Cyber Bullying and Mental Illnesses
How Cyber Bullying is related to Mental Illnesses
Facts!
- 450 million Facebook uses have a mental disorder
- 20% of kids cyber bullied think about suicide
- Bullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide
- Cyber Bullying significantly increased levels of depression among teens 12-18
- Those Cyber Bullied over 6 months are more likely to have depression and substance abuse
- 1 in 5 teens suffer from a mental illness
- 25 percent of teenagers have been cyber bullied repeatedly
- Only 7% of U.S. parents are worried about cyber bullying, even though 33% of teenagers have been victims of cyber bullying
- 90% of people who have witnessed cyber bullying ignored it
- Well over half of young people do not tell their parents when cyber bullying occurs.
This graph shows that if you are depressed you are more likely to be cyber bullied and vice versa.
3 Ways to Prevent Cyber Bullying
- Always think before you post, people could forward things very easily
- Keep your password a secret from everyone, even your friends
- Control who sees your profile online to keep strangers or bullies out
3 Websites to Learn About Cyber Bullying
- stopbullying.gov
- cyberbullying.us
- kidshealth.org
Daisy Colemam
Daisy Coleman was a teen in Maryville Tennessee when she was 14. One night when friend and her were watching movies at home, a popular older boy, Matt Barnett, texted Daisy wanting to hang out. Since they were young, she thought it would be cool to hang out with an older guy. He picked them up and took them back to his place. He gave Daisy and her friend a lot too drink so they wouldn't know what was happening. The next morning, Daisy woke up barely conscious in her front yard. Her mom took her to the hospital and that's when she found out she was raped. Instead of people trying to help her, people thought she was lying and teamed up with Matt. That is when they started bullying her online and later, she tried to commit suicide but wasn't successful.
3 Ways to Respond to Cyber Bullying
- Don't retaliate, it will just give the bully more reason to hurt you
- Most importantly, tell a trusted adult what is happening
- Most social websites let you report bullying