"Cyber bullies can hide behind a mask of anonymity online and do not need direct physical access to their victims to do unimaginable harm", said Anna Maria Chavez. The result of combining technology and bullying originates a phenomenon, which is called cyber bullying. Cyber bullying involves sending or posting harmful or cruel text and/ or images using the Internet through any social media. Due to its harassing nature, cyber bullying negatively affects teenagers causing them emotional and psychological issues.
Cyber bullying can be even more dangerous than traditional bullying because offenders aren't attacking their victims face-to-face who cannot know why they are being targeted. Furthermore, the harassment can be easily shared on the Internet. The psychological distress that can result from this hassle is significant. Cyber bullying targets are exposed and humiliated in cyberspace, which often feels permanent; as a result, they feel overwhelmed due to their impossibility to handle that situation. Bullies denigrate and harass victims as intent to harm them and most of the times, they achieve it. Therefore, bullied kids feel vulnerable and powerless. They cannot feel safe anymore, because their privacy can be disturbed through a computer or a cellphone at any time. Consequently, victims often succumb to anxiety, depression and other stress-related issues. Primarily, this situation occurs for the reason that cyber bullying destroys self-esteem and self-confidence.
Victims usually lose interest in school. They skip school because in that way they avoid facing their bullies or feel embarrassed and humiliated by the messages or pictures that have been shared. Due to their anxiety and depression they lose the capability to focus and concentrate in class that's why they start to have bad grades. Most of them drop out of school or don't continue their studies after high school. The stress of being hounded can cause stress-related conditions such as headaches, stomach ulcers, skin conditions, and other physical ailments.
