You and The World: Cyberbullying
In some cases, cyberbullying incidents have resulted in death. Suicide, as well as homicide. That, to me, is one of the worst parts about any type of bullying. The fact that it can turn an innocent, friendly child into a murdering monster. It can also send them into a depression so deep that they kill themselves. Either of those results is absolutely horrible, and they could be so easily avoided, if people would just be more kind.
An example of a cyberbullying incident gone too far is the story of Megan Meier. Megan was 13 years old when the incident took place, and the consequences were fatal. Click Megan, to read the entire story, and see just how far cyberbullying can take a victim. In cases like this, the incident doesn’t just hurt the victim; it could also affect the family in a very bad way. Their emotions could range from blaming themselves, to hating the offender, to blaming everyone. It could tear a family apart.
For a bar graph of cyber bullying rates and data, click here. You could be an advocate to stop cyberbullying, but before you try to do anything, make sure you’re not doing any cyberbullying yourself. It is easy to slip into that hole without actually realizing it. Something you find funny, or that you and your friends take as a joke, could be seriously hurting the person on the other end. You just have to be careful about what you’re putting out there.
Another way you could help victims of cyberbullying is telling an adult. It’s just as if you were in school and someone were bullying you or someone else that you could see. Tell an adult you trust, someone that you know will do something to help. You could also try your parents, if a teacher doesn’t help. Although you may feel bad about telling on someone, but you could possibly be saving a life. Always speak up before it’s too late.
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