Cyberbullying – a new form of harassment among teenagers

With the advancement of the Internet, teenagers are now facing a new kind of problem among their peers – cyberbullying. In recent years, cyberbullying has become more and more serious. In this article, I will examine why cyberbullying is becoming more prevalent nowadays and suggest what students should do when they experience cyberbullying. Possible preventive measures for schools will also be suggested.

First, we will explore why the victims get bullied. Traditionally, most victims of bullying in schools are targeted because of their perceived weaknesses. For example, they may be poor at sports or achieve low grades in exams. But in cyberworld, the victims are usually those who love to post selfies online or brag about their successes. The subsequent bullying may cause these individuals to lose confidence or grow distrustful of other people. In some cases, the victims will experience lowered self-esteem and may even stop going to school.

In order to know the root of the problem, we should also explore why the bullies develop this behaviour. Many of these bullies may themselves suffer from low self-esteem or confidence. As a result, they may bully other people who are weaker than themselves in order to make them feel superior. The most common type of bullying behaviour is to send nasty messages, post rude comments on social media and post sensational photos online to make fun of the victims. This can make the victims feel uncomfortable, disturbed, or distressed. Usually, the bullies do not know how serious the effects are on other people.

In trying to solve this problem, there are actually many challenges we are facing. First, many of the victims of bullying do not come forward and report it as a problem, even when they get severely bullied. Very often, only after getting hurt seriously do they voice their problems. In most situations, the bullies themselves do not know how harmful they are acting until they learn the effects of their actions much later. In many cases, not until the teachers make a phone call to a bully’s parents do the parents become aware of how their child has been behaving, although by then it is already too late for the victims. That’s why victims need to tell their problems to people who they trust, such as parents and friends, when they get bullied. In addition, we should also keep the evidence of being the victims of cyberbullying. For example, we can take screenshots of any nasty messages so that we can use them as evidence later. Only in these ways can the problems be solved.

Finally, I would like to give some advice to schools so we can put an end to all cyberbullying among teenagers. To curb the problem, under no circumstances should the school overlook this issue. It should be vigilant and provide support to students and arrange social workers to talk with them. I believe that only by taking these precautions can we stop the bullying. I sincerely hope that my suggestions can be accepted so we can help more students and keep them from drowning in the pain of being cyberbullied.

4A Noel Wong