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Raquel J. Medina

Dr. Cassel

English 1201.2V0

16 November 2021

How does Cyberbullying Affect Victims and Their Mental Health?

I have gone through cyberbullying, and it affected my mental health. At that time, I no

longer wanted to go to school, nor did I want to go out. As a cyberbully victim I was scared to

bump into my bullies whether it was at school or at any public place. They made me feel horrible

and as if I didn’t belong here. My mental health got worse, and it got to the point where I was

scared to meet new people and make new friends because of what my so-called friends had done

to me. Cyberbullying affects a victim’s mental health very drastically, they could go through

trauma, depression, anxiety, etc. This is important because mental health plays a big part in their

lives.

The growth of cyberbullying has enabled bullying behavior to reach a wider audience. It

has reached a wider audience because most people have access to a smartphone, computer or any

other electronic that can communicate. This makes it easier for people to bully or become

victims. Cyberbullying attacks can be made at any time of day, and it makes it difficult for a

victim to defend themselves. A victim could be harassed within minutes of the cyberbullies post

and the amount of time it takes for them to cyberbully is crazy. All they have to do is press post

and boom it is now online and you are getting harassed. “In some ways, cyberbullying can be

worse or more extreme than in-person bullying because there’s no break from it when you go

home from school. People will do and say hurtful or demeaning things online that they would
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never say in person” (Alcera, cited within Colon). According to Eric Alcera, M.D., The way that

cyberbullying occurs on social media gives no breaks to the victims nor their mental health.

So, what are some of the mental effects of cyberbullying on victims? When cyberbullying

continues, a lot of times, victims feel hopeless and as if they don’t belong in the same world as

others. Their interest in former hobbies may fade and they may reduce the amount of time they

spend with family and friends. Having to deal with cyberbullying regularly can take away their

joy and contentment. Low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, academic issues, suicidal thoughts,

and self-harm are all mental effects of cyberbullying. A number of studies have suggested that an

increase in cyberbullying leads to a higher rate of depression. One study found that 93% of

victims reported feelings of hopelessness, powerlessness, and sadness.

Victims also face academic issues because of cyberbullying, and they lose interest in

school. They have much higher rates of absency due to them skipping school. School skipping

might occur because they want to avoid facing their cyberbullies and being embarrassed or

humiliated because of what was said online. Grades might also go down because concentrating

in school can get difficult due to them thinking about what has been said or done online.

Anxiety is the other big effect other than depression when it comes to being cyberbullied.

A study made by Duke University found that victims of cyberbullying were more likely to have a

high rate of anxiety and panic disorder. Research shows that victims of cyberbullying are more

likely to suffer from anxiety and panic disorders. The study that was made concluded that

bullying has a lasting impact on mental health. Since cyberbullying is one type of bullying the

victim cannot escape, the mental health consequences of cyberbullying should be no surprise.

Suicidal thoughts and self-harm also come in play with victims of cyberbullying. When

overwhelmed with intense feelings they harm themselves, like cutting or burning. Cyberbullying
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can be such a tormented and traumatic thing that they experience and because of that they are at

a high risk of committing suicide. As a result of being tormented through social media, text

messages, etc. they start to feel hopeless. They start to have suicidal thoughts because they feel

as if that is the only way they can escape from such a traumatizing event.

Although the effects of cyberbullying and traditional bullying are alike, the mental health

problems are higher when being cyberbullied. “Cyberbullying victimization is associated with a

number of negative health and mental health outcomes that can affect adolescents’

development…these negative feelings and emotional difficulties may lead to increased mental

health problems” (Zhu et al.). Mental health issues might have distal consequences in

adolescents' development, given that they may contribute to the onset of general health and

substance abuse issues, as well as suicidal ideation and attempts. As a result of cyberbullying,

victims may attempt to avoid or escape emotional difficulties, social isolations, and interpersonal

stress.

