Cyberbullying needs to stop now
Why do people think it is ok to bully people online? This is probably the first question you ask yourself when you see or approach this topic. Why do people think it is acceptable? I honestly don't know. Another question you may ask is, why do people cyberbully in the first place?
Cyberbullying is a subject that is discussed frequently, and it is one that is really quite serious and happens in schools all over the UK. It is a type of bullying that happens over the Internet and is usually committed through social media and texting/calls. It is a type of bullying that is sometimes difficult to identify. As the bullying happens over the internet, often no one other than the bully and the victim actually knows it is happening; no one else can see that it is happening and it is very hard to stop it from happening. Cyberbullying can include spreading rumours about someone, or posting nasty or embarrassing messages, images or videos. It was reported that over a 11,000 counselling sessions had taken place with young people last year about their problems on the internet. Cyberbullying can happen at any time and any place. With cyberbullying a child can be bullied in their own bedroom, which for most young people is their safe place, and therefore they may feel like they have no escape.
The people who do cyber bully do it to make them feel good, or perhaps they are jealous, so by committing this act of bullying they can get rid of the anger and jealousy inside them by making someone else feel bad about themselves. However, none of these reasons are simply acceptable or justify the action.
It is clear that they can see the effects of what they are doing and yet they persist in causing harm.
In one particular case, a 16 year old girl took her own life because she was a victim of cyberbullying. That girl who was only 16 and kept all of this hidden away from her family and friends because she was ashamed; she was embarrassed. Her mother only found out what was going on when she found her daughter dead and a message had come through from her attacker. Would you want to be that mother who found your daughter dead with a message like that on her phone? No. That mother then had to go to her own child's funeral to know that someone had done this to her child, someone who thought they were that clever that they could kill someone through words.
This needs to change. It is not acceptable to make someone feel so worthless that they should take their own life. It is not acceptable that people think they can be so horrible to one person to make whatever their own issues or however briefly powerful or clever it makes them feel. There is no excuse and there is no way that it can be justified.
These people who are being bullied could be your friends - your family. They could have been victims of a crime; a crime that they are ashamed of. It puts them down and makes them feel unwanted and unneeded and that just isn't fair. As a community we need to be aware and alert and to keep an eye out for our friends and our peers to ensure that this kind of behaviour doesn’t go unchallenged and that no one feels alone.
Cyberbullying can happen anywhere. Even in your safe place. Because for a victim of cyber bullying, there is no safe place.
By Tia Whiteman, Year 9
Cyberbullying is a subject that is discussed frequently, and it is one that is really quite serious and happens in schools all over the UK. It is a type of bullying that happens over the Internet and is usually committed through social media and texting/calls. It is a type of bullying that is sometimes difficult to identify. As the bullying happens over the internet, often no one other than the bully and the victim actually knows it is happening; no one else can see that it is happening and it is very hard to stop it from happening. Cyberbullying can include spreading rumours about someone, or posting nasty or embarrassing messages, images or videos. It was reported that over a 11,000 counselling sessions had taken place with young people last year about their problems on the internet. Cyberbullying can happen at any time and any place. With cyberbullying a child can be bullied in their own bedroom, which for most young people is their safe place, and therefore they may feel like they have no escape.
The people who do cyber bully do it to make them feel good, or perhaps they are jealous, so by committing this act of bullying they can get rid of the anger and jealousy inside them by making someone else feel bad about themselves. However, none of these reasons are simply acceptable or justify the action.
It is clear that they can see the effects of what they are doing and yet they persist in causing harm.
In one particular case, a 16 year old girl took her own life because she was a victim of cyberbullying. That girl who was only 16 and kept all of this hidden away from her family and friends because she was ashamed; she was embarrassed. Her mother only found out what was going on when she found her daughter dead and a message had come through from her attacker. Would you want to be that mother who found your daughter dead with a message like that on her phone? No. That mother then had to go to her own child's funeral to know that someone had done this to her child, someone who thought they were that clever that they could kill someone through words.
This needs to change. It is not acceptable to make someone feel so worthless that they should take their own life. It is not acceptable that people think they can be so horrible to one person to make whatever their own issues or however briefly powerful or clever it makes them feel. There is no excuse and there is no way that it can be justified.
These people who are being bullied could be your friends - your family. They could have been victims of a crime; a crime that they are ashamed of. It puts them down and makes them feel unwanted and unneeded and that just isn't fair. As a community we need to be aware and alert and to keep an eye out for our friends and our peers to ensure that this kind of behaviour doesn’t go unchallenged and that no one feels alone.
Cyberbullying can happen anywhere. Even in your safe place. Because for a victim of cyber bullying, there is no safe place.
By Tia Whiteman, Year 9