Cyber bullying has become more mainstream due to today’s technology. By the push of a button on your phone and computer you can send a message or photo instantly to anywhere in the world. Statistics show that one in five preteens report being victimized by cyber bullying. This has led to children withdrawing from school, isolating themselves, contributing to low self-esteem, depression, hurting themselves and as you will read later in this blog, even suicide.
What is Cyber Bullying?
• Bullying over electronic media devices [1,4]
• Constantly being texted by someone you have asked to stop 
• Threatening someone through Facebook, Tumblr, messaging, etc.
• Publishing personal information with the intent to harm 
I myself have experienced cyber bullying. Out of no where, on Tumblr I received a message stating “Kill yourself, you’re not worth it”. The post was from an anonymous person. I knew that it was just someone who felt sorry for themselves and wanted to put their personal pain onto others. I didn’t take it personally; I just deleted it and let it go. Though many people my age and younger can’t let it go. Some internalize it; make it about them, or maybe even responded to the sender with the thought, though it may be negative, at least someone is giving them attention. This in my mind shows the bully that you are weak, lonely and desperate for attention and in turn fuels their fire.
I knew this was a major issue, I knew many people who were bullied in High School. Though not until after I started researching did I realize just how in-depth it was. The statistics are overwhelming:
Cyber bullying can destroy lives. Besides contributing to lower self-esteem it can send kids into a deep spiral of depression and even suicide. As statistics show almost half of today teen suicides are due to bullying and the numbers are growing. According to a study from Yale University, bullied victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims . Also, girls ranging 10 to 14 years old are at the highest risk .
ABC Family “Cyberbully” the movie 
Over the past few years a lot of attention has been brought to this subject through the media as well as on YouTube.
I personally have heard a lot about a young 15-year-old girl from Canada who committed suicide in Oct. named Amanda Todd. She became known after posting a video diary called ” My Story: Struggling, bullying, suicide and self-harm” on YouTube. She shared how being bullied since the seventh grade had become too much for her to handle. As she told her story you could see how lonely, scared and lost she was. She felt that she could not escape the horror of it all. The video became viral within weeks of her suicide. I remember watching the video and crying as she told her story and asked for help.
Her story was a sad one and all too real. Due to the popularity of the video, it received national attention and brought the issue of cyber bullying to the front pages of the media.
As a parent you can make a big difference…
Brenda High formed a website called JaredStory http://www.jaredstory.com in honor of her 13-year-old son. It was her way of dealing with his unfortunate suicide due to bullying and a way to help others as well. This website talks about the devastating effects bullying has on kids with links to help those who are searching for comfort, answers and insight on this terrible subject. She has also put together a compelling book, with the help of other Mothers whose children have also taken their own lives called ‘Bullycide in America’. 
What can YOU do as a parent?
- Monitor your child’s on-line viewing by keeping the computer in an open area 
- Use filtering software or block certain search engines 
- Tell your child to NEVER give up personal information to anyone on-line 
- Remind your child that what you put on the internet will ALWAYS be out there, even if they deleted it 
- Make sure they know to never respond to offensive, mean or rude comments and deleted them ASAP! 
- Encourage them to always tell you or another responsible adult if they are threatened or scared 
- Join a problem solving group in your community or local school district [3,4]
- Check out http://loveourchildrenusa.org
- Encourage your child to follow these 3 steps: Stop, Block & Tell… 
“The problem of cyberbullying is compounded by the very nature of its existence in the electronic world, where words can have a shelf life of months, years, and even decades. The tradition of home as a refuge from bullies on the school playground is over. The Internet is a new playground, and there are no off hours.”
~Adrianna Sgarlata Schweizer BPUSA Media Director, NYC – Miss Virginia 2006 
1] Fight Crime: In in Kids. Cyber Bully Pre-Teen 2006. Retrieved Nov.3, 2010 www.fightcrime.org
3] Stop Cyber Bullying. 2009 Bullying Statistics – Stop Bullying, Harassment, and Violence www.bullyingstatistics.org
4] The Cold Hard facts about Cyber Bullying. January 10, 2013. http://blog.sgrouples.com/cyber-bullying-facts/
5] Drift- Emely Osment (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) Uploaded July 31, 2011. http://youtu.be/5HNJgKlO_q4
6] Bullied Teen Amanda Todd’s Video Passes 17M Views. October 24, 2012. http://abcnews.go.com/US/bullied-teen-amanda-todds-video-passes-13m-views/story?id=17548856&page=2