Cyberbullying Should Not Go Unchallenged

By Jazzmine, Denver Broncos Boys & Girls Club, Colorado

Cyber bullying is a major problem that happens online. Cyber bullying is something that happens frequently in our times because of the amount of time we spend online. But it doesn’t have to go unchallenged and hurt so many people!

Forms of cyber bullying can include anything from spreading rumors to stealing other people’s passwords and spreading negatives things from their accounts. We all need to be careful because teens are smart and they know how to steal passwords and access others’ accounts. This happens all the time.

If you get an e-mail from a person you don’t know or a message from someone you do know but the message doesn’t look like something that person would send, the best thing is not to reply to that e-mail or send them something back. Never give out your password or user name to anyone except your parents.

The internet is very useful for doing homework, research or other paperwork. But it can also be very dangerous and harmful if not used appropriately!

By Heather, Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, Florida

In our technology-based world today, all types of safety need to be taken under consideration. Teens’ lives exist in a variety of places nowadays - from the computer, to the cell phone, or online gaming. From media safety to online safety, teens need to make sure they are protected from bullies, online predators and more.

One major problem in today’s world is online safety. Teens are abusing the original purpose of the internet, which is putting them in danger every time they sit at the computer. Cyberbullying is affecting many teens each and every day.

It is very important for a teen to recognize when they are getting bullied or watching a fellow teen get bullied. Some examples would be, stealing someone’s password and pretending to send messages from their account, sending threatening messages or spreading untrue rumors.

If a teen recognizes that he or she is being bullied, they need to go talk to a helpful person immediately. A good example of a person to talk to would be a Boys & Girls Club director or coach. They could help you stop this threatening act in a nice manner.

The results of cyberbullying could be detrimental to a teenager. This could cause them to feel trapped, like they have no one to talk to or leave them in a depressed state of mind. No one deserves to be attacked like this. Children have committed suicide after being involved in a cyberbullying incident.

Remembering a few simple rules of being cyber safe and with the help of many web sites against bullying and the help of Boys & Girls Clubs, we can help teens all across the world avoid becoming a victim of cyberbullying.

The thought of cyber bullying bothers me a lot! Through this essay, hopefully I can show others the many ways this problem affects people.

I think cyber bullying leads to emotional problems. Imagine being made fun of via online sites such as Facebook, Myspace, MSN, and other sites. You would feel helpless a lot of times because your friends and/or foes can do this anonymously. Youth can be affected at school because people become aware of it and talk about it there, too.

This can lead to someone being depressed, on an emotional roller coaster and even cause family problems. This can put a lot of pressure on kids at an age where they are not equipped to handle it and may be bottled up. But it can come out in harmful ways -- either harming one’s self, family members and the person or people that started the cyber bullying.

This problem can be avoided by sitting down with someone who is being cyber bullied and try to get to the source of the problem. Experts recommend making sure that youth be aware of online chats or other social sites. And make sure the youth know to report ANY harmful activity. Online monitoring can help stop cyber bullying and limiting certain sites that are potential problems.

By paying attention and having those who have been cyber bullied to report it and educate others, we can stop this epidemic from getting any worse.