Topic > cyberbullying - 1118

Cyberbullying has unfortunately become an everyday thing for many teenagers around the world. Just recently, a cyberbullying incident involving three girls led to one girl committing suicide. The victim, Rebecca, started dating a boy in 2012. Another girl didn't like it, so he started harassing and abusing her, telling her she should "drink bleach and die" (Newcomb). The bullying didn't stop there, it only escalated from online verbal harassment to physical fights at school. In addition to this, the girl would have bullied some of Rebecca's friends and would have turned one of her closest friends against her. During this school year (2013-2014), Rebecca tried to start over by attending a new school only to find that the bullying would continue. Finding no other way out, Rebecca Sedwick jumped from the top of a silo tower on September 9. This is a really sad story but it is something that happens too often all over the world. Right now you may be wondering what is the real definition of cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person. Online threats, vulgar texts and mean tweets, posts or messages count. The same goes for posting personal information or videos designed to hurt or embarrass someone else. Cyberbullying also includes photos, messages, or pages that are not removed, even after the person is asked to do so. In other words, it is anything that is posted online with the deliberate purpose of hurting the person (TeensHeatlh). The general misconception is that only teenagers and children are victims of bullying, but as incredible as it may seem, adults (especially teachers) are also victims of online bullying. StopBullying.gov, a government-run site, states that typical victims of bullying are children who "are perceived as different from their peers, because they are overweight or underweight, wear glasses or