Universitatea Ecologica Bucuresti

Facultatea de Psihologie

Final Exam
English subject

Student: Alina-Cristina Ignat

Year: 1st
Universitatea Ecologica Bucuresti
Facultatea de Psihologie

Exercise
1. B
2. A.

Online bullying, a big danger for teenager nowadays

Online bullying, or else known as cyberbullying or cyberharassment, is a form of

bullying using electronic means such as messaging platforms, mobile phones and gaming
platforms. It can also take place on social media. This includes behaviors like spreading lies or
posting embarrassing photos on social media, sending hurtful messages or even threats,
impersonating someone and sending messages to other in their behalf, usually mean ones, etc.1
For such behaviors to actually be considered as bullying it has to be repeated and with an intent
to harm. With the spread of the internet and its availability with the update of the electronic
devices, comes a variety of form of cyberbullying such as cyberstalking, internet trolling, there is
cyberharassment in gaming groups too2. According to Wikipedia: “Cyberstalking is a form of
online harassment in which the perpetrator uses electronic communications to stalk a victim”.
This can pose a real threat (other than psychological) to the victim’s safety and the perpetrators,
in some cases, even may encourage others to send repeated threatening messages either by
themselves or posing as the victim.
Everybody has heard of internet trolls either in shows or TV shows but maybe not
everybody knows how often they have encountered one. A troll can be disruptive either for
amusement or because they are a combative person (which, in person, is not assimilated to
trolling). They like to offend or provoke others on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
Sometimes, cyberbullying is not that obvious, it can be as simple as continuing to send e-mails
even though the recipient has expressly said they don’t want them anymore.
Gaming can be a double-edge sword. While gaming has the potential for positive
benefits, like increasing creativity and motor skills in children and teens, relieving anxiety and
helping children deal with emotions, it also has an increased potential for cyberbullying. If
someone is not performing well in the game, other players may curse or even cast out the
individual that is not playing well. Usually children and teens play multiplayer games with
people they know or people they meet online. The fact that they can create avatars and be
someone else is fun but it is also dangerous. Anonymity can make it hard to be held accountable

1
https://www.unicef.org/end-violence/how-to-stop-cyberbullying
2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberbullying
Universitatea Ecologica Bucuresti
Facultatea de Psihologie

and teens know that so they may use the game as a tool to harass other people or just lash out and
let out their frustration3.
But can cyberbully, a non-physical form of bullying, be dangerous? Firstly we can say
nowhere is safe anymore. Since cyberharassment takes place electronically and even through text
messages, we can say that as people that are being bullied are not only bullied at school
anymore. They can be bullied in their home via chats and parents can even not notice it4 as it
mostly takes a mental toll on the recipient.
Research has shown that cyberbullying causes emotional and physiological damage to the
victims as well as psychosocial difficulties. There have been a few studies about the frequency
and media of cyberbullying on undergraduate students from the age of 9 to 18.
In a paper done by Pernille Due, MD and Bjørn Evald Holstein that the victims of this
type of bullying experience academic, interpersonal, family problems and even depression and
substance abuse. In this study, the authors used the Revised Cyber Bullying Survey (RCBS) to
measure incidence, frequency and medium and the College Adjustment Scales (CAS) to evaluate
the academic, social and emotional development.
A sizeable percentage, 57.4% (366), of the respondents reported being cyber bullied at
least once and 3.4% (22) reported being cyber bullied at least once a week. Regression analyses
on the effect of the cyberbullying variables on the CAS variables show that an increase in
cyberbullying by social networking and IM increases the academic problems variable. There is
also a marginal effect of cyberbullying by SMS on suicidal ideation, revealing that an increase in
cyberbullying by SMS causes a decrease in suicidal ideation5.
These are just some examples from the study and having academic or interpersonal or
family issues because of cyberbullying is bad enough, but to say cyberbullying has even the most
remote connection to suicidal ideation has to be the conclusion that yes, cyberharassment does
pose a threat to people, especially to teenagers who are starting to form their personality and find
their place and meaning in the world.

3
https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/cyberbullying-online-gaming
4
https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it
5
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844018359474#fig2