Cyberbullying in the Lion’s Den

Aaronette Vonleh and Anna Strobbe|December 8, 2017

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Aaronette Vonleh

Cyberbullying has become a huge problem in society.

In an effort to find out what students that have witnessed, or have been exposed to cyber bullying at West Linn High School 30 surveys were handed out to students who responded anonymously. The survey included 10 multiple choice questions.

85 percent of the students said yes to being bullied on social media.

50 percent of the students admitted to bullying someone on social media.

Cyberbullying has been a big problem ever since social media became popular.

40 percent of students surveyed said that teacher administrators should monitor students use of social media.

According to kidshealth.org, Suicide is now the third leading cause of death for teenagers. 1 in 65,000 children ages 10-14 commit suicide every year, while 1 in every 12 teenagers self harm every year.

Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide with 7 percent have actually attempted it. 

While social media isn’t the only cause for this issue, It still plays a huge role in student’s lives as 80% of the students surveyed used 80 percent of the students used social media regularly. Since social media has become such a big part of the lives of the students at this school it’s hard to log off and ignore the notifications so, should the world step back and ask, “Is social media really worth it?”

The students that were surveyed were asked if social media is a good thing or a bad thing, and 87 percent said that it depends on the situation.  

Sure there are many great things social media can offer like connecting with old friends and meeting new people but with all the lives lost each year because of the bullying that occurs through these networks, how as a community can each one of us determine whether it is a good thing or a bad thing?

Over half of teens surveyed have been victims of cyberbullying and one out of three teens have engaged in cyberbullying.

Of course it would cause a huge upset to get rid of social media entirely but when students actually start taking action to stop the negative aspects of it as a community, all of us can make a difference.