CYBER BULLYING !

       Bullying can not only be verbal, or physical, it can also be over the internet. Bullying occurs when the "bully" wants to feel better about themselves and put the "victim" down. Nearly 42% of kids have been bullied online and one in four have had it happen more than once! Bullying on the internet allows the bully to hide and say whatever they want, even with a disguise. I know what it's like to be bullied and I think everyone has, but it's even worse when it happens online because you don't know who is saying it. It could be your best friend - saying something that they've wanted to say to you for a long time - hiding behind the computer screen, disguised  as a teenage boy.

          Bullying may only start with a few comments that may not seem so harmful, but can actually lead to some serious problems. Teenagers have committed suicide over something such as cyber bullying. SUICIDE! Some people don't see how dangerous bullying is. It can seriously affect people and they may never see themselves the same way again. Calling some one "fat" or even "anorexic" can hurt them and make them feel horrible about themselves.  


          Sometimes the worse part isn't even what the bully is doing. The people who sit there, look at their computers and laugh about it, are just as a part of the bullying, as the actual bully is. Some people may not realize that the statements being made are that bad, but they almost always end up hurting someone. For a peer, or even a friend to not go to an adult or teacher about some of the things being said is pretty low. 58% of teens who are cyber bullied don't tell their parents that it's happened. 

          The media does have a huge impact on how people see themselves and perhaps others and yes, maybe the internet has caused problems including cyber bullying. However, bullying was around way before internet. Kids don't need the internet or other media sources to make people feel bad. We can't blame the media for the way we ourselves, or our kids get treated. Many people feel that the internet is the problem, and that may be part of it, but kids are still going to treat people the way they want. If they dislike someone, there is a good chance they are going to treat them with no respect, which is not right in my opinion but, that's the way our society works. 


          Cyber Bullying is a huge problem that allows kids to put others down, or to ruin their reputation and it needs to stop! People need to put themselves in the victim's shoes and realize that they wouldn't want it happening to them. If their reputation got ruined, what would they do? How would they react to getting bullied the way they bullied others? They probably wouldn't like it that much, I mean no one would but, that is how bullying works. They bully only thinks about themselves and how they feel after. They don't care about the victim and their feelings. They feel comfortable posting something online (Facebook, Myspace etc.) making fun of someone because they feel they won't get caught. That's definitely not the case. It's important to stand up to bullying and report any bullying incidents that you yourself find online to make sure people are getting the respect they deserve! STAND UP 


~ Read bullying stories ~
http://familyinternet.about.com/u/ua/computingsafetyprivacy/Cyberbullyua.htm

~ Read Ryan's Story ~ 
http://www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org/index.htm