Can Social Media be Used as a Weapon? (Revised)
Studies show that most teens spend more than seven and a half hours a day on social media websites (Bullying, Cyberbullying & Suicide Statistics). Their lives are being consumed by updates posted on Twitter and Facebook by their friends. Social media can keep a person updated on the latest gossip, but can it be used as a weapon? Cyber-bullying has become a major issue in the current youth generation. Although there is really no way to stop teens from using these social media sites, there can be regulations, and parents need to make sure their child knows the dangers in posting something the whole world can see. With the rise in popularity of social media sites, more and more teens are going to be subjected to the harassment of cyber-bullying, as a result teens will not have a virtually safe environment where they can escape these bullies as well, they tend to do poorly in school, and teen suicide and depression will rise.
In the Santa Clarita Valley there was a huge incident of cyber-bullying. A couple of teenage boys posted nude pictures of other teens on a Twitter page called “SCV Purge”. Every hour they would leak a set of nudes of other teens in the valley. The boys managing the site even asked other teens to send in nude pictures they have received from other people. The site later got shut down, and the boys who put up the site were caught, but they exposed many teens on this site. Many of them were embarrassed and these boys did not realize the amount of trouble they have caused. First of all, all the teens that were posted on the site were underage so the boys were charged with child pornography; secondly many teens were emotionally affected by this traumatic event. This harassment will be on their record forever. A student that was interviewed stated, “They told me about it and they told me that it’s kind of discriminating to teenage girls and embarrassing that they were trusting people with pictures. It’s not OK to post those pictures but it’s not OK to take those pictures and it’s not OK to send them to people. Even if you trust them, you never know.” It is true that the teens should have never taken the pictures to begin with, but they definitely should have never been posted for everyone to see. They even told everyone who was in the nude pictures as well. They attacked these young girls and deserved to be punished for it.
Most teens that are bullied online, are most likely to be bullied at school as well. Before social media and technology, the teens that were bullied at school had a safe place right when they got home. They could run home once school was over, and once they got past their front door, they were safe. Now teens do not have an escape. Their cellular devices are with them constantly. Cyber-bullying follows them every second of the day. The bullying that happens online is completely different from the bullying that would happen in person. What happens online sticks and the bullying that happens online would never actually happen in person. On a website to promote the awareness of the bullying that happens over social media sites they state, “Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone. It can happen any time of the day or night” (What is Cyberbullying). Most teens have their phone with them constantly. Victims of bullying cannot escape the harassment no matter where they go. Cyber-bullies can leave hurtful comments, post embarrassing pictures, or gossip about other teens on social media sites. Some bullies do not realize that once you post something online, it sticks and there is proof these hurtful words were said, and virtually the whole world could see.
With the easy access to social media sites cyber-bullying has increase and rapidly. The teens that have been cyber-bullied feel scared and alone. Their school work is normally affected if a student is cyber-bullied. One of the signs of a teen that is being cyber-bullied is not wanting to attend school. They will try to do anything to get out of going to school. More and more students are being cyber-bullied: “The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey showed that 16% of students in grades 9-12 were cyber bullied in the past year” (The Effects of Cyberbullying). Grades in school will be affected by the amount of teens that are being harassed online. The teens that are cyber-bullied are more likely to drink alcohol, skip school, and receive poor grades. These harassing comments online can also lead to teens becoming depressed.
Some may say that social media can boost one’s self-esteem. When a teen posts a picture of themselves, also know as a “selfie” they are looking for compliments. They are searching for a ton of people to favorite or like their picture. The more people that do so, boosts their self confidence. Their whole life is wrapped around this false universe known as “social media”. To be honest, that is only a short time of self confidence. Just in those few seconds you feel liked and wanted by other people. None of it is real. What if the next selfie you post doesn’t get as many likes? It’s going to drop your self-esteem. Social media gives us this false idea about how we need to get attention. The persistence of what other teens think about you on social media sites, teens will become more depressed and teen suicide will increase. They will never feel safe because there is no escaping social media. Statistics on bullying have informed us that, “Perpetrators of bullying behavior were associated with poorer psychological adjustment including higher levels of conduct issues and a dislike for their school. In contrast, youth who are targets of bullying generally show higher levels of insecurity, depression, anxiety, loneliness, unhappiness, physical and mental symptoms, and low self-esteem” (Bullying, Cyberbullying & Suicide Statistics). Teens that have been subjected to hateful comments on social media site are more likely to have depression and suffer psychologically. Teens have a higher chance of taking their own life because of comments posted online.
