The Effects of Cyberbullying

Bullying, no matter whether it is traditional bullying or cyberbullying, causes significant

emotional and psychological distress. In fact, just like any other victim of bullying, cyberbullied
kids experience anxiety, fear, depression, and low self-esteem. They also may deal with low self-
esteem, experience physical symptoms, and struggle academically. But targets of cyberbullying
also experience some unique consequences and negative feelings.

Common Effects and Feelings Associated With Cyberbullying

Here are some common feelings cyberbullied teens and tweens often experience.

Feel Overwhelmed: Being targeted by cyberbullies is crushing especially if a lot of kids are
participating in the bullying. It can feel at times like the entire world knows what it is going on.

Sometimes the stress of dealing with cyberbullying can cause kids to feel like the situation is
more than they can handle.

Feel Vulnerable and Powerless: Victims of cyberbullying often find it difficult to feel safe.
Typically, this is because the bullying can invade their home through a computer or cell phone at
any time of day. They no longer have a place where they can escape. To a victim, it feels like
bullying is everywhere.

Additionally, because the bullies can remain anonymous, this can escalate feelings of fear. Kids
who are targeted have no idea who is inflicting the pain—although some cyberbullies choose
people they know.

Feel Exposed and Humiliated: Because cyberbullying occurs in cyberspace, online bullying
feels permanent. Kids know that once something is out there, it will always be out there.

When cyberbullying occurs, the nasty posts, messages or texts can be shared with multitudes of
people. The sheer volume of people that know about the bullying can lead to intense feelings of
humiliation.
Feel Dissatisfied With Who They Are: Cyberbullying often attacks victims where they are
most vulnerable. As a result, targets of cyberbullying often begin to doubt their worth and value.
They may respond to these feelings by harming themselves in some way.

For instance, if a girl is called fat, she may begin a crash diet with the belief that if she alters how
she looks then the bullying will stop. Other times victims will try to change something about
their appearance or attitude in order to avoid additional cyberbullying.

Feel Angry and Vengeful: Sometimes victims of cyberbullying will get angry about what is
happening to them. As a result, they plot revenge and engage in retaliation. This approach is
dangerous because it keeps them locked in the bully-victim cycle. It is always better to forgive a
bully than it is to get even.

Feel Disinterested in Life. When cyberbullying is ongoing, victims often relate to the world
around them differently than others. For many, life can feel hopeless and meaningless. They lose
interest in things they once enjoyed and spend less time interacting with family and friends. And,
in some cases, depression and thoughts of suicide can set in.

If you notice a change in your child's mood, get him evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible.

Feel Alone and Isolated: Cyberbullying sometimes causes teens to be excluded

and ostracized at school. This experience is particularly painful because friends are crucial at this
age. When kids don’t have friends, this can lead to more bullying.

What's more, when cyberbullying occurs, most people recommend shutting off the computer or
turning off the cell phone. But, for teens, this often means cutting off communication with their
world. Their phones and their computers are one of the most important ways they communicate
with others. If that option for communication is removed, they can feel secluded and cut off from
their world.

Feel Disinterested in School: Cyberbullying victims often have much higher rates of
absenteeism at school than non-bullied kids. They skip school to avoid facing the kids bullying
them or because they are embarrassed and humiliated by the messages that were shared. Their
grades suffer too because they find it difficult to concentrate or study because of the anxiety and
stress the bullying causes. And in some cases, kids will either drop out of school or lose interest
in continuing their education after high school.

Feel Anxious and Depressed: Victims of cyberbullying often succumb to anxiety, depression
and other stress-related conditions. This occurs primarily because cyberbullying erodes their self-
confidence and self-esteem. Additionally, the added stress of coping with cyberbullying on a
regular basis erodes their feelings of happiness and contentment.

Feel Ill: When kids are cyberbullied, they often experience headaches, stomachaches or other
physical ailments. The stress of bullying also can cause stress-related conditions like stomach
ulcers and skin conditions.

Additionally, kids who are cyberbullied may experience changes in eating habits like skipping
meals or binge eating. And their sleep patterns may be impacted. They may suffer from
insomnia, sleep more than usual or experience nightmares.

Feel Suicidal: Cyberbullying increases the risk of suicide. Kids that are constantly tormented by
peers through text messages, instant messaging, social media, and other outlets, often begin to
feel hopeless. They may even begin to feel like the only way to escape the pain is through
suicide. As a result, they may fantasize about ending their life in order to escape their tormentors.

If your child is being cyberbullied, do not dismiss their feelings. Be sure you communicate daily,
take steps to help end the torment and keep close tabs on changes in mood and behavior. Get
your child evaluated by a health care professional if notice any personality changes at all.
What are the Causes of Cyber
Bullying?
By Grace Gabriel / 1st year student

Humans are living in the world where people bully and get bullied. According to an
anonymous (2014), “Cyber bullying happens for many of the same reasons as any other type
of bullying, but it may be even more appealing because it can be done anonymously”. Cyber
bullying is an action of using the social media technology to bully others and in main cases,
it is used anonymously. By using cellphones or any other devices, such as computers and
tablets to connect to the internet, a large number of individuals have been spending their
time bullying other people. Cyber bullying may not harm somebody physically; instead it
may harm them mentally.

According to another anonymous (2015), there are two kinds of people who are likely to
bully; the socially active people and the socially inactive people. It is said that bullying results
in an upgrade of confidence, thinking the control is on the hands of the bully as it is also the
main reason of why socially active people may bully other people; it makes them feel
powerful as it is also a way to maintain their popularity. How about the socially inactive
people? Socially inactive people may bully other people as it is a chance to fit in and to prove
that they are not weak and that they are compatible with their surroundings. Like the socially
active people, bullying also makes socially inactive people feel powerful.

A capture from the video

The exact reason of why people do cyber bullying is unknown. Revenge motivated some
individualsto do cyber bullying. Being victims of bullying in daily lives make them think
harassing other people is only something that is natural as some people deserve to be bullied.
Occasionally, it is not enough.Some say they would start to find new targets that seem to be
weaker than them. Some individuals would bully only to boost their egos. These individuals
simply harass others to entertain themselves and their friends who might also a bully for a
high chance, not scared of getting caught as these individuals believe they will not. Attention
is what some people want. There is a chance they did not gain it from their family; some are
suffering from a family conflict. Most are starving for the recognition of being powerful
figures.Being an arrogant one is; some bully to remind others of their social status which
they believe are lower than theirs. Some do it because the people around them are doing it
as well. It is said that kids see it as a trend. If one does not do it, others who are doing it would
think that the ones who are not doing it are incompatible with them, another reason for them
to bully the ones who are not doing it.

Like any other type of bullying, the effects of cyber bullying are somewhat the same. For
people who are doing cyber bullying, a bad reputation in the future is waiting for them if they
get caught. Since cyber bullying is also an action of bullying, there is a law for it and the
victims may report the case if they have enough proof. As for the ones who develop cyber
bullying, they become stressed. It would lead them to do negative things and one of them is
abusing alcohol intakes or even drugs. Teenagers would skip school as they are unwilling to
attend it and meet people, feeling it is tough to communicate, instead, others might laugh and
pick on them. They start to doubt everyone, accusing and judging people one by one. They
would lock themselves in their room or worst, they would try to attempt suicide.

Cyber bullying is a great danger to the society. It causes harm to people and results negatively
for, both, the bully and the victim. It is said that cyber bullying is a serious worldwide issue
and that it needs to be resolved. If they cannot do cyber bullying anonymously, they will go
as far as they will face claim other people only to do cyber bullying.