Social connectedness is greatly affected by cyberbullying as well. Victims believe that

they do not belong to a certain group, or that they don’t feel close to others. In other words,

social connectedness is an integral component of health and well-being that makes us be social

and feel no different than others. People who do not feel connected may feel isolated, unable to

form a relationship with other; they may feel unconnected and unable to connect with other

people. Some other consequences involve victims having a low self-esteem, not interacting with

society, distrust, and feeling out of place. With this being said, victims separate themselves from

others and just want to be alone the majority of their time because cyberbullying affects their

social connectedness. This could cause them to start feeling anxious and depressed which again

are mental health issues that occur when being cyberbullied.

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According to Global Pediatric Health it has been found that cyberbullying can result in

negative consequences like depression, anxiety, stomach pain, sleep disruptions, and academic

problemd. Both females and males can be victims of cyberbullying. Some studies find that there

are no differences by sex, but many studies show that being a female predict victimization. The

risk of girls experiencing cyberbullying in their lifetime is higher than that of boys. Studies have

found that people of color are also more likely to be victims of cyberbully compared to whites.

Table 1 shows the differences between age, sex, and race of victims that are cyberbullied

Alhajji, Mohammed, et al. 2015 Global Pediatric Health

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Table 2 shows the percentages of the mental health conditions that cyberbullying causes.

Alhajji, Mohammed, et al. 2015 Global Pediatric Health

The study showed females being more likely to be cyberbullied. Girls' tendency to

engage in indirect bullying (like spreading rumors) might account for the gender gap, whereas

boys tend to engage in direct bullying. It is because of this distinction that the internet is

excellent for females to express themselves and receive interpersonal aggression. Females have

viewed cyberbullying as a serious problem due to the accusations they face online. Although

there are different gender gaps between cyberbully victims, females are seen to be more affected
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because of the amount of time they spend online lurking through social media, whereas boys are

online playing video games.

What can parents do to help their children who are being victimized? There are different

ways that a parent can help a child who goes through cyberbullying. Although many children

don’t speak up or tell an adult or parent about it there could be suspicion about the situation. If

there is suspicion, a gentle and open conversation about what is going on can help.

Stay alert of how the child reacts to things if there is suspicion of them being a victim of

cyberbullying. They can experience headaches, nervousness, stomach aches, sleeping issues and

making up excuses to skip school. Children who are victimized can act differently when around a

parent. They might do this because they do not want them to get involved. They fear that it could

get worse for them because they are “tattling”. Make sure to teach them the difference in

reporting/ tattling and let them know that it is good for them to speak up.

When talking about the problem make sure to listen and be supportive with what they are

feeling. This can make them feel secure. Gather some evidence like the dates and times of the

attacks and if the bully attends the child’s school, get in contact with them. The most important

thing to do when a child is a victim of cyberbullying is to help them heal emotionally. Take them

to a mental health professional if it is needed and be with them every step of the way so that they

don’t feel hopeless. Remind them that they are valuable and loveable and that they are not the

ones to blame for.

Many kids do not want to speak up about it because they worry about their parents’

involvement making it worse. Patchin and Sameer did a survey with about 20,000 middle and

high schoolers from around the country. Students who had been bullied or cyberbullied were
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asked who they told about their experience. Throughout the years they found that students most

likely tell a friend, but in 2016 it appeared that more students turned to adults for help. Between

2004 and 2015 about 25% of students victimized told their parents and luckily it increased in

2016. About 52% of students told a parent and 25% told an educator about their experience. It

was more likely for boys than girls to tell an educator they were cyberbullied, while non-white

students were less likely to speak up to a parent.

This graph shows the increasingly number of students who reported their cyberbullying

experience over the years. Patchin, Justin. Cyberbullying Research Center

Although there was an increase of reports over students who were cyberbullied, there are

still many who refuse to speak up about their experience to adults. A question followed by the
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survey that was asked by Patchin was “Why not?” and from the 2016 study these were some of

the students’ answers.