Parents and schools have a huge influence on teens lives. They should interfere more with cyber-bullying. Parents should make sure they child fully understands the consequences of having a social media site. Teens need to know that hurtful comments said online can be just as hurtful as saying them in person; maybe even more hurtful because the whole world can see what they have posted. Schools also need to make sure their students are aware of what they post on social media sites. A couple of ways to prevent cyber-bullying in school include, “Build bullying prevention material into the curriculum and school activities. Train teachers and staff on the school’s rules and policies. Give them the skills to intervene consistently and appropriately”(What is Cyberbullying). If schools helped more with the issue of cyberbullying, it would happen less often. Getting the parents involved will make a difference as well. If teachers and parents were more informed about the issue, teens will less likely be subjected to the persecution of cyber-bullies.
Now that teens are surrounded by social media everywhere they go, more teens a will be persecuted on the internet. They are not going to have anywhere safe they could go. With the pressure that cyber-bullies put on other teens, they tend to do poorly in school and depression and teen suicide increases. Teens should not have to endure this kind of pain from what is posted online. Parents and schools should be more informed on the issue and should interfere more with this type of harassment. They can change the outcome of many teen suicides and make a safer environment for teens. Cyberbullies cannot completely disappear but the number of cyberbullies can decrease.
Can Social Media be Used as a Weapon? (Not Revised)
Studies show that most teens spend more than seven and a half hours a day on social media websites. Their lives are being consumed by updates posted on Twitter and Facebook by their friends. Social media can keep one’s self updated on the latest gossip, but can it be used as a weapon? Cyber-bullying has become a major issue in the current youth generation. Although there is really no way to stop teens from using these social media sites, there can be regulations, and parents need to make sure their child knows the dangers in posting something the whole world can see. With the rise in popularity of social media sites, more and more teens are going to be subjected to the harassment of cyber-bullying, as a result teens will not have a virtually safe environment where they can escape these bullies, as well, they tend to do poorly in school, and teen suicide and depression will rise.
Most teens that are bullied online, are most likely to be bullied at school as well. Before social media and technology, the teens that were bullied at school had a safe place right when they got home. They could run home once school was over, and once they got past their front door, they were safe. Now teens do not have an escape. Their cellular devices are with them constantly. Cyber-bullying follows them every second of the day. The bullying that happens online is completely different from the bullying that would happen in person. What happens online sticks and the bullying that happens online would never actually happen in person. On a website to promote the awareness of the bullying that happens over social media sites they state, “Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone. It can happen any time of the day or night” (What is Cyberbullying). Most teens have their phone with them constantly. Victims of bullying cannot escape the harassment no matter where they go. Cyber-bullies can leave hurtful comments, post embarrassing pictures, or gossip about other teens on social media sites. Some bullies do not realize that once you post something online, it sticks and there is proof these hurtful words were said, and virtually the whole world could see.
With the easy access to social media sites cyber-bullying has increase rapidly. The teens that have been cyber-bullied feel scared and alone. Their school work is normally effected if a student is cyber-bullied. One of the signs of a teen that is being cyber-bullied is not wanting to attend school. They will try to do anything to get out of going to school. More and more students are being cyber-bullied, “The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey showed that 16% of students in grades 9-12 were cyber bullied in the past year” (The Effects of Cyberbullying). Grades in school will be effected by the amount of teens that are being harassed online. The teens that are cyber-bullied are more likely to drink alcohol, skip school, and receive poor grades. These harassing comments online can also lead to teens becoming depressed.
Some may say that social media can boost one’s self-esteem. When a teen posts a picture of themselves, also know as a “selfie” they are looking for compliments. They are searching for a ton of people to favorite or like their picture. The more people that do so, boosts their self confidence. Their whole life is rapped around this false universe known as “social media”. To be honest, that is only a short time of self confidence. Just in those few seconds you feel liked and wanted by other people. None of it is real. What if the next selfie you post doesn’t get as many likes? It’s going to drop your self-esteem. Social media gives us this false idea about how we need to get attention. The inflicting persistence of what other teens think about you on social media cites, teens will become more depressed and teen suicide will increase. They will never feel safe because there is no escaping social media. Statistics on bullying have informed us that, “Perpetrators of bullying behavior were associated with poorer psychological adjustment including higher levels of conduct issues and a dislike for their school. In contrast, youth who are targets of bullying generally show higher levels of insecurity, depression, anxiety, loneliness, unhappiness, physical and mental symptoms, and low self-esteem” (Bullying, Cyberbullying & Suicide Statistics). Teens that have been subjected to hateful comments on social media site are more likely to have depression and suffer psychologically. Teens have a higher chance of taking their own life because of comments posted online.
