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`Laken Hughes Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1102 April 8th, 2013

Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me but words can hurt & scare me.

When Amanda Todd was in 7th grade, she was roaming the World Wide Web and began talking to this man through an online chat room. This man talked her into showing him her breasts. A year later, he sent her a message on Facebook saying to give him a show and if she didnt he would release explicit photos of her that he had taken when she showed him her breasts via video chat. He knew everything about her like her address and where she went to school. She didnt cooperate with him, so her photographs were released on the internet like her on Facebook as well as sharing it with the kids she attended high school with. (New Paragraph) Kids at her school began making fun of her and bullying her. From this, she developed anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. A year later, she started a new school where she moved to a new town and made new friends. This same man came back into her life and did it again, sending her photos out so that all the people from her new school would find out about her too. He had that picture he released as his profile picture and added all of her new friends from the new high school. She met a guy that actually liked her and the kids from her old

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high school found out and came to her new school and physically beat her up in the middle of the hallway because they didnt like the fact that someone was showering her attention. She began to self-harm herself by cutting herself. She made a Youtube channel to express how she feels felt. She moved schools two more times, but the bullying still occurred. She recorded a video in September 2012 that was posted on Youtube where she told her story using note cards. In October 2012, she was found dead in her room. (New Paragraph) Cyberbullying is serious, whether the one doing the bullying believes so or not. It could easily be a joke to them, but they really dont have any clue what theyre doing to the victim. I believe that not having the enough face-to-face communication like we used to have has changed the way we as a society get to know and stay connected with others, and that is has also given people some form of confidence to say things they wouldnt normally say to someones face. Cyberbullying is defined as bullying that takes place using electronic technology (USDHHS). Cyberbullying comes from many forms of technology like cellphones, socialnetworking websites, fake profiles, videos, and many more. Things can be sent via text messages, group messages, Facebook, or even via videos. It is much worse than regular, real-life bullying because you cant escape from it. Its around you even when you are away from school. Cyberbullying is something thats really uprising in todays society because we are so dependent of on our cellular devices and computers/tablets, that when we experience something, this is our way of expressing the way we feel. It could be expressed in a good way but also in a bad way. In middle school, the people who I thought were my so-called friends would pick on me constantly about my race and the color of my skin. I would constantly get called an Oreo and

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they would just take the jokes a little too far and beyond because Im both black and white. I would try not to let their stubborn comments get to me, but it was just a constant battle that I started to let these mean and rude things get under my skin and really bother me. I felt like if I told someone, I would get picked on even more for being a tattle-teller and then matters only get worse. It hurt so badly but I refused not to let anyone know it was happening, which then caused me to reach my breaking point. At that point, I started to self-harm myself. I saw this as a way to relieve the pain and hurt I was feeling. I had a friend who saw what was happening and eventually went and told our school counselor who not long afterwards called me into her office to talk. On the bright side, my counselor solved the problem with bullying and I wasnt bothered again because they knew better. A lot of adolescents/teenagers are affected with it cyberbullying and a lot of them are affected by it on a daily basis. Not only does it affect the victims, but also their loved ones and surrounding people. If they commit suicide, which Ive read quite a few, who has, and it affects all of those who were once in the victims life. It Awareness would make a difference in tons of peoples lives because of the hurt and pain its causing pre-teens and teens. Not only would it make a difference in their lives, but also both the bully and the victim(s) loved ones as well. It would make a difference in such a way to really show how much damage the bullies are doing when they may just be joking. At the same time, I believe that these bullies are doing it to themselves to make others look bad so they can feel a lot better about themselves and just make them feel good. They think that by pulling out flaws of other people that are innocent makes the bully look like a better person, when all reality thats not the case. However, in most of these cyberbullying stories, if it was a face to face situation, then they wouldnt dare have the nerve to say such harmful things but because they are and have the option to be anonymous. Forty-two

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percent of adolescents have admitted to being bullied while online. This particular question is significant because cyberbullying is constantly growing. Its becoming a bigger issue on a daily basis. Some of the common signs that you see in the affected victims are emotional distress, kids not wanting to go to school, kids avoiding their friends or any social activities, or having anxiety and depression. Some other signs you see in the cyberbully victims are self-harm, low self-esteem, and changes in mood and behavior. Another big one that you see a lot is alcohol and drug abuse, but the worst one is suicide. Theres so many different websites helping spread awareness and contributing to such a problem thats occurring in todays society. You also see a lot of infomercials on television channels that mainly teens watch or if a movie/television show is pertaining to bullying or has something that occurred in that episode and they have celebrities talking about it and letting people know how to reach out and get help. Theyve said such things as where to go, who you can talk to, how to approach the situation in the right way without upsetting anymore, and more. It relates because its telling people how to get help if its occurring. Cyberbullying can be stopped by easily just speaking up and talking to someone about it. Thats the start of prevention and could be the end of it. Often times people speak out about it after its too late. Even the slightest thought of you thinking someone is getting bullied, speak up. Youd rather be early and safe than sorry than it be too late when the damage is done like the victim committing suicide. Another way to get away from it is simply by blocking them or deleting the mean comments. If they keep coming back, then thats simply harassment, which isnt legal either. According to The Harford County Examiner, only 1 in 10 teens tell their