“Nobody has done anything about it in the past, so telling would only make it worse.”
(17 year-old boy)
“Telling a teacher at school just makes it worse and then everyone laughs at you for
telling.” (14 year-old boy)
“No one will do anything and mostly, if I tell anyone the bullying gets much worse.”
(17year-old girl)
“I was afraid telling my parents would make it worse and make people bully me more.”
(16 year-old girl)

Many victims refuse to speak up because of them fearing the situation getting worse. Despite the

involvement of adults, they believe the bullying will continue.

All children want is for the bullying to stop, so they turn to adults for assistance.

Therefore, adults should be aware of this so that they can act and respond in a way that could

help the bullying end. It might not be as easy as it sounds to stop the bullying that is occurring,

but the helper should remain persistent. Some adults might think that discipline is necessary for it

to stop but they could make it simple by communicating. They could simply talk with the bully

and let them know that what they are doing is wrong. This can give them an opportunity to think

and act respectfully towards others. If this does not work, further actions can be taken. If adults

don’t give up and continue to work on helping victims to stop bullying, many kids will come to

them for help. They will see that reporting will not cause more harm to them.

Cyberbullying affects a victim’s mental health very drastically. This is important to know

because their mental health plays a big part in their life and if they are not attended, it could get
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worse. They could go through trauma, depression, anxiety, and have several suicide thoughts. It

is important to know what to do when a victim asks for help…especially children. They are

young and they might be confused as to why it is happening. As I did my research, I learned a

whole lot more about cyberbullying. I discovered symptoms that I once had when I was going

through it and now that I look back, I realize why I was feeling that way. My parents helped me

through every step of the way and without them I do not know what or where I would be. Thanks

to their love and support it helped me get back up on my feet and become the strong 19-year-old I

am today. So, parents please help your child or anyone you might know that goes through such a

hard and traumatizing thing. A small conversation or even letting them know that you are there

could help and impact their view of the situation in a good way.

Works Cited

Alhajji, Mohammed, et al. “Cyberbullying, Mental Health, and Violence in Adolescents

and Associations with Sex and Race: Data From the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.”

NCBI, Glob Pediatr Health., 6 Aug. 2019,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6686314.

Colon, Joseph. “What Are the Effects of Cyberbullying?” Hackensack Meridian Health,

17 Aug. 2020, www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/HealthU/2020/08/17/what-are-the-

effects-of-cyberbullying.
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Gordon, Sherri. “Learn to Recognize the Real-Life Effects of Cyberbullying on

Children.” Verywell Family, 29 Mar. 2021, www.verywellfamily.com/what-are-the-

effects-of-cyberbullying-460558.

“How Cyberbullying Affects Mental Health.” Lindsay Tsand & Associates, 24 Aug.

2018, www.lindsaytsang.com/how-cyberbullying-affects-mental-health.

Kevorkian, Meline. “Parents Can Prevent Cyberbullying.” National PTA,

https://www.pta.org/home/family-resources/safety/Digital-Safety/Parents-Can-Prevent-

Cyberbullying

McLoughlin, Larisa T., et al. “Remaining Connected in the Face of Cyberbullying: Why

Social Connectedness Is Important for Mental Health.” Psychology in the Schools, vol.

56, no. 6, June 2019, pp. 945–958. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/pits.22232.

Patchin, Justin. “Student Experiences with Reporting Cyberbullying.” Cyberbullying

Research Center, 9 June 2018, cyberbullying.org/students-experiences-with-reporting-

cyberbullying. https://cyberbullying.org/students-experiences-with-reporting-

cyberbullying

Zhu, Yuhong, et al. “Parent–Child Attachment Moderates the Associations Between

Cyberbullying Victimization and Adolescents’ Health/Mental Health Problems: An

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Exploration of Cyberbullying Victimization Among Chinese Adolescents.” Journal of

Interpersonal Violence, vol. 36, no. 17/18, Sept. 2021, pp. NP9272-NP9298. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1177/0886260519854559.