Cyberbullying: The Case Of The Amanda Todd

Starting at a young age, we are all told the same cliché phrase, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Nearly everyone has heard this mantra, but is it true? Can’t words hurt as well? The drilling of this phrase is one of the reasons why the issue of bullying is so prominent in schools today. Children don’t know the effect their words can have on others, and students are not receiving the safe learning environment they are promised. In this day and age, where technology is a part of our everyday lives, bullying can manifest in a way previous generations have not experienced—through social media. Social media has become a platform where bullies are able to exploit the flaws of their victims on a much larger scale. The rapid diffusion of information makes the detriment even more significant, but with the proper awareness, the number of bullying cases can be dramatically decreased.

With material received through social media, bullies are able to manipulate their victims with private photos and information. Children are ignorant to the dangers of sharing information over the internet, and this is shown in the case of the Amanda Todd. Her story brought the severity of cyberbullying among teens to the public eye for the first time. Amanda was a 15-year-old girl who was cyberbullied by Aydin Coban, a stranger she met online. Coban obtained private photos of Amanda, and after a disagreement, he distributed the photos of Amanda through social media to all of her peers. Subsequently, she slipped into a depression that led to her suicide. Cases like this can be diminished through education. Parents must educate their children on internet etiquette, meaning that personal information and photos should not be shared online. These cases can be drastically decreased simply by teaching children what can and cannot be shared