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parents that they are being bullied. Approximately forty-three percent have been bullied online before, but one out of four has experienced it more than twice (NCPC). You could also even take these rude and hurtful comments in and let them be motivation and determination to be somebody or to push towards your goals. These people are usually anonymous anyways so who are they to judge you when they dont even know you? Even people from school could be judging you but other than school, they might not have any idea what you may be going through outside the books. Celebrities have come together to create a campaign called Delete Digital Drama. There is a television show thats about online bullying called Cyberbully featuring Disney Star Emily Osment. This television show is about this teenage girl who receives a laptop for her birthday and she ends up becoming the victim as her friends begin to cyberbully her. Delete Digital Drama is a campaign aimed to stop the cyberbullying and gives a chance for these celebrities to tell their stories as well as give those who are in need of help advice and support to break free from it. Actress and Musician, Demi Lovato speaks on her experience with cyberbullying and says just this: At the end of the day, no one deserves to be bullied. I was bullied and I had to leave public school because of it. When you deal with bullies, I think its important to have a confidant in your life. I have a friend that I go to and I just vent about everything to her! Drew Chadwick, member of Emblem3 band, has been on both sides of bullying so he knows a little bit about both worlds. In Seventeen Magazine, he talks about his experience with bullying: I can assure you that being a victim of any form of bullying is damaging to a persons will power, self-esteem, and happiness. Bullying caused me to hide from

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life and live in fear. I hated myself for it. That's the crazy thing about bullying: It's not just about what others inflict on you. Before too long, you begin to internally bully yourself too. You start to believe what the bullies say: that you arent cool enough, good enough, strong enough, or smart enough. Thoughts like that cause you to lose your will power, your drive. Thats when depression and anxiety can set in and you begin to question why you should continue living a life that is pure hell. You may believe your existence is purposeless, and these feelings can lead to thoughts of self-harm. This goes to show that everyone is human and no one is perfect, not even celebrities. At the end of the day, we all bleed the same red blood and go through all of the same things sometime in our lives. The fact that a lot of young teens do look up to these people; this may be the best way to tell the bully victims to reach out and ask for help. They see that their favorite celebrities did it, so they want to be like them and do it too. They use these big people to help them because they are such idols to these adolescents and are pretty much role models to these young boys and girls. What was most surprising to me is how high the statistics are. Its scary in a way because all these little children are bullying other people and are getting away with it. Its not only children because adults could be doing it as well. What really surprised me is how I looked over a possible reason why bullies do what they do. I didnt really think to put together the fact that the bullies may potentially have something going on in their lives or are dealing with and it sort of causes them to do such harm to others to make them feel good about themselves, not really

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caring how the victims feel about it, who are probably completely innocent from the get-go. Cyberbullying can start from such the slightest rude comment someone receives. Overall, cyberbullying is harmful altogether, especially for the victim. Chances are the victim didnt even deserve it, thats just who the bully targeted because they thought he or she would be easy to pick on or it could even possibly be jealously of some sort. Cyberbullying is continuously growing and it shouldnt be. I feel as though it could be prevented but the victims choose not to say anything because they fear the consequences that could possibly come from the bully. It could also be that the friends of the bully or the victim doesnt speak up and reach out for help on either side. Cyberbullying is preventable; ask for help. Its a serious problem that is growing for all the wrong reasons and it needs to be stopped. Kids are self-harming themselves and facing serious medical problems because these bullies do not really realize the damage and harm that they are doing to these innocent victims.

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Works Cited U.S. Department Of Health & Human Services. Stopbullying.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. Coloroso, Barbara. The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. Sullivan, Keith. Bullying in Secondary Schools. London: Paul Chapman Publishing, 2004. Sticca, F. "Longitudinal Risk Factors for Cyberbullying in Adolescence." Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology .Special Issue (2012): 52-67 The Hartford Examiner. "Cyber Bullying Statistics." Bullying Statistics. N.p., 2009. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. Rigal, Emily. "Delete Digital Drama." Seventeen Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 March. 2013. Hinduja, S. "Cyberbullying Prevention and Intervention." American Human Association. N.p., 2009. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.