Quinn Dunford

English 2010
Position/Proposal

Cyberbullying - A Modern Day Crisis

In my middle school and high school years, I was a witness to many cyberbullying acts

that took place and several kids I know were affected by it. Some cases worse than others. Very

sadly, my friend Devin Wolfe committed suicide due mainly to people cyberbullying him online.

He was a singer, yet some ignorant cyber bullies would post rude comments on his singing

videos through fake accounts on social media telling him he was terrible at singing and that he

should kill himself. This continued up until the point where Devin couldn't handle the negative

comments any longer and fell into a deep depression which eventually led to him taking his

own life. Many people, including myself, were devastated by this horrific incident that could

have been prevented had Devin and others been better educated on the matter. Cyberbullying

is a cruel act that should not be tolerated under any circumstances and ought to be closely

monitored so that tragic events like Devins arent repeated.

Quinn Dunford
English 2010
Position/Proposal

What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. This includes

devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets. Communication tools

including social media sites, text messages, chat rooms, and websites are the main sources of

cyberbullying. Bullies have discovered that through texting, e-mail, and using social media sites

such as Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat they can get away with it much easier than traditional

face-to-face bullying. With today's technology, cyberbullying has proven to have an equal, if not

more harmful effect on the victim than traditional face-to-face bullying. Dr. Barry Cartwright

explains, It has been claimed that the adverse effects of cyberbullying are worse than those of

traditional bullying, because cyberbullying can be carried out anonymously, 24/7, and can reach

much wider audiences. Moreover, once embarrassing or humiliating materials are posted in

cyberspace, they can remain there forever (15). In a survey reported by Lisa Vaas of 4,720

teenagers around the world put out by Vodafone, a telecommunications company in the U.K.,

found that fifty percent of them considered cyberbullying to be worse than face-to-face

bullying (Vaas, par. 3). Cyberbullying is a new and popular approach for young people than
Quinn Dunford
English 2010
Position/Proposal

traditional face-to-face bullying and we as a society need to be more aware of this ongoing

issue that is so prevalent in todays youth.

A recent survey reported that fifty percent of young people say they have been cyber

bullied or have received some sort of online threat (Cyber Bullying Statistics). Thats way too

many! Over the past decade, the internet has absolutely exploded. It is amazing all the

information and technology that we have access to through our fancy smartphones, tablets,

and shiny computers but sadly with all these extravagant accessories have come these crude

acts of bullying through this hidden virtual world.

The Rise of Social Media and Technology

The youth of our electronic generation have been extremely influenced by technology. If

you were to observe a group of teenagers hanging out together in the 1990s and compare

them with a group of teenagers from this generation, you would find a compelling difference

between the two. You would probably discover that the group from the 1990s would be

conversing one with another completely without distraction. On the other hand, the group

from the current generation would most likely

be fixated on their phone screens - heads down

and distracted. Real life conversations and

relationships are being substituted by texting

and social media. Technology has made

communicating faster and simpler but its also

Quinn Dunford
English 2010
Position/Proposal

made it easier to harass others. Teens have the idea lodged in their brains that there will be no

repercussions or consequences for their negative comments directed towards others if they are

behind a screen. They believe it is not as serious of a problem if they arent physically harming

the victim. Another reason teens find cyberbullying easier is because they hide behind fake

profiles that cannot be tracked back to them, therefore giving them full disclosure to say

whatever they please about anyone they want.

The Harmful Effects of Cyberbullying

Everyones heard the classis catch phrase, sticks and stones may break my bones but

words will never hurt me. This may have been the case a decade ago but in todays era that

phrase isnt quite relevant anymore. In fact, words can sometimes be even more destructive

than a punch to the gut or getting smacked in the face. Hurtful words, threats, rumors, and

harassments through texting, email, and social media sites have caused inimical effects on

todays youth. An article from NoBullying.com states, The effects of cyber bullying may not be

noticeable at first, but the stress factor builds up over time. Many students experiencing cyber

bullying feel alone and scared. In most instances, cyber bullying doesnt start online, but in

person. The situation then escalates. The signs that a young person is being cyberbullied

include: depression, suicidal thoughts, skipping school, complaints of being sick, being

abnormally quiet, a decline in educational performance, and use of drugs and alcohol (The

Real Effects of Cyber Bullying, par 4). These unfortunate effects from cyberbullying are real
Quinn Dunford
English 2010
Position/Proposal

because I saw it firsthand with my friend Devin and can happen to any teen or young adult who

is not properly educated in what they need to do when a cyberbully strikes.

