Cyber Bullying Essay

Bullying. It is something everyone has heard of, witnessed or experienced. When the word “bullying” is heard, many people think of the classic school kid being picked on at lunch, in a physical and/or verbal manner. Although verbal and physical bullying still occur, there is a form of bullying that has grown to be quite prominent, due to the vast use of technology in this generation. This form of bullying is known as; cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is a deliberately harmful, aggressive, and repetitive form of bullying through the Internet and related technology. Cyber bullying is just as harmful as physical or verbal bullying, and should be taken just as seriously. Cyber bullying negatively impacts children in many ways. The most prominent effects of cyber bullying are the toll it can take psychologically, and emotionally on the people involved. These effects are exacerbated by the current popularity of social media. The psychological effects of cyber bullying are obvious, and in some way more severe than physical bullying. The psychological effect of cyber bullying can be more severe because there is often no escape from one’s tormentors. Unlike the typical bullying thats takes place at school or on the bus, cyber bullying follows students around 24/7. With technology like smartphones, the repetitive harassment is nearly impossible to escape. In many cases of cyber bullying, it begins with one bully but ends with many. The internet is open to everyone. Once something is out there, for example a picture, it can be sent to phones everywhere and is essentially on the Internet forever. With one click of a button, information can instantly spread like wildfire. It is psychologically damaging to know that even if that picture, those words, that rumor, are deleted, it is never actually gone. Although cyber bullying isn’t necessarily as public as a punch at school would be, it can often be easily hidden by the victim. If there are no bruises or bumps, it is