The Effect of Cyberbullying on Social Platforms

As a part of everyday life, Social Platforms has had an overpowering effect on people’s behaviors. Social Platforms have opened up exciting possibilities but there have been unethusiatic ones too. One is cyberbullying, the #1 cause of suicide around the world. Cyberbullying is on the rise, and the impact is often underestimated. In 2012, for example, a 15-year-old girl named Amanda Todd committed suicide due to cyberbullying. At first, people thought it was just a case of a rebellious teen seeking attention but later realized cyberbullying played an important role in the teenager’s life. Despite the well-publicized suicide cases around the world, people still mistakenly think social media does not influence people to commit suicide.

Cyberbullying affects people from any age, race or religion. It also affects their everyday lives. Many people feel embarrassed that they are going through a devastating time, in their lives. So, they feel suicide is the only way to stop everything they’re going through. For example, just last year an 18-year-old Brandy Vela shot herself in the chest in front of her family because she was constantly being attacked for her weight as a she became a target of cyberbullying. Society doesn’t realize that this is a major problem. Cyberbullying is more than just kids picking on kids. It’s a dangerous overgrown disease that needs to be cut from the root before we lose more innocent people.

Social media is getting more popular as years pass, but so is cyberbullying. You basically see this unnatural behavior in everyday life even when you’re going through your favorite celebrity page and we so happen to check their comments section on a recent picture they posted. And all we see is people commenting disgusting things to someone they don’t even know personally is just disturbing. Cyberbullying gives other people power to sit behind a computer screen and anonymously or not say hateful things to people. Back in 2014, an Australian model-actress Charlotte Dawson committed suicide by hanging herself after constantly being attack on social media. Another celebrity recently attacked via social media was Selena Gomez after the famous designer Dolce and Gabbana initiated the attack by stating that she was “so ugly.” After those hateful statements, she checked herself into rehab for anxiety and depression.

There is a consistent relationship between cyberbullying and depression among people all over the world. The weight of social media in our lives is too much to handle and people already have enough to face in their daily life to worry about hateful things people say to them. Society tends to forget that innocent lives are being lost every day because of cyberbullying. Another devasted case of cyberbullying is of a 12-year-old girl from Florida named Gabriela Green who in January committed suicide by hanging herself because she couldn’t take the pressure of being harassed. No one would think that a 12-year-old would be thinking about committing such a horrific act upon herself. Back in 2010, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince committed suicide by hanging herself after becoming a target of cyberbullying numerous times. The reality of cyberbullying is unbelievably different and unfortunately much more severe than we all imagine.

Parents have an important role to play in helping their kids navigate social platforms safely. For example, parents should occasionally check their kid’s social platforms for any evidence of cyberbullying or any suspicious message. Secondly, parents should always talk to their kids about the harm social platforms can cause. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people around the world. People should take into consideration what they say and what they write on a daily every time they log in to any social media. To help prevent undesirable pain to others.

People sometimes think that they do enough with teaching their kids to be good, but fail to talk to their kids about how hateful and harmful social platforms really are. The internet has been an amazing force for good, but it has caused undeniable suffering. We can all bring awareness to this delicate situation if we help each other instead of hurting one another. If someone is going through this situation or is having suicidal thoughts don’t hesitate to talk to someone or call The Suicidal thought line at 1800-273-8255. Together we can create an environment that limits the presences of cyberbullying and its negatives impacts on people.

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