Cyber bullying means insulting, threatening, defaming or intentionally harassing other people using modern means of communication, usually for a long period of time. Cyber bullying happens either on the internet or by the telephone. Most of the time the culprit, referred to as bully acts anonymously, so that the victim does not know from whom the attacks come. Especially in cyber bullying among children or young people, victims also know each other in the real world. Cyber bullying starts usually from people in the close environment like school, or residential area.
The teenage victims of cyber bullying experience an anxiety, fear, depression, low self-esteem, powerless, exposed and losing interest in school and life. In some cases it has even caused mental problems, social isolation and suicidal thoughts. Cyber bullying appears in various forms like sending threatening messages, spreading rumours, attacking someone verbally, intentionally excluding someone from the group, and pretending to be someone else, public unflattering picture of a person, circulating sexually suggestive pictures and sharing confidential information online.
Bullying can seriously affect the health and well being of the victims, especially their psychological health. Often victims feel disconnected from school and communities and experience traumatic stress. Cyber bullying cause the student will be failure or drop out. Learners need to concentrate during lessons to perform at their best in school, but being bullied makes it hard for them to concentrate and pay attention to school work and they were always thinking of the bullies. Cyber bullied students commonly obtain lower grades and are at risk of poor academic performances.
Furthermore, victims of bullying have few or no friends; learners who have not been bullied do not like to be friends with the victims of bullying some of the victims of bullying intentionally isolate themselves by choosing subject that many learners are not interested into avoid the bully. Isolation causes victims to be sad and this may affects their concentration and ability to learn.
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According to Lester Pioquinto bullying is in our culture, not just in school but everywhere. You see people bullying traffic enforcer, security guards, vendors and some politicians are bullies. It isn’t that easy to stop. Bullying most of the time leaves psychological affects on the child it lower his/her self esteem.
Bullying has been for years and it’s something not that easy to stop. Parents no longer have control over their kids when they are at school and though their teachers are there, bullying can happen away from their sight and knowledge. What teacher and parents can do is to help strengthen the self esteem of a child so when he/she is bullied it will not affect him/her in any way.
The victims, under great emotional stress, are unable to concentrate on their studies, and thus their academic progress is adversely affected (Juliana, 2010). Unfortunately little attention is given to this global problem by institutions of higher learning, teachers, parents and emergency service providers. Bullying in schools and universities are causing unimaginable problems to students, parents and to educational institutions. Unfortunately little has been done to help those victims who are continuously trapped in the name of modernization and digitalization (Watson, 2010).
Researchers agree that the stressful impact of bullying is escalating with the rapid expansion of technological advancement (Justin, 2011). Many students who are victims of cyber bullies suffer silently; they are reluctant to complain to the authorities or their parents owing to the social stigma attached to victims of bullies (Susan, 2011).
Anne V this is one of the reasons why we choose home schooling because of the bullies to eliminate the risk of them to stop bully or to be victimized by a bully themselves. Homeschooled kids are actually superior when it comes to social skills because in the real world you don’t stay hours a day with kid. Modern technology is like a double-edged sword; on one hand it gives us connectivity, on the other it increases emotional stress (Michel, 2011). As such, young internet users, including students, may be at the mercy of cyber bullies.
Cyber bullying can be briefly defined as “sending” or posting harmful or cruel text or images using the internet or other digital communication devices (Willard, 2004)