Parents and schools have a huge influence on teens lives. They should interfere more with cyber-bullying. Parents should make sure they child fully understands the consequences of having a social media site. Teens need to know that hurtful comments said online can be just as hurtful as saying them in person; maybe even more hurtful because the whole world can see what they have posted. Schools also need to make sure their students are aware of what they post on social media sites. A couple ways to prevent cyber-bullying in school, “Build bullying prevention material into the curriculum and school activities. Train teachers and staff on the school’s rules and policies. Give them the skills to intervene consistently and appropriately”(What is Cyberbullying). If schools helped more with the issue of cyberbullying, it would happen less often. Getting the parents involved will make a difference as well. If teachers and parents were more informed about the issue, teens will less likely be subjected to the persecution of cyber-bullies.
In the Santa Clarita Valley there was a huge incident of cyber-bullying. A couple of teenage boys posted nude pictures of other teens on a Twitter page called “SCV Purge”. Every hour they would leak a set of nudes of other teens in the valley. The boys managing the site even asked other teens to send in nude pictures they have received from other people. The site later got shut down, and the boys who put up the site were caught, but they exposed many teens on this site. Many of them were embarrassed and these boys didn’t not realize the amount of trouble they have caused. First of all, all the teens that were posted on the site were underage so the boys were charged with child pornography; secondly many teens were emotionally effected by this traumatic event. This harassment will be on their record forever. A student that was interviewed stated, “They told me about it and they told me that it’s kind of discriminating to teenage girls and embarrassing that they were trusting people with pictures. It’s not OK to post those pictures but it’s not OK to take those pictures and it’s not OK to send them to people. Even if you trust them, you never know.” It is true that the teens should have never taken the pictures to begin with, but they definitely should have never been posted for everyone to see. They even told everyone who was in the nude pictures as well. They attacked these young girls and deserved to be punished for it.
Now that teens are surrounded by social media everywhere they go, more teens a will be persecuted on the internet. They are not going to have anywhere safe they could go. With the pressure that cyber-bullies put on other teens, they tend to do poorly in school and depression and teen suicide increases. Teens should not have to endure this kind of pain from what is posted online. Parents and schools should be more informed on the issue and should interfere more with this type of harassment. They can change the outcome of many teen suicides and make a safer environment for teens. Cyberbullies cannot completely disappear but the number of cyberbullies can decrease.
Studies show that most teens spend more than seven and a half hours a day on social media websites (Bullying, Cyberbullying & Suicide Statistics). Their lives are being consumed by updates posted on Twitter and Facebook by their friends. Social media can keep a person updated on the latest gossip, but can it be used as a weapon? Cyber-bullying has become a major issue in the current youth generation. Although there is really no way to stop teens from using these social media sites, there can be regulations, and parents need to make sure their child knows the dangers in posting something the whole world can see. With the rise in popularity of social media sites, more and more teens are going to be subjected to the harassment of cyber-bullying, as a result teens will not have a virtually safe environment where they can escape these bullies as well, they tend to do poorly in school, and teen suicide and depression will rise.
In the Santa Clarita Valley there was a huge incident of cyber-bullying. A couple of teenage boys posted nude pictures of other teens on a Twitter page called “SCV Purge”. Every hour they would leak a set of nudes of other teens in the valley. The boys managing the site even asked other teens to send in nude pictures they have received from other people. The site later got shut down, and the boys who put up the site were caught, but they exposed many teens on this site. Many of them were embarrassed and these boys did not realize the amount of trouble they have caused. First of all, all the teens that were posted on the site were underage so the boys were charged with child pornography; secondly many teens were emotionally affected by this traumatic event. This harassment will be on their record forever. A student that was interviewed stated, “They told me about it and they told me that it’s kind of discriminating to teenage girls and embarrassing that they were trusting people with pictures. It’s not OK to post those pictures but it’s not OK to take those pictures and it’s not OK to send them to people. Even if you trust them, you never know.” It is true that the teens should have never taken the pictures to begin with, but they definitely should have never been posted for everyone to see. They even told everyone who was in the nude pictures as well. They attacked these young girls and deserved to be punished for it.
Most teens that are bullied online, are most likely to be bullied at school as well. Before social media and technology, the teens that were bullied at school had a safe place right when they got home. They could run home once school was over, and once they got past their front door, they were safe. Now teens do not have an escape. Their cellular devices are with them constantly. Cyber-bullying follows them every second of the day. The bullying that happens online is completely different from the bullying that would happen in person. What happens online sticks and the bullying that happens online would never actually happen in person. On a website to promote the awareness of the bullying that happens over social media sites they state, “Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone. It can happen any time of the day or night” (What is Cyberbullying). Most teens have their phone with them constantly. Victims of bullying cannot escape the harassment no matter where they go. Cyber-bullies can leave hurtful comments, post embarrassing pictures, or gossip about other teens on social media sites. Some bullies do not realize that once you post something online, it sticks and there is proof these hurtful words were said, and virtually the whole world could see.
