"Cyberbullying and Ways to overcome it"

GSE level: 66 - 70 CEFR level: B2+ Word count: 676 Sentence count: 33

Vocabulary above the level of your text

cyberbullying | bullying | toxicity | extracurricular | torment | hurtful | going | targeted

| consuming | harassed | midst | responsibly | associated | posting | growing | binge

| emotionally | intimidate | humiliate | harassment

Cyberbullying is a growing social problem that has become all too common in online communities. Research
indicates that one in five tweens has been cyberbullied,1 while 59% of teens have been harassed onlinee and the
rate at which online bullying is occurring does not seem to be declining. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,
cyberbullying escalated. During stay-at-home orders, research shows cyberbullying increased 70% and toxicity
on online gaming platforms increased 40%.3. These numbers illustrate that despite increased education and
improved school bullying prevention programs, incidences of cyberbullying continue to escalate. So parents need
to do what they can to prevent cyberbullying in their kids' lives. Cyberbullying is deliberately and repeatedly
inflicting harm using electronic devices, gaming apps, and online social media platforms. It often manifests as
hate accounts, hurtful social media posts, online rumors and gossip, and mean comments while gaming. The
intention is almost always to embarrass, threaten, humiliate, intimidate, or abuse the intended target. Research
has shown that those who are cyberbullied suffer a number of different consequences, including struggling
emotionally, physically, mentally, and academically. What's more, cyberbullying is a significant stressor in a young
person's life. Cyberbullying leaves young people feeling hurt, embarrassed, and sometimes even scared. Not only
do they often blame themselves for the torment and harassment they experience, but they also are left feeling
extremely stressed out. In fact, one study found that nearly 35% of those targeted by cyberbullies reported
symptoms of stress.4 Kids targeted by cyberbullies also may experience physical symptoms in response to the
stress they are experiencing. They may complain of stomachaches, headaches, skin conditions, and other
physical ailments. Kids' sleeping and eating habits can be impacted by cyberbullying. Sometimes kids who are
cyberbullied will crash diet or binge eat as either a way of coping with the cyberbullying or as an attempt to alter
the way they look in hopes the cyberbullying will end. Grades and extracurricular activities may also suffer as a
result of harassment. Teens may skip school or have trouble concentrating on their studies because

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cyberbullying is consuming all of their time and energy. When kids are regularly harassed by others through
social media posts, text messages, instant messaging, and blog posts, they can start to feel hopeless. They may
start to think that the only way to escape the torment is through suicide. Because the risks associated with
cyberbullying are so significant, it's important that parents take steps to prevent cyberbullying in their kids' lives.
While there is no foolproof way to prevent your child from ever being cyberbullied, there are things you can do
together to reduce the likelihood they will be targeted. This includes implementing safety measures as well as
having ongoing conversations about cyberbullying. You need to discuss what cyberbullying is, the risks
associated with experiencing it, and how it can escalate. It's also important to talk to the tweens and teens about
how to use social media safely and responsibly and what they should do if they are bullied online. When it comes
to preventing cyberbullying, and similar behaviors like catfishing, it's important that your child use passwords on
everything. Passwords are one of the most effective ways to protect accounts and devices. Emphasize that your
child should never share their passwords with anyone, including their best friend. Even though they may trust
that friend implicitly, the reality is that friends come and go and there is no guarantee they are going to be
friends forever The ways to handle this issue is to help your tweens and teens get in the habit of taking some
time before posting. For instance, they could create a post offline and then come back to it in an hour and decide
if they still want to post it. Doing so will keep them from posting things that they may later regret. Cyberbullies
may take what your child posted and use it against them in some way, so it might be helpful to encourage your
child to take time to think before posting.

Other readability measures

ARI Coleman Liau Flesch Kincaid FOG SMOG

13.2 13.2 11.9 15.1 13.9

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