The Moral of the Story



Photo Retrieved from: ASPA National

 As can be seen in the examples of Josie Lou Ratley, Wayne Treacy, Phoebe Prince, and the many other teens affected by cyber bullying, there can be devastating and often deadly consequences.  Did anyone watch Glee last week?  I won’t ruin it for those of you who haven’t had a chance to see it yet, but the topic was cyberbullying.  I hope through the use of this media we are able to better educate teens on the impact of cyberbullying.  No one knows how someone will respond to cyberbullying.  The effect could be purely internal emotional damage, or physical trauma, or death, or even suicide. 

One problem with cyberbullying versus old fashioned name calling and punch-him-in-the-face bullying, is that there is no one there to stop it.  When a fight breaks out at a school there are always those kids who gather in a circle around the fight and provide encouragement.  However, there are usually a few students who will yell out in protest and some even step in themselves to end it.  Otherwise, school administrators or police are called and they stop the fight. 

Photo Retrieved from: SheridanMedia

The same goes for name calling or other verbal attacks.  Yes, there are those kids who laugh and encourage the bully to continue.  But, there are usually a few kids who will speak up if the victim does not or is unable to properly defend themselves.  And of course, there are the teachers and school administrators who are hopefully alert to this behavior and can step in to end it. 

The tricky part about cyberbullying is there typically are no witnesses or at least not any uninvolved parties, aware of this behavior.  The victim is isolated and afraid.  No one may know this person is being bullied or to what extent.  Victims are embarrassed and ashamed.  They are not likely to admit to this treatment and often feel it wouldn’t make any difference if they did. 

According to research conducted by Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin from the Cyberbullying Research Center, “cyberbullying victims were twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to youth who had not experienced cyberbullying”.  It is important to note that youths who are cyberbullied may have previously suffered socially or academically and the increased stress from cyberbullying may not be the sole cause of suicide.  Socially awkward or academically challenged teens do tend to be the ones that bullies gravitate towards.  In my opinion bullies have low self-esteem and need an easy target to build them up at another’s expense.  However, it is important to educate these bullies on the damage their behavior may cause and offer them alternatives to build their self-esteem.

On a side note:  What amazes me the most are the cases when cyberbullying is continued even after the victim is deceased.  Do these bullies feel no remorse?  Do they feel they need to justify their actions?  I really just do not understand it. 

Photo Retrieved from: KiwiCommons