Cyber-bullying is a very serious issue that has ruined lives, and even pushed children and teenagers to end their own. This type of bullying is done through information and communication technologies. For example, the victimization can be through popular social networking sites, text messaging, emails, phone calls, instant messaging, chat rooms, or any other technology related communication. The victim’s homes, which used to be their safe haven from traditional bullying, are turned into a constant reminder of their unwarranted punishment from their peers. They have to worry that at any moment somebody can post something on Facebook or some other social networking site, or be contacted in some way through technology, with demeaning intentions from their intimidators. The emotional and psychological effects of the torture can be just as destructive as face-to-face bullying. “Kids that are bullied are likely to experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness, and poor sleep,” said Jennifer N. Caudle, DO, an AOA board-certified family physician. The consequences that come from the maltreatment can seriously devastate the lives of the bullied.
The problem is going to continue to persist if nothing is done in attempt to end this tragic catastrophe. Parents and teachers need to be educated about the issue so they can talk to kids about the problem and make sure they aren’t part of it, or worse, the victim. We need to raise awareness among all people, even the bullies, so they can see the real damage their actions take on the lives of tragically oppressed victims. Some bullies think it makes them cool and find it funny to make fun of people and even get pleasure from it, while seriously destroying the life of their scapegoat. If people continue to bully, despite knowing the consequences it can have on one’s life, they should be punished. Facebook should have more restrictions in place on what can be posted, as well as have people who filter through the information and search for wrongful posts. The people who post inappropriate posts regarding other people should be banned from the website. This means they need to make it a little more challenging to create new accounts too. That way the bullies can’t make new account, or worse, accounts pretending to be the person they are harassing.
There is a really sad story about a Canadian girl named Amanda Todd who had to withstand constant hardship from being bullied for a few years. She made a YouTube video called “My Story: Struggling, bullying, suicide, self harm” which shows notecards with writing telling her story. Amanda and her friends used to use their webcam to meet new people online. An older man who she was video chatting with one day in seventh grade convinced her to flash him. She did unfortunately, only to have him track her down on Facebook a year later. Meanwhile, she had no idea how he found her. He threatened to distribute the picture of her topless if she didn’t put on a live show for him. She didn’t comply and the picture was then released. Due to the stress and humiliation she developed anxiety, major depression, and panic disorder, as well as began using drugs and alcohol after having to move schools. A year went by and the guy contacted her again with a list of her new friends and school. He made a Facebook page with her boobs as his profile picture. She again lost all her friends and everybody in her new school bullied her. Amanda was forced to move schools again but once again things got bad. A guy she used to know texted her and was saying how he liked her. He led her on, as she had believed him, and they ended up hooking up. She got a text saying to get out of her school and a week later a group of the boy’s girlfriend and some friends, including the boy himself, came and bullied her saying that nobody liked her in front of the whole school. The girlfriend of the boy punched her and threw her to the ground and continued to punch her. People were filming the whole thing, leaving her on the ground. She explained how she just wanted to die while waiting for her dad in a ditch. She blamed herself and in result drank bleach when she got home, as an attempt at suicide. Luckily she survived after she was taken to the hospital and got her system flushed. When she got home there were comments posted all over Facebook saying things like “She deserved it. Did you wash the mud out of your hair?” and “I hope she’s dead.” She moved away yet again. The bullying never stopped and the people continued to torment her even though much time had passed. Six months had gone by and people started posting pictures of bleach and Clorox and tagging her in them. They wrote comments that said, “She should try a different bleach. I hope she dies this time and isn’t so stupid.” They also were saying they hope she saw the posts and killed herself.People created memes and tried to make a trend on Twitter called "#Todding."
(See more on Know Your Meme.)
She became very depressed and her anxiety greatly increased. She couldn’t go to school and meet or be with people. She even started cutting herself and eventually overdosed, leaving her in the hospital for two days. They picked on Amanda until she couldn’t take it anymore. About a month after she posted her story, on October 10, 2012, she took her own life. The harassment never stopped and she could not escape it, no matter where she moved to. It became too much and this was the only way she thought she could be at peace, an innocent life taken forever.
It is tragic how negative an impact technology can have on the lives of those picked on. Many of the websites I have seen are saying cyber-bullying is for kids and teenagers, but it goes farther than that. My freshmen year of college I heard about this gossip website where you can find your school and then make discussion boards about people or topics where other people write nasty things. Bullying can be detrimental to one’s life and people need to realize the real harm they are doing. It is disgusting that people will go as far as saying that people should just kill themselves and post it on public sites. Do they really get satisfaction out of bullying someone to their death? These sites need to monitor the information more and take the steps necessary to prevent another tragedy. We all need to become part of the solution and stand up for people who are being targeted. Nobody should have to be pushed to the point of suicide because of a bully’s abusiveness. I hope this story has touched lives and made people want to change for the better. It is sad to say people are heartless and still posting vulgar comments on Amanda Todd’s video despite her suicide. When does it stop? It’s time for them to grow up and deal with their insecurity another way.
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