Los Angeles Times reported that the Glendale
Unified School District is spending $40,000 to have the firm monitor social media use among the
district's students. (Siner) Hopefully it will come to an end, for good.

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Works Cited
ConnectSafely.org. Connect Safely. 6 December 2013. Article. 9 March 2016.
Cyberbulling Facts. Cyberbulling Research Center. n.d.
Masket, Seth. Pacific Standard. 2 June 2014. Article. 9 March 2016.
Siner, Emily. All Tech Considered. 17 September 2013. 15 May 2016.
The Telegraph. The Telegraph. 13 November 2009. Article. 9 March 2016.