Cyberbullying Issue and Interventions

Introduction

The 21st century is known as the age of communication. It is now possible for individuals to remain connected with thousands of their peers thousands of kilometers away. However, this progress did not come without a price. The borders of what is considered public and private have shifted considerably, opening new avenues for exploitation and bullying. Modern bullies prefer to use cell phones and the internet to harass their victims from

Nowadays, about 10-20% of young people become victims of cyberbullies. Some researchers argue that because of its wide reach, cyberbullying is more dangerous than traditional bullying (Sticca and Perren 741). Cyberbullying is a significant and widely-spread problem of contemporary schools, although there are interventions for its reduction and prevention that can be applied.

Defining Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is the emotional abuse of individuals through various means of modern communication. It is typically done by posting messages, pictures, and videos using popular media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube, in order to threaten, harm, harass, target, or embarrass someone (Aboujaoude et al. 11). Cyberbullying is characterized by a complete lack of sensitivity and empathy towards the victim as well as a much greater scope. Thousands of people can participate in cyberbullying at the same time, exerting great amounts of psychological pressure.

Types of Bullying

There are two types of cyberbullying. Public cyberbullying is done by known individuals with a purpose of hurting, harming, or antagonizing another. This type of bullying is easier to prevent and stop, as the perpetrator is always known, which makes it possible to initiate legal action against them. The other type of bullying is anonymous. In that case, the individuals involved do not know the people they bully and are protected by anonymity from retribution. This type of bullying is much harder to counteract (Aboujaoude et al. 11).