In this article, we talked about the meaning of bullying/ cyber bullying, we also talked about the effect and types of bulling.
Definition
Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of digital technologies. It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones. It is repeated behavior, aimed at scaring, angering or shaming those who are targeted. Examples include:
spreading lies about or posting embarrassing photos or videos of someone on social media is a cyberbullying
sending hurtful, abusive or threatening messages, images or videos via messaging platforms
impersonating someone and sending mean messages to others on their behalf or through fake accounts.
Face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying can often happen alongside each other. But cyberbullying leaves a digital footprint – a record that can prove useful and provide evidence to help stop the abuse.
Bullying is when people repeatedly and intentionally use words or actions against someone or a group of people to cause distress and risk to their wellbeing.
Effects of Cyberbullying:
When bullying happens online it can feel as if you’re being attacked everywhere, even inside your own home. It can seem like there’s no escape. The effects can last a long time and affect a person in many ways:
Mentally – feeling upset, embarrassed, stupid, even afraid or angry
Emotionally – feeling ashamed or losing interest in the things you love
Physically – tired (loss of sleep), or experiencing symptoms like stomach aches and headaches
The feeling of being laughed at or harassed by others, can prevent people from speaking up or trying to deal with the problem. In extreme cases, cyberbullying can even lead to people taking their own lives.
Cyberbullying /bullying can make you might start to feel ashamed, nervous, anxious and insecure about what people say or think about you. This can lead to withdrawing from friends and family, negative thoughts and self-talk, feeling guilty about things you did or did not do, or feeling that you are being judged negatively. Feeling lonely, overwhelmed, frequent headaches, nausea or stomachaches are also common.
Cyberbullying /bulling can make you to lose your motivation to do the things that you usually enjoy doing and feel isolated from the people you love and trust. This can preserve negative feelings and thoughts which can adversely affect your mental health and well-being.
Cyberbullying can make one to start Skipping school is another common effect of cyberbullying and can affect the mental health of young people who turn to substances like alcohol and drugs or violent behavior to deal with their psychological and physical pain. Talking to a friend, family member or school counsellor you trust can be a first step to getting help.
The effects of cyberbullying on mental health can vary depending on the medium through which it happens. For example, bullying via text messaging or through pictures or videos on social media platforms has proven to be very harmful for adolescents.
TYPES OF BULLING
- Physical bullying can involve hitting, kicking, pinching, pushing, or otherwise attacking others.
- Verbal bullying refers to the use of words to harm others with name-calling, insults, making sexual or bigoted comments, harsh teasing, taunting, mimicking, or verbal threats.
- Relational bullying focuses on excluding someone from a peer group, usually through verbal threats, spreading rumors, and other forms of intimidation.
- Reactive bullying involves the bully responding to being a former victim by picking on others.
- Bullying can also involve assault on a person’s property, when the victim has his or her personal property taken or damaged.
Conclusion
You can lose your motivation to do the things that you usually enjoy doing and feel isolated from the people you love and trust. This can preserve negative feelings and thoughts which can adversely affect your mental health and well-being. Face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying can often happen alongside each other. But cyberbullying leaves a digital footprint – a record that can prove useful and provide evidence to help stop the abuse.