Proposal to Stop Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is still a very new form of bullying that most adults are still oblivious to

because of the way it can be completely hidden from the public. It is an issue that parents and

school administrators should be much more educated about because of the countless ongoing

cases that seem to be getting worse and worse. There have been several attempts at putting a

stop to it; some that have worked and some not so much. There are many simple short term

solutions that have proven to be effective. Some of these include:

Block the bullys phone number and social media profile.

Notify your parents or a responsible adult; school administrator.

Get law enforcement involved if there are threats, sexually explicit images, etc.

Save the evidence to show someone who can help.

Two doctors from the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada found this

from a 2013 study:

Compared to our findings, previous studies have reported that the odds of being

cyberbullied are lower among older than younger adolescents. This indicates that

cyberbullying victimization is higher during the middle school years, but lower in high
Quinn Dunford
English 2010
Position/Proposal

school. They are more likely to engage in online risk behaviors such as giving away their

personal information, sharing their passwords with other people on the Internet,

engaging with unknown persons, and other behaviors. Younger students are also less

psychologically prepared or equipped to deal with stressful situations and are therefore

more vulnerable. Parents and schools should play a key role in preventing cyberbullying

by increasing awareness and educating children about appropriate online behaviors.

Prevention efforts should start before grade 7, ideally as youth become active users of

the Internet (Sampasa-Kanyinga and Hamilton 708).

This study has brought me to a proposal to help reduce cyberbullying and to educate

kids from an earlier stage in life. A more established long term goal that I propose is the

implementation of annual anti-cyberbullying assemblies in high schools, middle schools, and

even elementary schools. At school is where the bullying and stereotyping begins and then

makes its way to the internet and instant messaging. These assemblies would be put on by

people from organizations that are trained and educated on cyberbullying. These assemblies

would need to be entertaining with segments of games and participation to get the youth

engaged. There would also be a segment that is serious to really touch on how damaging

cyberbullying can be. There would be a time for a select number of students to get up to share

testimonials of their experience with cyberbullying and how they fought against it. Im very

confident that these assemblies could greatly decrease the amount of cyberbullying going on

and will also prevent it because we would be teaching kids all the way from the elementary

school level that it will not be tolerated.

Quinn Dunford
English 2010
Position/Proposal

I invite all to take into deep consideration these things you

have read because it could be the difference of life or death with

the blink of an eye. With the rise of more advanced technology and

the internet, we are literally one click away from a virtual world.

Theres never been a time when kids and teenagers have had such

easy access to texting, e-mail, and social media networks. More and

more youth have smartphones and tablets giving them a clear

passageway to say and post anything for the public to see. It has, unfortunately, led many to

say bad things about others that they most likely wouldnt say to their face. Cyberbullying is a

bigger issue than we think and its right now that we need to take a stand, get educated, and

act to help fight against this modern-day crisis!

Quinn Dunford
English 2010
Position/Proposal

Works Cited

Cartwright, Barry. "Cyberbullying and "The Law of the Horse:" a Canadian Viewpoint." Journal

of Internet Law, vol. 20, no. 10, Apr. 2017, pp. 15. EBSCOhost,

libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bu

h&AN=122227865&site=eds-live. Accessed 8 Apr. 2017

Cyber Bullying Statistics. NoBullying - Bullying & CyberBullying Resources, 19 Oct. 2016,

nobullying.com/cyber-bullying-statistics-2014/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2017.

Sampasa-Kanyinga, Hugues and Hayley A. Hamilton. "Use of Social Networking Sites and Risk of

Cyberbullying Victimization: A Population-Level Study of Adolescents." Cyberpsychology,

Behavior, and Social Networking, vol. 18, no. 12, Dec. 2015, pp. 708. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1089/cyber.2015.0145. Accessed 8 Apr. 2017.

The Real Effects of Cyber Bullying. NoBullying - Bullying & CyberBullying Resources, 29 Sept.

2016, nobullying.com/the-effects-of-cyber-bullying/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2017.

Vaas, Lisa. Cyberbullying Is Worse than Face-to-Face Bullying, Teens Say. Naked Security,

Sophos, 24 Sept. 2015, nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2015/09/24/cyberbullying-is-worse-

than-face-to-face-bullying-teens-say/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2017.