Jamie Mandeville

Professor McGriff

ENC 1102

4 March 2020

Final Draft
Cyberbullying is best defined as the use of electronic communication to cause harm

through harassment or threatening behaviors as mentioned in the article “Cyberbullying” by

researcher Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph. The use and development of technology has allowed for a

drastic increase in the number of cyberbullied victims per year. Unfortunately, teens and young

adults have become the most vulnerable and targeted through the social media and the internet.

With constantly growing internet platforms, social media and self-esteem cause cyberbullying to

impact teenagers’ mental and physical health which needs to be acknowledged as a rising issue.

Social media use has infiltrated the daily lives of teenagers and young adults all around

the world. In the article “Teen Social Media Use May Increase Mental Health Risks”, author

Caitlin Hoffman gives the rising issues involved with social media which take on two forms on

how teenagers handle certain situations which can lead to bullying or getting bullied. One of

these forms being internalizing behaviors which “can involve social withdrawal, directing

feelings inward, or difficulty coping with anxiety or depression.” (Hoffman 3). Internal

behaviors can influence a young, developing mind that can affect schoolwork, social life,

individual goals or morals, and overall reshape a person due to an internalized issue. Another

form being externalizing behaviors which “can include aggression, acting out, disobeying, or

other observable behaviors” (Hoffman 2). Externalizing behaviors can be dangerous for both the

teenager as well as fellow peers. Lashing out, aggressive behaviors can all lead to a growth in

negative hobbies or being a part of the wrong crowd and could conclude in a rise of trouble. Both
forms of behaviors are unhealthy and are negative attributes on the minds of young adults. The

behaviors can be the causes and effects of cyberbullying within the media. The concept of

bullying on social media is not unfamiliar to teens. In a recent report, “8 Tips for Parents of

Teens with Depression” by researcher Michele Hamm, it was discovered that “a median of 23

percent of teens reported being targeted. About 15 percent reported bullying someone online

themselves” (Pappas 6). Not only are a noticeable portion of teens being victimized, but they are

also contributing to the online issues themselves. The percentage of teens being targeted is

disappointing let alone the other 15% who are also contributing to the bullying of others. This is

where the different behavior types come into play. Teenagers act out or respond in certain ways

on social media due to their internal and external behaviors. Social media overall has a huge

impact in the influence of cyberbullying and how it effects teenagers. But certain social media

platforms are at higher risk for bullying to occur.

Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook are all very popular social media platforms that have

teens hooked. Facebooks audience holds 72% of users to be between the ages of 50 to 64.

Instagram users tend to be used by young adults, 57% being ages 25 to 29. 90% of Snapchat

users are from the ages 13 to 24 which accounts for most teenagers. According to a Pew

Research Poll, “about 35% percent of 13 to 17 year old’s say they’re active on Snapchat more

than any other social media app” (Bennett 3). The constant activity has lead to tears in emotional

and physical health from teens due to the harsh words and foul treatment from other users.

Snapchat has allowed bullying through messages, photos, posts, etc. Instagram is also a main

place where bullying takes place. Whether it’s a comment, a post, or a direct message, Instagram

is slowly becoming well known as a bullying hot spot. Mentioned in the article, “Teens Are

Being Bullied ‘Constantly” On Instagram”, Instagram “provides a uniquely powerful set of tools
to do so. The velocity and size of the distribution mechanism allow rude comments or harassing

images to go viral within hours” (Lorenz 3). The idea that one post can be seen by millions,

possibly even billions in such a short time frame is terrifying on its own. The entire platform is

high speed and high risk. Users from left and right from all of the country can post, comment,

like and harm other users in an instant. Teenagers consistently ridicule others and are also being

harmed and treated unfairly themselves. These social networks are main causes of cyberbullying.

The idea of internet safety and cyberbullying awareness needs to be recognized and done about.

In todays age, confidence is limited among teens and young adults. Magazines, TV, Ads

and commercials try to show the ridiculous expectations of teens and how they are expected to

dress, act, talk, look, and so on. The constant battle of self-image and who looks the best plays a

large role in surrounding cyberbullying. According to the journal “Cyberbullying and Self-

Esteem”, “bullying and self-esteem consistently finds that victims of bullying tend to have lower

self-esteem than non-victims.  It may be that the experience of being victimized decreases one’s

self-esteem, or that those who have low self-esteem are more likely to be targeted as

victims” (Patchin 3). Bullying can cause the low self-esteem, but low self-esteem can also

cause bullying. Upward social comparison is meant to be a beneficial ideal, but “it often causes

people to feel inadequate, have poorer self-evaluations and negative affect” (Marsh and Parker

6). Teens are constantly comparing themselves to other teens and other influential people. Teens

tend to tear others down on social media, text, calls, or any form of cyber communication in

order to make themselves feel better. Low self-esteem is a large factor in that having low self-

esteem cannot only make one the victim in a situation, but it can also allow for built up

aggression and self-hatred that leads to bullying others to feel justified.

that surrounds their children, students, and business. Cyberbullying is not and has never been a

joking matter. The issue should not be taken lightly and there should be safety methods in place

for teenagers and young adults. Even though all states have laws requiring schools to respond to

bullying, many states do not add cyberbullying within these laws. The common excuse used is

that it is hard for parents, adults, or even school faculty members to recognize and acknowledge

cyberbullying taking place. This is exactly why laws need to be enacted to protect and support

users and to raise awareness on the subject. When cyberbullying occurs, there are many possible

ways to handle the situation. One can block or report the bully. One can tell trusted adult or

police in case of emergency. There are laws and regulations on websites, media platforms and

within the community that have ways of handling cyberbullying. But there are not enough.

Knowing the signs and internal and external behavior factors of teenagers will help prevent

harm. Parents being involved and aware of their children’s online access will help prevent harm.

Staying alert and involved in the issue will help prevent harm.

Cyberbullying is not a simple nor easy topic to discuss. It effects millions of people every

day from all over the world. This bullying harms teens and young adult’s mental health and is

caused mainly by social media and self-esteem issues. This problem has not gone away and will

not end unless more precautions and awareness are made.

University, 2020 John Hopkins University, https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/09/11/social-media-teen-

mental-health/.

Lorenz, Taylor. “Teens Are Being Bullied ‘Constantly” On Instagram.” The Atlantic,

Technology, October 10, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/10/teens-

face-relentless-bullying-instagram/572164/.

Pearl Ben-Joseph, Elana. “Cyberbullying.” Teens Health from Nemours, KidsHealth, April

2018, 1995-2020 The Nemours Foundation, https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/cyberbullying.html.

Bennett, Willa. “Teens Share Snapchat Bullying Stories.” Teen Vogue, Identity, October 23,

2019, 2020 Conde Nast, https://www.teenvogue.com/story/teens-share-snapchat-bullying-stories.

Pappas, Stephanie. “Cyberbullying on Social Media Linked to Teen Depression.” Live Science,

June 22, 2015, Future US, Inc. https://www.livescience.com/51294-cyberbullying-social-media-

teen-depression.html.

Patchin, Justin. “Self-Esteem and Cyberbullying.” Cyberbullying Research Center, September

24, 2010, American School Health Association, Journal of School Health.

https://cyberbullying.org/self-esteem-and-cyberbullying