Mitigation of Cyberbullying among Adolescents, Thesis of Accounting

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Mitigation of Cyberbullying among Adolescents Department of Psychology, Walden University Development in the Digital Age Mitigation of Cyberbullying among Adolescents Cyberbullying refers to a repeated, willful deed to harass, humiliate, threaten, or target others. Such an act is inflicted via the application of electronic tools employing an electric platform. I selected cyberbullying because it is a developing challenge happening outside and even inside of the school day, among other social places, and that influences people across all stages of life, but most common in adolescents globally (Lee et al., 2017). The adolescence developmental stage is the most vulnerable stage that is affected by cyberbullying. The fact that this group has been brought up in this atmosphere for even more than ten to twenty years makes them vulnerable to all effects of cyberbullying. I selected electronic platforms because the majority of teenagers use computers, cell phones, tablets, alongside apps, social media, forums, and email, gaming, and text messages to humiliate others in the contemporary world. Still, adolescents have the essential desire to be among the pack as well as their fear of being left out, physically and digitally. Once cyberbullying is left unattended, it can lead to serious psychological and emotional distress that greatly affects adolescents’ normal development. Cyberbullying hinders healthy interactions, and most notably, participants can

develop adverse symptoms of anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and depression that impair their developmental process (Fahy et al., 2016). Like traditional bullying, Cyberbullying builds on sexual orientation, race /ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, and age in determining prevalence, severity, and frequency of incidences. In most cases, adolescents with non-normative sexual orientations (LGBTQ) are more vulnerable to cyberbullying than those having normative sexual orientations. Sexual cyberbullying causes stress, anxiety, and mental disorder. Socioeconomic aspects largely influence cyberbullying. Studies have established that most perpetrators of cyberbullying lack parental emotional and psychological support. Just like in traditional bullying, age is a critical factor influencing cyberbullying (Eaton, 2017). Cyberbullying increases in middle school and continues throughout adolescence. Most cases of cyberbullying occur during the teenage years. Racial discrimination and ethnicity are some of the factors that influence cyberbullying. Studies indicate that minority youth use online social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram more than white teens (Madden et al., 2013). Even so, minority youth have reported cases of direct and indirect racial discrimination and cyberbullying on social networking platforms and also through text messages. Like in traditional bullying, gender highly determines the prevalence and nature of cyberbullying. Most victims of cyberbullying are females, who get picked on due to their vulnerability and reduced ability to defend themselves (Wong et al., 2018). It is agreeable that the perpetrators belong to both sides of the gender divide.

Cyberbullying is rapidly rising notoriety and popularity in contemporary society. Cyberbullying is a more refined type of traditional bullying, whereby there are no physical engagements between perpetrators and victims. The developmental stages selected for the assignment are adolescents. According to an article on World Health Organization, adolescence refers to a developmental stage between 10-19 years (Khoury, 2014). In the context of this assignment, adolescence represents a developmental group mostly affected by cyberbullying. Cyberbullying relies on cellphones, tablets, and other internet-enabled devices as the primary digital technology. In addition to internet-enabled gadgets, cyberbullying depends on online social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in facilitating interactions between various groups of people. Cellphones and social media have numerous benefits for adolescents. Through the internet, teenagers (most of them are students) can access information and learn various skills, languages, and sports (Alobaidi, 2018). Also, social media enables adolescents to form virtual friendships and gain social and cultural knowledge. Currently, social media is one of the most effective channels used in conveying messages about social, economic, and political issues such as racial discrimination, social justice, and climate change (Stokes & Price, 2017). Even with countless benefits, the internet and cellphones have numerous drawbacks and limitations. Firstly, cellphones and social media hinder the development of physical and emotional connections between users (Uhls et al., 2017). Apart from making friends online, social media only fosters virtual relationships that cannot be relied upon for emotional and psychological support. Most importantly, social media is increasingly reducing family connections and slowly replacing them with non-reliable virtual relationships.

