Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Through its Anonymous Online Communication, Cyberbullying is Detrimental to One's Mental and Emotional Health

Although bullying has existed since the beginning of time, there is currently a bullying epidemic that now exists beyond the realm of the schoolyard and encompasses cyberspace. Coined as conventional bullying that involves electronic communication, cyberbullying intends to harm, harass, intimidate, and to socially exclude others and involves a power imbalance between the bully and the victim.

Recent studies indicate that:
  • 70 percent of children experience cyberbullying, 
  • about 37 percent claim they experience cyberbullying on a frequent basis, 
  • and 20 percent of these children say they experience extreme cyberbullying on a daily basis. 
Typically, cyberbullying occurs among young children because 90 percent of Internet users are between the ages of 12 to 17. However, statistics show that 20 percent of avid social network users are actually between the ages of 8 to 10. Cyberbullying frequently manifests itself among this demographic of children because their young age and developing brains hinder their ability to psychologically and mentally discern the risks and dangers of the Internet. Consequently, as studies have demonstrated, victims of cyberbullying may suffer from psychosomatic issues ranging from depression and anxiety to substance abuse and suicide.

The growing prevalence of social media and its anonymity has significantly contributed to cyberbullying

Before the Internet, bullying occurred on the playground, a place that was readily visible to teachers and school staff, which provided them with the ability to observe and eventually discipline the behavior. Nowadays, however, bullying occurs on the Internet through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Ask.fm, which exist in cyberspace. As a non physical environment, cyberspace is a fertile ground for cyberbullying. Its lack of adult supervision promotes bullies to engage in more manipulative and hateful behavior. They can do so because of the anonymous nature of the Internet. We have no idea who lies on the other side of the screen. It could be a friend, a mere acquaintance or simply a stranger.

Additionally, the Internet's pervasiveness allows cyberbullying to occur anywhere and at anytime. Children can access their social media accounts whether they are at home, in the car, or at a school and this leaves the victim with seemingly no sense of escape. This inability to avoid the situation causes a victim to experience the negative impacts of cyberbullying.

University of Maryland's Dr. Kent Norman, associate professor in the psychology department, describes social media's role in cyberbullying's detrimental nature.

   

Victims of cyberbullying may respond to their issues by either internalizing or externalizing their problems

As a victim of cyberbullying, children may not know how to handle the deleterious impacts. Consequently, some victims will internalize their problems, attempting to shield their distress from the public, while others will simply externalize their problems, portraying their apparent suffering.

On the one hand, those victims that internalize their problems are suffering from depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. These victims feel extremely dejected and develop a sense of helplessness. They are unable to go about their daily, routine activities, but as a matter of fact, they also choose not to participate in activities because they do not want to further subject themselves to potential victimization.

On the other hand, victims that externalize their problems will oftentimes resort to substance abuse involving marijuana and binge drinking, delinquency, and suicide. Suicide is the most notable and adverse consequence of cyberbullying. These victims are outwardly expressing their sense of hopelessness and desperation because they feel as if there is no possible way, other than these options, to help combat the bullying. Furthermore, the degree of each impact varies depending on the severity of the cyberbullying case. Some victims suffer a significantly greater amount than other victims.

 

15 year old Amanda Todd is a perfect example of a cyberbullied victim who committed suicide out of desperation. Todd as a vulnerable, young girl and unaware of Internet safety, subjected herself to victimization of cyberbullying. As a result, her reputation was tarnished, she was left with no friends and began experiencing depression and low self-esteem. She resorted to self-harm to alleviate her emotional distress, but after recognizing that was unsuccessful, she committed suicide on Oct. 10, 2012. Take a look at her describe her story in a YouTube video that has reached 18 million views.

 

Dr. Norman adds insight on the negative impacts by describing low self-esteem as cyberbullying's most damaging effect. 


While a majority of victims psychologically suffer from cyberbullying, age and gender may play a role in the exacerbation of the impacts 

When we think of bullying, the stereotype that comes to mind is that girls are more likely to experience the negative impacts of bullying than boys, as boys tend to shrug off bullying as characteristic behavior. Some studies confirm this stereotype as they claim that girls seem to struggle more with cyberbullying. They are more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. The studies suggest that this can be attributed to the idea that girls have a better perception and understanding of emotions. Boys may claim that the victimization did not affect them as they fear that expressing their emotions will weaken their masculinity.

