Unit 3 - Argumentative Writing Topics: Topic 6 - Cyberbullying

MAIN IDEAS

• With the introduction and proliferation of digital, internet, and smartphone technologies, cyberbullying has emerged as an urgent concern in the first decades of the twenty-first century. Most adolescents report having experienced or observed cyberbullying.
• Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place in online spaces or through the use of digital devices. It involves the deliberate, repeated targeting of an individual to shame, intimidate, or degrade them; to cause harm; or to coerce the victim into doing something.
• All US states and the District of Columbia include cyberbullying or electronic attacks in their definitions of criminal harassment or in specific harassment laws. However, as of 2022 no federal law specifically addresses cyberbullying.
• Cyberbullying takes a serious toll on victims and may lead to declining academic performance, conflict with family members, and risky, illegal, or self-destructive behavior. In severe cases, victims may engage in self-harm, have suicidal ideation, and attempt or complete suicide.
• Cyberbullying affects online users of all ages, races, genders, religions, and economic classes. However, reports indicate some disparities. For example, transgender youth are disproportionately victimized.
• The "well-connected bully" asserts dominance or authority as a way of protecting his or her social status, while the "isolated bully" typically has problems identifying with others and may display a lack of empathy or succumb to peer pressure easily.