Bullying and the Internet Technology is and will be constantly changing, which is why cyber bullying is becoming more and more of a problem. Some technological advances, such as the ability to undergo x-rays and MRIs, have had a positive effect, while others, such as the cell phone and social media, have not. Over the last 25 years or so, bullying has evolved from being picked on at school to being harassed through text messages, social media and emails. In the past, bullying could happen anywhere, such as on a playground, when a child came home. from schools, nurseries and other public places. It usually involved the bully "being physically present and insults, physical violence, taunts and other things occurring" (Dealing with a Bully and Overcoming Bullying). However, with recent technological advancements such as cell phones and social media on the rise, the new type of bullying has become known as cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can include anything such as “abusive text messages and emails, offensive messages, images or videos, imitating others online to set them up, excluding others online, and harmful online gossip and chat” (Cyberbullying). In this quote Keith and Martin describe how bullying is different from cyberbullying due to changes in technology: “Cyberbullying, while similar in its intent to hurt others through power and control, is different due to the use of these new technologies. " With the help of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, bullies can torment their victims when they are not face to face with them. They are able to send their victims unwanted messages and post inappropriate pictures and humiliating things about them online victims Although bullying has changed more from a telephone type... to a paper type... the most important advice for parents is to be aware of what their children do on the Internet by asking them for the password to access the their social media accounts and being able to access their computers and see what they have done. Through this type of technology, people are able to bully their peers without having to physically be there to hurt them so harmful and can lead to students ending their lives, people believe that cyberbullying should be a criminal offense, while other people who say that kids just need to learn to ignore what others say think that cyberbullying should not be a criminal offence. With the use of technology, bullying has gotten worse. While cyberbullying is happening and can be harmful, there are ways victims can get help to address and deal with it.
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