Secondly, social media is increasingly becoming vulnerable to hacking and breaching personal privacies. Recently, cybercrime is on the rise. Credit card fraud and the leaking of private information have become common in modern society (Clark, 2010). In as much as it is useful for networking and socialization, cellphones and social media are the current tools used for slander and tarnishing people’s reputations. Also, it is crucial to note the opportunity provided by the internet for people to hurt others. Social media platforms have evolved into venues where spiteful and vindictive individuals share unwanted and resentful opinions and comments about other users. Most of the time, perpetrators vent their frustrations and issues on other users for no apparent reason (Alobaidi, 2018). In most scenarios, “trolls” are glorified on social media and attract a massive following due to their habit of humiliating people. Even with measures to control such behavior, the culture persists. One of the main limitations of cell phones and social media is the impact on creativity, thoughtfulness, and innovation. Avid users of social media are addicted to an imaginary lifestyle and quite often fail to carry out their responsibilities as a result of spending too much time on their phones interacting on social media (Chia, 2010). Social media activities breed laziness in adolescents. Also, cellphones cause distractions to work, learning, and hinder the development of communication skills. Regarding the limitations and drawbacks identified, I believe there are risks for adolescents who are most vulnerable to cyberbullying. The heavy use of cellphones, the internet, and social media makes adolescents excessively dependent on technology for emotional support, identity, and gratification. And that explains why cyberbullying bears such adverse effects on their social, emotional, and psychological wellness.

Cyberbullying has grown to be a global health issue among adolescents. This is despite the rules set aside by the law to deal with cases of cyberbullying. For instance, the 2006 education and inspection act that expects all schools to encourage and enforce good conduct amongst its students can eliminate any form of bullying in the school (Swearer et al., 2009). The head teacher is thus mandated to ensure that learners stay safe from any form of bullying even when they are not on the school premises. This is because learners have to be in a safe and calm setting for learning to be successful. To respond to cyberbullying cases, there is a need to support the individuals who have been affected by simply reassuring them that they have taken the correct steps by informing someone what they have gone through. The affected individuals can also be advices on the appropriate ways to deal with cyberbullying cases. They are required to keep evidence of what has happened or report and block the person on the other side. In such an instance, they are not supposed to retaliate with the individuals bullying (Aboujaoude et al., 2015). Ensuring individuals are able to manage their own devices is also an important way to deal with cyberbullying. This is because people cannot be banned from using their devices. This can be an essential step in ensuring that individuals use their digital devices responsibly. Confiscating teenagers' devices can help them become focused elsewhere and stop engaging with others on digital platforms. Through this, an individual can engage in other activities that can help relax the mind from online bullies (Keeley, 2017). It can also be a great opportunity to teach teenagers about online privacy, ethical behaviors, online anonymity, and inform them on how to identify bullies online.

Digital technology can be an essential tool to deal with cyberbullying cases, which are rarely reported amongst teenagers, through the development of an anonymous reporting system, which can allow individuals to send and receive messages from their comfort zone. This is because individuals currently prefer to text rather than talk (Lee & Shin, 2017). Through such a program, individuals are able to send their anonymous reports, which are immediately delivered to an official email and a cyberbully hotline account. It is in this account that messages are viewed and archived. With this in mind, a two-way anonymous dialogue can take place. It is, however, important to keep in mind that cyberbullying thrives because of this digital technology. This is because it provides the environment for a huge following who are the user's audience, copying and distributing material with ease, and the lack of people overseeing an individual’s online behaviors. Further, since the bullies cannot see their target's emotional reactions, they cannot show them any empathy. Giving social support to the individuals affected by cyberbullying plays an important role in preventing depression and low self-esteem issues among young people. Teachers, for instance, have very important roles as they engage with adolescents more than their parents since most cases of cyberbullying originates from school. This emotional and social support from friends, family members, and teachers is important, especially in buffering situations. It acts as a coping point for youths (Fahy et al., 2016). Moreover, social support from family members, teachers, and peers has helped to do away with anxiety issues related to cyberbullying amongst adolescents. Psychological and distress outcomes are distressed as a result.

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