Jour 4551
Social Networking sites, Instant messaging and all other forms of cyber communication has brought about many issues with cyberbullying among teens and tweens. A decade ago, cyberbullying wasn’t an issue because teens were limited to bullying the old-fashioned, in-person way.The rapid advance of technology has allowed kids to broaden their bullying horizons to the point where cyberbullying is now a serious issue. Cyberbullying is generally defined as deliberate ongoing intimidation, harassment, or threats conducted via any type of communication technology including e-mail, instant messenger (IM), chat rooms, social networking sites, cell phones, and more.
In order for a behavior to be labeled as harassment, it must be repetitive and offensive. And for it to be considered a form of cyberbullying, it must occur online. Online harassment is common among kids who use e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, and social networking sites. Harassment is probably the simplest way to bully another child online.
A bully can send hundreds of hostile e-mail messages and can enlist the help of her friends to do the same. A bully can launch a “text war” and send hundreds of nasty text messages to another person's cell phone. Not only will the victim have to sort through hundreds of hate-filled messages, she may have a huge bill to pay for all the text messages she receives.This has evolved as a huge problem for teens today and with the way technology is continuing to expand and progress, it is frightening to think of the negative social effects it will have on adolescents in the future.