Traditional bullying and cyberbullying are very serious issues in the United States, due to the soaring popularity of mobile devices and social networks among teenagers. Traditional bullying can be seen as an "aggressive, intentional act or behavior that is carried out by a group or an individual against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself." (Aphne, 1) This type of bullying is face-to-face and in some cases it can be physical. Cyberbullying is very similar to traditional bullying, but it occurs on the internet. It can happen on any website at any time. It can also happen to people that are alone. Cyberbullying is becoming a bigger situation as time passes as the internet comes into play more and more, and people need to notice and do something about it.
There are many harmful effects to being cyber-bullied. Some of these effects include thoughts of suicide, depression, and anxiety. Doing poorly in school is another effect of being cyber bullied because there is a huge lack in motivation which causes bad grades, and attendance problems. In many cases if someone is cyber-bullied it also occurs in person, then it is traditional bullying. If bullying is occurring at school or in other public places most people try to avoid going as much as possible which is why many kids drop out and/or don't attend. There are also many long term effects that also come into play when cyberbullying is or was apart of someones life. These effects can include low self esteem and health problems. "More than 80% of teenagers regularly use a cell phone and more then 10-20% are cyber bullied everyday". (stopbullying.gov 1) .
Cell phones and computers are not the blame for cyberbullying, its the person behind the electronics. The more and more people use their cell phones and internet the more cyberbullying happens only because there are always negative comments being said. There are even some cases in which someone doesn't know they are cyber bullying someone.