Individuals who experience cyberbullying may begin to have low self-esteem. This psychological problem usually arises when a bully succeeds in harassing a person based on his or her physical appearance and looks. Victims of such cyberbullying may lose self-confidence and become overly self-conscious due to the feeling of embarrassment they endure. Eventually, a victim might try to lose weight or overeat if cyberbullied. All these eating disorders as a coping mechanism have implications on a person’s health. Also, the feeling of ‘not being appealing’ to others can affect a person mentally.

Physically, cyberbullying can cause a victim to fall ill owing to the stress that comes with being shamed in the public sphere. Common physical conditions such as tiredness, stomach aches, headaches, insomnia, and chest pain can easily stem from one’s exposure to online harassment. Furthermore, the stress can trigger skin complications, which further wears away the self-esteem of the individual.

Most often, cyberbullying victims develop anti-social behaviour as they withdraw from public spaces or even families. The reason is quite obvious: they do not want to get involved in doing things for fear of further embarrassment. Not everyone is able to handle the burden of being bombarded with content that leaves them unhappy. For instance, sharing a video of a student who provides a wrong answer to a question that the majority of his or her classmates deem simple on all the school’s platforms- as a way of ridiculing him or her. Such a student can be depressed over time and hardly will contribute to class discussions in the future.

Research indicates that cyberbullying may encourage suicidal tendencies in some victims. Online bullying feels more permanent, especially when it is performed through social media posts that are retrievable over time. Seeing one’s nudity being shared and re-posted can leave the victim devastated and shuttered- hence a feeling of hopelessness. At this point, such a victim may consider death as the only escape, although taking one’s own life is not an option in any situation.

Indeed, cyberbullying has become pervasive in society. The negative effects cyberbullying poses raise a cause for public concern. Though the abuse may be brief, the trauma cyberbullying causes can last a lifetime or even end a life. Several individuals, groups, and institutions are advocating for the need to stop cyberbullying as the act threatens society’s harmony and social order.

REFERENCE

Information from www.unicef.org, www.usa.kapersky.com, www.familylives.org.uk, www.cyberwise.com was used in this story