Title Try to think of one teenager that you have not seen glued to either a phone, computer, or tablet at some point. Pretty difficult, right? We are living in an age where digitals have become essential for teenagers to keep up with what is going on or who said what. By definition, the internet is “an electronic communications network that connects computer networks and organizational computer facilities around the world” (Merriam-Webster). The key words from that definition “communications network” and “around the world”. In the matter of a few keystrokes, children and teenagers can connect with people from as close as down the block to as far as the other side of the world. What adults can see are the backs of phones, the backs of laptops, …show more content…
It only seems to get worse throughout high school. A Cox Communications survey of teens ages 13-18 found that most students agreed that online bullying is a serious problem for today’s youth and that there should be stricter rules regarding online bullying (Kowalski). These students agree that cyberbullying is much more powerful than regular bullying and people can use the internet to be a lot meaner. The use of social networking is so powerful because people were creating public identities online while keeping their activities, conversation, and true identities hidden (Watkins). This is what made these websites so popular among young adults and young teenagers. The Pew Internet & American Life Project conducted a studying and found that one third of teens say that they have experienced some sort of online bullying …show more content…
School officials need to be made aware of what is happening before serious mental, emotional, or physical damage is inflicted on a child. In the case that the offenses were sent using school provided technology, the school district has the responsibility to address and take care of the situation immediately (Kowalski). School administrators are being forced to confront the dilemma of figuring out how much authority they have over a student’s online behavior by law because they are not their legal guardians. We are living in such a digital age that educators have been forced to rethink issues including the role of technology in their curriculum, personal use of technology in schools, and what digital media means for the social, emotional, and educational development of school-age students (Watkins). Another issue is that some teachers are not even aware of the problem of cyberbullying because it takes place outside of the school day and the students do not speak out about it (Kowalski). This could mean that students are afraid of what teachers, administrators, or parents will think/do when they find out what is going on. This could also mean that students fear that other students and the bullies themselves will find out that the victim resorted to authority for help. A student may feel like he/she is showing weakness by getting help, but in reality, they are showing strength. Students say that even during the