Adolescence is a very difficult period of life.  Not only are we physically and emotionally growing and maturing at this time, but we socialize with kids going through the exact same process.  This creates an environment where the line between right and wrong is little known and often crossed, and it is this environment that is the perfect breeding ground for bullying.  Like anything else, as technology has developed bullying has adapted to this development.  Online cyber bullying is one of the most pervasive social issues faced today by America's youth.  Stopbullying.gov reports that "The 2010-2011 School Crime Supplement (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics) indicates that 9% of students in grades 6–12 experienced cyberbullying" and that "15% of high school students (grades 9-12) were electronically bullied in the past year."  The website also outlines why cyber bullying is different, and often more effective, than bullying in the past:

• ·     Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone. It can happen any time of the day or night.

• ·     Cyberbullying messages and images can be posted anonymously and distributed quickly to a very wide audience. It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the source.

• ·     Deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts, and pictures is extremely difficult after they have been posted or sent.

Not only is cyber bullying a much more effective way of harassing victims, it is also much easier to find yourself being a part of.  When messages are read online they are read simply as they are, with no tone of voice, body language, or other means of conveying any intended irony.  This means that messages can easily be misinterpreted and become a cause of anger and aggression, which may cause a person to lash out, something that is much easier to do online because there is a false sense of a lack of accountability.  When you are not face-to-face with someone it is easy to see them as an idea, the idea that they are offending you, and to say things to them that you would never think of saying to their face.  With all this in mind it is easy to see why so many kids across the country are often terrified of going to school.  Cyber bullying is a major social issue that we as a society must come together to address.

The stopbullying.gov article can be found in the link below.

http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/#whycyberbullying