With the easy access to social media sites cyber-bullying has increase and rapidly. The teens that have been cyber-bullied feel scared and alone. Their school work is normally affected if a student is cyber-bullied. One of the signs of a teen that is being cyber-bullied is not wanting to attend school. They will try to do anything to get out of going to school. More and more students are being cyber-bullied: “The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey showed that 16% of students in grades 9-12 were cyber bullied in the past year” (The Effects of Cyberbullying). Grades in school will be affected by the amount of teens that are being harassed online. The teens that are cyber-bullied are more likely to drink alcohol, skip school, and receive poor grades. These harassing comments online can also lead to teens becoming depressed.
Some may say that social media can boost one’s self-esteem. When a teen posts a picture of themselves, also know as a “selfie” they are looking for compliments. They are searching for a ton of people to favorite or like their picture. The more people that do so, boosts their self confidence. Their whole life is wrapped around this false universe known as “social media”. To be honest, that is only a short time of self confidence. Just in those few seconds you feel liked and wanted by other people. None of it is real. What if the next selfie you post doesn’t get as many likes? It’s going to drop your self-esteem. Social media gives us this false idea about how we need to get attention. The persistence of what other teens think about you on social media sites, teens will become more depressed and teen suicide will increase. They will never feel safe because there is no escaping social media. Statistics on bullying have informed us that, “Perpetrators of bullying behavior were associated with poorer psychological adjustment including higher levels of conduct issues and a dislike for their school. In contrast, youth who are targets of bullying generally show higher levels of insecurity, depression, anxiety, loneliness, unhappiness, physical and mental symptoms, and low self-esteem” (Bullying, Cyberbullying & Suicide Statistics). Teens that have been subjected to hateful comments on social media site are more likely to have depression and suffer psychologically. Teens have a higher chance of taking their own life because of comments posted online.
Parents and schools have a huge influence on teens lives. They should interfere more with cyber-bullying. Parents should make sure they child fully understands the consequences of having a social media site. Teens need to know that hurtful comments said online can be just as hurtful as saying them in person; maybe even more hurtful because the whole world can see what they have posted. Schools also need to make sure their students are aware of what they post on social media sites. A couple of ways to prevent cyber-bullying in school include, “Build bullying prevention material into the curriculum and school activities. Train teachers and staff on the school’s rules and policies. Give them the skills to intervene consistently and appropriately”(What is Cyberbullying). If schools helped more with the issue of cyberbullying, it would happen less often. Getting the parents involved will make a difference as well. If teachers and parents were more informed about the issue, teens will less likely be subjected to the persecution of cyber-bullies.
Now that teens are surrounded by social media everywhere they go, more teens a will be persecuted on the internet. They are not going to have anywhere safe they could go. With the pressure that cyber-bullies put on other teens, they tend to do poorly in school and depression and teen suicide increases. Teens should not have to endure this kind of pain from what is posted online. Parents and schools should be more informed on the issue and should interfere more with this type of harassment. They can change the outcome of many teen suicides and make a safer environment for teens. Cyberbullies cannot completely disappear but the number of cyberbullies can decrease.
Can Social Media be Used as a Weapon? (Not Revised)
Studies show that most teens spend more than seven and a half hours a day on social media websites. Their lives are being consumed by updates posted on Twitter and Facebook by their friends. Social media can keep one’s self updated on the latest gossip, but can it be used as a weapon? Cyber-bullying has become a major issue in the current youth generation. Although there is really no way to stop teens from using these social media sites, there can be regulations, and parents need to make sure their child knows the dangers in posting something the whole world can see. With the rise in popularity of social media sites, more and more teens are going to be subjected to the harassment of cyber-bullying, as a result teens will not have a virtually safe environment where they can escape these bullies, as well, they tend to do poorly in school, and teen suicide and depression will rise.
Most teens that are bullied online, are most likely to be bullied at school as well. Before social media and technology, the teens that were bullied at school had a safe place right when they got home. They could run home once school was over, and once they got past their front door, they were safe. Now teens do not have an escape. Their cellular devices are with them constantly. Cyber-bullying follows them every second of the day. The bullying that happens online is completely different from the bullying that would happen in person. What happens online sticks and the bullying that happens online would never actually happen in person. On a website to promote the awareness of the bullying that happens over social media sites they state, “Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone. It can happen any time of the day or night” (What is Cyberbullying). Most teens have their phone with them constantly. Victims of bullying cannot escape the harassment no matter where they go. Cyber-bullies can leave hurtful comments, post embarrassing pictures, or gossip about other teens on social media sites. Some bullies do not realize that once you post something online, it sticks and there is proof these hurtful words were said, and virtually the whole world could see.
