Salomé Castaño 9ºA
As is well known, young people today have been affected by the freedom conceived after joining a website or even a chat with friends on the Internet. Likewise, many of them have witnessed, without realizing it, the countless risks that arise after giving and spreading all the personal information to social networks. It is true, cyberbullying is a very popular media term that has been included in the vocabulary of teenagers for quite some time now. However, not everyone had taken the time to analyze the repercussion and the prejudice that this word can have on those who navigate the web and are exposed to be victims of this phenomenon. Younger children are severely affected by the lack of information, but they still do not give relevance to what is important. Therefore, the damage generated to teenagers can interfere with their development process and some stages of adulthood.
According to the International University of La Rioja (UNIR): “teenagers who are victims of cyberbullying are likely to have a decreasing quality of life.” It is possible to affirm that the vulnerability of young people in case of online abuse is greater, due to the physical, biological, and social changes that must be faced during growth. In addition, “With bullying on the networks, an individual, who is going through this transition stage, is at risk of having its self-esteem damaged, among other things since they need the acceptance from their pairs.” (Gómez Maqueo, 2015). Because underage children look ways to fit into social groups that contradict their principles, they feel guilty for not being able to achieve it. Considering the above, during adolescence there is an increase in stress levels since people are in search of their own identity. They allow themselves to be influenced by public opinion.
Now, cyberbullying attach itself to the ideals and stereotypes instituted by society, because by doing this it achieves a greater impact inside the mind of a child; it creates a domino effect on the personality. Additionally, there is the cyberaggressor, who seeks to be an authority figure for its victim, this person tends to have a low self-esteem, so it feels a level of superiority when attacking someone else through Internet. It is essential to add that “Those responsible for cyberbullying are usually young children with poor parental supervision and with a good management of information, in addition, they have access to devices such as a computer or cell phone” (UNAM, 2015). Consequently, part of the problem is the lack of communication between the family and the teen, since in an unhealthy relationship it is impossible to impose restrictions that keep the minor and its possible victim safe.
As a result of what has been exposed in the essay, it must be concluded that cyberbullying is a phenomenon that affects mostly people between 11 and 18 years old, since they are the ones who are going through a stage of life in which each comment exposes them to different changes in their psychology. It should also be noted that the presence from this type of abuse is not only the fault of young people -even if this was previously believed- but also of the adults around them, as in many cases grown-up are the ones who allow their children to develop a certain libertinism when using the Internet. Finally, it is also worth mentioning that victims of online abuse suffer consequences that affect their present as well as a pleasant life as adults in the future, due to the series of insecurities and fears cultivated by what happened in the past.