Bullying can be intensified on the digital playground

Mia Brooks
MC 301 Contributor/Staff 

A new wide ranging study by the University of California Riverside, finds while verbal and physical bullying decrease as children age, cyberbullying is increasing.

In today’s society, bullying continues to be a huge issue with adolescents as 1 in 17 students in grades K-12 are victims of bullying each year, according to the CyberBullying Reasearch Center.

Cyberbullying can take many forms such as spreading rumors through social media, sexting, and hacking someone’s account to post false information.

According to dosomething.org, cyber bullying can be very damaging to adolescents and teens and can lead to anxiety, depression, and even suicide.

Once things are circulated on the Internet, they may never disappear, resurfacing at later times to renew the pain of cyber bullying.

Brian Anderson, Associate Professor of Social Work at Jackson State University, said bullying affects individuals emotionally, psychologically and educationally.

“It can affect them in elementary, high school and even college. It affects their self-esteem and impacts their grades,” said Anderson.

Bullying can be very difficult to deal with. According to dosomething.org, by age 14, less than 30 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls will talk to their peers about bullying.

Avery Ward, a senior theater major from Morton. Miss. recalls being bullied in his youth.

“I was bullied as a child because of my speech impediment. I used to get called names and it affected me to the point of making me want to fight but over time, I learned to ignore ignorance but Its worse for kids today because of social media,” said Ward.

Ward believes the only way to break the cycle of bullying is for schools to have harsh penalties for bullies as well as lessons on how to deal with bullies.

Arthur Bridges, a parent of three, said he teaches his kids not to bully others or accept bullying.

“Kids can be cruel, especially with the help of social media, but it starts with the parents,” said Bridges.

According to bullyingstatistics.org survey, around half of the teens survey have been the victims of cyberbullying but only 1 in 10 teens told a parent.

Bridges said it is important for parents to monitor their children’s social media sites, so that if they are being bullied or bullying others, parents can catch it and put a stop to it.

“It’s a part of keeping our kids safe,” said Bridges.

Many schools have taken a stand against bullying by organizing anti-bullying programs and youth counseling in hopes of eliminating cyberbullying and creating a safe environment for students.

“This is just a small step towards the fight to end cyber bullying. Schools as well as parents need strict policies and consequences for bullying and parents. We have to stay consistent with educating everyone on this issue,” Anderson said.