1
CYBER BULLYING RESEARCH PAPER
Cyber Bullying Research Paper
Gabby Magallanes
Health, Period 3A
2
CYBER BULLYING RESEARCH PAPER
Bullying in the form of aggressive and violent physical assaults has always been a major cause of
violence in schools. We see now in our age of technology that a new type of bullying has taken
prevalence. It is known as cyber bullying. Cyber bullying has the same motives as physical bullying, but
the only difference is that it is done through email, internet, or text messaging. Studies show that the
effects on the victims of cyber bulling can be much worse than regular bullying. Cyber bullying is
increasingly popular and thus increasingly problematic, it affects many people, but despite all that it can
be prevented.
Although the affects of cyber bullying is not limited to age, the victims are most commonly
teenagers who engage in social networking or texting. Anyone can be a victim, regardless of race or
gender. However, according to the Cyber bullying Research Center, girls are more likely to be involved in
cyber bullying as either the victim or the aggressor. When boys are involved in cyber bullying they are
more likely to be the ones who are threatened or wrongly accused of being homosexual
(cyberbullyingfactshq.com). Victims of cyber bullying are also more likely to have low self esteem.
The vast availability of communication technology is to blame for the spread of cyber bullying.
According to bullyingstatistics.org, 80% of U.S. teens have self phones, or in other words, 80% of U.S.
teens are in danger of becoming the victim of cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is convenient for the
aggressors because internet and electronics makes it easier to skip the physical abuse and go straight to
the emotional abuse. It is easier for the aggressor to be a bully because since he or she is not
confronting the person face to face, they have more self confidence. They are protected through
distance and know they won’t get an immediate response. Furthermore, regular bullies are usually
limited to the school time hours to harass their victims. The internet has no time limit. More often than
not cyber bullies can get away with their actions because cases are not often reported.
No one can deny that cyber bullying is a serious problem. The good thing is that both adults and
children alike can take steps to prevent it. Education is the key to preventing cyber bullying. The more
3
CYBER BULLYING RESEARCH PAPER
people know about it the more they can do to stop it. In many cases the parent is not aware that their
child is being affected by cyber bullying. The more the parents know about it the more they can teach
their children about it and then it will be less likely to happen. It is important for children to know
internet etiquette: the simple rule that if they don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say it at all. It is
also beneficial for a child to know how to block someone on a social networking site that is a negative
influence. Parents can monitor the child’s computer habits, be aware of what sites he or she is visiting,
and notice any changes in behavior that could be the effect of cyber bullying. Most importantly, parents
should have a good relationship with the child so that the child will trust them enough to talk about any
problems. These simple steps can make a huge difference in preventing cyber bullying.
Cyber bullying was never really a problem until social networking started becoming so popular.
With so much technology access at the reach of a finger, cyber bullying is now a growing problem that
can have negative effects on everybody. Since cyber bullying is a relatively new phenomenon, it is
somewhat unrealistic to depend on the government to solve problems that they don’t have much
experience in. Be that as it may, parents and children alike can take the personal initiative to keep
themselves away from cyber bullying by taking the simple steps to prevent it.
4
CYBER BULLYING RESEARCH PAPER
Works Cited
Authors Unknown. (2009). Bullying Statistics. Retrieved from www.bullyingstatistics.org
Authors Unknown. (July 20, 2011). Cyber Bullying Facts. Retrieved from www.cyberbullyingfactshq.com
Authors Unknown. 11 Facts About Cyber Bullying. Retrieved from www.dosomething.org