Like gender, age may also impact the way cyberbullying affects victims. Those victims that are younger posses a greater target to victimization because, to bullies, they are seen as weak and inferior. They do not have the mental capacities to respond and ultimately defend themselves against the bully. Younger children are also more susceptible to emotional damage as they are still developing ways to cope with difficult situations. The idea that the younger generations are more negatively impacted by cyberbullying encourages society to act immediately and identify ways of prevention.

Dr. Norman details why the younger generations and girls are typically more susceptible to cyberbullying. However, as Dr. Norman explains, cyberbullying is not limited to the younger generations. In fact, anyone can be affected by its deleterious nature.


Victims should seek professional help in order to cope with their emotional distress rather than resorting to suicide

Before the emotional distress becomes so unbearable that a victim has suicidal tendencies, they should visit a psychologist or even a school counselor. These trained professionals can provide bullied children with alternative coping methods. Psychologists and counselors should stress the necessity of establishing supportive relationships with those that are close to them, like family members or even close friends. By creating these relationships, children will ultimately learn that they have supportive figures in their lives who they can trust and rely on in times of need and desperation. Communication between children and counselors is imperative for helping children overcome their struggles.

Furthermore, these professionals can help strengthen children's emotional resources so that the distress of the cyberbullying has as little impact as possible. They should encourage children to recognize that despite those people that have maliciously intended to harm them, there are people out there that love and care for them. Likewise, psychologists should encourage children to participate in activities that they will find fun and enjoyable. The goal of this is to facilitate the good feelings associated with these activities, which can then be the focus of the children's thoughts rather than their anxieties and fears.

Dr. Norman expands on this and explains how children should cope with their cyberbullying experiences.


While psychologists help children overcome their mental instability, parents are also responsible for intervening and preventing cyberbullying 

Parents can be held accountable for preventing cyberbullying because they need to monitor their children's Internet use and establish a communicative relationship with them. Monitoring online activity is extremely important because parents need to be cognizant of their children's habits, such as those they associate with, their whereabouts, and the information they share online. Children can easily involve themselves in dangerous behavior without recognizing it.


As a result, parents need to check children's privacy settings and install some blocking software that will prevent them from observing profanities. At the same time, however, parents should create a balance between monitoring their online activity and allowing the children to explore the Internet for themselves, to develop a sense of boundaries, self-reliance, and responsible decision making. Too much monitoring may potentially hinder a child's understanding and knowledge of the Internet's risks.

Nonetheless, monitoring Internet activity has become a struggle for parents due to the Internet's pervasiveness. Therefore, parents have resorted to other methods in order to successfully intervene. Parents must have a communicative relationship with their children so that children will feel comfortable discussing cyberbullying matters with them. Currently, only 8 percent of children will share their experiences with parents. To improve this statistic, parents need to establish a home environment that portrays warmth, trust, and support. These principles will ultimately facilitate children to open up to their parents and to ask for guidance, which will deter them away from potential self-harm or even suicide.

Moreover, parents are also considered to be the primary educators of responsible online activity. If parents are willing to provide their children with technological devices, they must understand their responsibility to role-model and to communicate the basics of safe online behavior. They must educate their children on the causes and risk factors of cyberbullying, how cyberbullying manifests itself on the Internet, and how children can inevitably respond to their perpetrators.

Dr. Norman provides insight on parents' role in cyberbullying intervention.



Schools share a mutual responsibility with parents, as they should alter the school climate to prevent cyberbullying from further escalating

Schools have started to integrate anti-cyberbullying programs into their curriculum in order to dissuade children from participating in this deplorable behavior. These programs not only teach children about the dangers of the Internet and the risk of cyberbullying, but they also create school climates that are conducive to learning, support, and academic success. The programs provide children with the opportunities to develop the social, emotional, and academic skills needed to maximize their full potential.

With a school environment embodied by these ideals, there have been increased rates of attendance and better performance in school. Under a positive school climate, teachers epitomize positive and caring attitudes, which encourage children to thrive academically. These programs, similar to the role of parents, promote communication that will help children cope with their struggles and prevent potential suicidal ideation.


Overall, cyberbullying has such detrimental effects on a victim's emotional and mental health because of the anonymity and pervasiveness of the Internet. Its 24/7 nature has given bullies the opportunity to expand the reach and extent of their harm. Consequently, preventing cyberbullying necessities immediate action and a collaborative effort from society.

Photos Courtesy of: dosomething.org, Feminspire, Netscape Editors (AOL Digital Matters)

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