Understanding the Causes of Cyberbullying – Take A Step Today

As teens grow, they explore new things. One of those new adventures is the internet. The internet is a big fantasy land for them where they can get access to a variety of stuff. From informational to educational information, everything can be explored on the internet. But teens are teens, they get to reach to the edges of everything. So, in no time, they can reach dark places too. As they start using these glamorous social media platforms, they don’t realize the depth of it.

One of the most important threats related to digital media is cyberbullying. Parents are now more than just worried about how small things can add up and destroy their kids’ lives. For this, there is a need for parents to know the real causes of cyberbullying and how they can prevent it from ruining the youth of their kids.

Prevent Cyberbullying Now

What is Cyberbullying?

The real question lies in understanding what is cyberbullying. It is a modern type of bullying that takes place over digital media through smart devices such as phones, tablets, laptops, etc. The moment the kids sign up to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., they are prone to such dangers.

Cyberbullying includes sending insulting and humorous messages to each other, posting each other’s private and disrespectful photos, videos, or chats in public and other things of this sort. The basic motive behind these acts is to humiliate the other person. Since the teens are on an emotional edge, they feel everything at great intensity.

Possible Causes of Cyberbullying

On both sides of the bully and the victim, there are plenty of reasons leading up to this kind of behavior. But most commonly, the bullied are the real culprits as they are the ones who start this all. Most of the time, the victim has no part in it unless he has intrigued the other person with some behavior. Still, this kind of behavior has some root causes that must be addressed and looked for in every teen. Any teen can become a bully. Some of the main causes of cyberbullying are:

Some sort of stress and trauma can lead up to this behavior. Sometimes sudden stress can cause emotionally imbalanced teens to choose this path for their pleasure.
66% of the people who are bullied are males. And, most of them have aggressive attitude at home. If your kid shows continuous aggressive behavior, there are high chances of him choosing the wrong path.
When kids have low self-esteem, they hurt other’ self-esteem to feel good about themselves.
If there is a history of being bullied with the kid, there are high chances that he will adopt the same behavior for some form of revenge.
When kids have difficulties at home, they often take it out outside. If parents are constantly fighting, or the home environment is disturbing, there are high chances that your kid can become a bully.
Failed and poor relationships can also lead kids to choose this kind of path.

If you see any of these behaviors in your teens, it is time to talk to them before they adopt any dangerous path.

Effects of Cyberbullying On Teens

A teen’s mind is a vulnerable one. When they are humiliated or insulted, we cannot even imagine at what intensity they can feel it. Most of the time, the issue is smaller for us but for them, that same issue becomes so big that they choose to harm themselves. Most kids also choose the path of suicide out of this humiliation. Here are some of the most common effects of cyberbullying on teens:

Being a target of cyberbullying makes them feel overwhelmed. They suddenly face this stress that everyone knows silly things about them.
They feel vulnerable at once. Since they are the victims, they don’t seem to help themselves. They feel that their privacy is lost and now everything can be explored.
They feel humiliated all the time. Whenever they go outside, they feel like everyone is questioning them.
They don’t feel like themselves. In fact, they feel like they are not good. They tend to change themselves to become more like their bullies.
All the time, there is anger building up inside them that keeps on increasing.
They feel alone most of the time. They feel like there is no one who can understand them.
They have this feeling that everyone will betray them. It makes it difficult for them to build a relationship in the future especially when they are betrayed by their best friends or partners.

Some of the effects get so severe that kids start harming themselves. It is better to capture the things at the very start. Know more here: https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-are-the-effects-of-cyberbullying-460558

Some Facts About Cyberbullying:

Here are some very important facts about cyberbullying that will help the parents understand why the situation is getting worse:

About 99% of a teen is using the internet and have access to a mobile phone.
23% of the students have admitted that they have said cruel things to someone on the internet.
Girls tend to be in the lead in both being the victim and the bully.
60% of young people have seen cyberbullying.
Only 1 in 10 inform their parents about the situation they are facing.

What Should Parents Do?

It is a very difficult scenario for parents. However, there are things that can be done on their part to save their kids. One of the most important things is to use a parental control app. A parental control app lets you monitor your kids all the time. You can look at their social media activity, call and messages log, and much more.

The main purpose of using such an app shouldn’t be to invade their privacy only. In fact, it should be about protecting them whenever necessary. When you know they are not talking to you but they are in trouble, you can lend a hand. If you keep them doing whatever they want, you might end up seeing them in a lot of trouble.