The choice of the proposed research fell on the issue of cyberbullying and the impact it may tend to have on teenagers. The power of technology and digital communication, in particular, is extremely strong nowadays. Alongside the opportunities and benefits digital technologies and the ubiquitous Internet connection carry, there exists a set of disadvantages and negative effects that are just as influential. The contemporary teenagers and adolescents of the developed countries are born and raised in the century of digital technologies and the Internet; as a result, they are particularly susceptible to the destructive impacts such as cyberbullying due to their age, emotional development, and sensitive psyche. The proposed research will be a qualitative review of the recent literature covering the issue of cyberbullying in teenagers for the purpose of identifying the prevalence and trends of this phenomenon.
In general, bullying is one of the behaviors typical for children and teenagers (Hinduja and Patchin 2). The contemporary youth are extremely engaged with the technologies and tend to use them a lot in their everyday lives for various activities, one of which is communication (National Crime Prevention Council 1-2). Accordingly, the harmful and aggressive behaviors have been transferred to the cyberspace and are just as dangerous as they can be in real life. Cyberbullying is defined as the use of the Internet and various modes of technology for the purpose of harming someone in an emotional or physical manner (NCPC 1). Cyberbullying can be practiced using a wide range of means and tools such as pictures, words, gossip, video clips, voice records, blogs, and postings online (Notar, Padgett, and Roden 2).
Anti-Defamation League reported distressing statistics concerning cyberbullying rates among young people; in particular, as many as 28% of teenagers aged 10 and older experience cyberbullying, and 87% witness someone else being bullied online (1-3). The danger of cyberbullying as a phenomenon lies in its diversity as it can translate into sexual harassment, life threats, it can target young people’s identities and appearances and can lead to physical assault.
Cyberbullying is recognized worldwide, with the prevalence rates ranging from 6 to 35% (Bottino, Bottino, Regina, Correira, and Ribeiro 464). Unfortunately, a high percentage of all cases of cyberbullying remain unreported, and parents and teachers are powerless in their attempts to minimize it (PACER Center 1-3).
The proposed research will seek to answer the following questions:
- What are the effects of cyberbullying on teenagers?
- What forms of cyberbullying are the most commonly reported?
- What prevention measures can be taken to minimize the effects or prevalence of cyberbullying?
The resources for this research will be found using an online search on the keywords “cyberbullying impact in teenagers.” The sources included in the research will be books, journal articles, governmental publications, and other reliable articles, preferably published within the last 5-10 years. The information found in these studies will be organized in accordance with the research questions. The proposed research will be of qualitative nature and based on the method of a literature review. The reliability and validity of the findings will be ensured due to the quality and quantity of the sources included. The proposed research will shed light on the issue of cyberbullying and facilitate a deeper understanding of its prevalence and magnitude in teenagers and the measures that can help address this problem.
Works Cited
Anti-Defamation League. “Statistics on bullying.” ADL, 2016. Web.
Bottino, Sara Mota, Cassio Bottino, Caroline Regina, Aline Correira, and Wagner Ribeiro. “Cyberbullying and adolescent mental health: Systematic review.” Cadernos de Saúde Pública, vol. 31, no. 3, 2015, pp. 463-475.
Hinduja, Sameer, and Justin W. Patchin. “Cyberbullying: Identification, prevention, & response.” Cyberbullying, 2014. Web.
National Crime Prevention Council. “Teens and cyberbullying.” NCPC. 2007. Web.
NCPC. “Stop cyberbullying before it starts.” n.d. Web.
Notar, Charles E., Sharon Padgett, and Jessica Roden. “Cyberbullying: A review of the literature.” Universal Journal of Educational Research, vol. 1, no. 1, 2013, pp. 1-9.
PACER Center. “Cyberbullying: What parents can do to protect their children.” 2013. Web.