Having grown up during the development of the internet and all it has brought us, I’ve experienced the gamut of online experiences. From the screeches and binging of logging onto the internet, connections so slow that I would go to a website expecting to make some tea or a sandwich before the site loaded, to our current world of endless information at the click of a button. It’s truly amazing how much things have changed in the last 20 years.
Along with these advancements come some major pitfalls. The internet has opened up a whole new medium for a myriad of social interactions, many positive, but at least as many are negative. Bullying has taken on a whole new meaning, having moved from the playground to the internet. Bullies can now torment their victims without the need to taunt them face-to-face. This has opened up a host of opportunities for bullies to psychologically abuse victims.
According to a recent study released by the US Centers for Disease Control, the suicide rate for children between the ages of 10 and 14 has doubled since 2007. This is a disturbing statistic. The fact that children, who have barely lived at all, have found life too unbearable to continue, is saddening. The fact that the suicide rate has doubled in less than a decade is alarming.
I recently learned that my thirteen year old niece was put on suicide watch. Thirteen. I couldn’t believe it. I wondered what could drive this lively, young, quirky, cool girl to contemplate taking her life. After speaking with my sister, it was a combination of factors. Mean girls, depression, coming out, bullies, etc. My niece had come out of the closet and had experienced some backlash from friends. On top of that, she was/is depressed and was being bullied online and at school. It’s scary to think that all of this drover her to want to kill herself, which begs the question: How can we prevent this?
An number of studies have been conducted regarding online bullying and the effects it has on children. In addition, there have been many cases in the news of kids being harassed and bullied to the point of suicide. Ultimately, the solution, or prevention, rests on the shoulders of parents and teachers. Being aware of what’s going on in your child’s life, picking up on key phrases or feelings “I wish I could go to sleep forever” or “I wish I were dead” would be queues for parents and teachers to start opening communication and begin prevention efforts.
The true cause remains foggy. It’s relative to the individual and their personal experiences. Because of this, it makes adolescent suicide very hard to study, but not impossible. Ultimately, more effort needs to be put into studying the problem so we can come up with a solution. Until then, prevention is key. Awareness and action on the part of parents and teachers is essential when it comes to targeting at-risk kids and intervening before tragedy strikes.
Middlebrook, H. (2016, November 03). Suicide deaths on the rise in kids. Retrieved November 06, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/03/health/kids-suicide-deaths-increase/index.html.
Tags: adolescent, Community, cyberbullying, suicide
I feel so strongly about adolescent suicide – it is something that isn’t addressed enough globally. Cyber bullying is definitely one of the major causes of adolescent suicide. There is a movie called Cyberbully – a teen was given a laptop by her mother for her birthday and she joined a social media website. She was bullied so harshly and her friends turned their backs on her. She tried to commit suicide, fortunately she was found before anything serious happened to her. I have seen cyberbullying happen all over social media sites and it is horrific. You are correct when you say it is difficult to study adolescent suicide. However, as individuals of a society where adolescent suicide is so common we must take action when we can.
I am sorry to hear about your niece. Cyber bullying is a huge problem among kids and adolescents. Parents should discuss the effects of cyber bullying with their children. The fact that the suicide rate has doubled among this age group is heart breaking. Some of the things that are posted on social media sites can damage an adolescent’s reputation which is the goal of cyber bullies.
Thanks for your post, I am dearly sorry to hear about your niece, I hope she will be able to get better quickly. I find the topic of teenage suicide linked to online bullying extremely heartbreaking. I had a friend whom had been in a horrible car accident and ended up killing the passenger. Rather than his friends supporting him, people were writing awful things online, calling him an “idiot” and a “murderer”. Six months later, the young man ended up committing suicide. I am not going to say in this case specifically that it was entirely the result of online bullying, however, I do believe if people had surrounded him and supported him rather than bullied him on Facebook, his fate could have been much different.
The worst part of this problem is, as you said, these children are so young. They have barely got life started when they get ready to pull the plug. Unfortunately, much of this can be attributed to bullying, which has become much easier via the Internet. One statistic stated, “20% of kids cyber bullied think about suicide, and 1 in 10 attempt it.” Another statistic stated, “4500 kids commit suicide each year” making it the 3rd leading cause of death among young adults. Lastly cyber bully hotline reported, “81% of teens say bullying online is easier to get away with”. These statistics all point to the same conclusion. We really need to be monitoring children and their use of technology. Not only does it give them access to a world they shouldn’t have thick enough skin for yet, it jeopardizes their health and limits their knowledge of genuine social interactions. Awareness must be raised and publicized about the reality of how typed words on a screen can affect their recipient. Our children are our hearts and our future, we cant afford to destroy it. Thanks again for sharing, I really do hope the best for your niece.
“Cyberbullying Rampant on the Internet.” Cyberbullying Stats Show Massive Occurance Rate. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016. .
I think cyberbullying allows people to gain the power they want over other people that they would normally not have outside their computer. The computer gives them this security and protection to say whatever they want to say. I have fell victim to this once or twice, but some children are no as resilient as I was. The fact that one person could hurt another person so much that they would not want to live breaks my heart. I could never do this to someone. I cannot even imagine how terrible I would feel if someone took their own life because of mu actions.
The internet is an amazing thing that can allow you to connect with friends all over the world, but like most amazing things it does come with its down side. Cyberbullying is definitely one of its big downsides. I watch this movie on Netflix called A Girl Like Her that was really a moving movie about bullying. I think this is a movie that might show a lot of children who bully what they can do to other people. Realizing how much you can hurt someone else might help deter these children.
I agree with you that parents really need to step in and teach their kids how every action has a consequence. Even though they might not see it because they are hiding behind a computer it is still there.