With the easy access to social media sites cyber-bullying has increase rapidly. The teens that have been cyber-bullied feel scared and alone. Their school work is normally effected if a student is cyber-bullied. One of the signs of a teen that is being cyber-bullied is not wanting to attend school. They will try to do anything to get out of going to school. More and more students are being cyber-bullied, “The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey showed that 16% of students in grades 9-12 were cyber bullied in the past year” (The Effects of Cyberbullying). Grades in school will be effected by the amount of teens that are being harassed online. The teens that are cyber-bullied are more likely to drink alcohol, skip school, and receive poor grades. These harassing comments online can also lead to teens becoming depressed.
Some may say that social media can boost one’s self-esteem. When a teen posts a picture of themselves, also know as a “selfie” they are looking for compliments. They are searching for a ton of people to favorite or like their picture. The more people that do so, boosts their self confidence. Their whole life is rapped around this false universe known as “social media”. To be honest, that is only a short time of self confidence. Just in those few seconds you feel liked and wanted by other people. None of it is real. What if the next selfie you post doesn’t get as many likes? It’s going to drop your self-esteem. Social media gives us this false idea about how we need to get attention. The inflicting persistence of what other teens think about you on social media cites, teens will become more depressed and teen suicide will increase. They will never feel safe because there is no escaping social media. Statistics on bullying have informed us that, “Perpetrators of bullying behavior were associated with poorer psychological adjustment including higher levels of conduct issues and a dislike for their school. In contrast, youth who are targets of bullying generally show higher levels of insecurity, depression, anxiety, loneliness, unhappiness, physical and mental symptoms, and low self-esteem” (Bullying, Cyberbullying & Suicide Statistics). Teens that have been subjected to hateful comments on social media site are more likely to have depression and suffer psychologically. Teens have a higher chance of taking their own life because of comments posted online.
Parents and schools have a huge influence on teens lives. They should interfere more with cyber-bullying. Parents should make sure they child fully understands the consequences of having a social media site. Teens need to know that hurtful comments said online can be just as hurtful as saying them in person; maybe even more hurtful because the whole world can see what they have posted. Schools also need to make sure their students are aware of what they post on social media sites. A couple ways to prevent cyber-bullying in school, “Build bullying prevention material into the curriculum and school activities. Train teachers and staff on the school’s rules and policies. Give them the skills to intervene consistently and appropriately”(What is Cyberbullying). If schools helped more with the issue of cyberbullying, it would happen less often. Getting the parents involved will make a difference as well. If teachers and parents were more informed about the issue, teens will less likely be subjected to the persecution of cyber-bullies.
In the Santa Clarita Valley there was a huge incident of cyber-bullying. A couple of teenage boys posted nude pictures of other teens on a Twitter page called “SCV Purge”. Every hour they would leak a set of nudes of other teens in the valley. The boys managing the site even asked other teens to send in nude pictures they have received from other people. The site later got shut down, and the boys who put up the site were caught, but they exposed many teens on this site. Many of them were embarrassed and these boys didn’t not realize the amount of trouble they have caused. First of all, all the teens that were posted on the site were underage so the boys were charged with child pornography; secondly many teens were emotionally effected by this traumatic event. This harassment will be on their record forever. A student that was interviewed stated, “They told me about it and they told me that it’s kind of discriminating to teenage girls and embarrassing that they were trusting people with pictures. It’s not OK to post those pictures but it’s not OK to take those pictures and it’s not OK to send them to people. Even if you trust them, you never know.” It is true that the teens should have never taken the pictures to begin with, but they definitely should have never been posted for everyone to see. They even told everyone who was in the nude pictures as well. They attacked these young girls and deserved to be punished for it.
Now that teens are surrounded by social media everywhere they go, more teens a will be persecuted on the internet. They are not going to have anywhere safe they could go. With the pressure that cyber-bullies put on other teens, they tend to do poorly in school and depression and teen suicide increases. Teens should not have to endure this kind of pain from what is posted online. Parents and schools should be more informed on the issue and should interfere more with this type of harassment. They can change the outcome of many teen suicides and make a safer environment for teens. Cyberbullies cannot completely disappear but the number of cyberbullies can decrease.