In today’s technological age, people have numerous ways to communicate. Examples are messages, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and more. Each has its own unique way of enabling people to talk to the people around them. With so many different ways to send and receive information, problems arise that have changed the younger generation’s mental health and bullying. Cyberbullying is considered threatening, harassing, or intimidating a person over technology, and is becoming a more prominent problem for the youth over time.

Senior Reece Doner shows another place where cyberbullying takes place aside from social media, “I see cyberbullying the most when gaming. People really take things seriously, and sometimes people really just want to bring others down. There is a line that people cross, and it is no longer making fun and turns into bullying.”

Doner points out that there is a difference between “joking around” and bullying, it changes when personal attacks or comments that make a person uncomfortable.

Senior Ethan Palmer gives insight on the reasons behind cyberbullying and how it  has affected his own life:

“Cyber bullying is, in my opinion, the worst kind of bullying. Online we feel we can treat someone however we want with no consequences. But in truth it affects people more than you could imagine. The ability to speak without a sense of the repercussions is one of the most dangerous of all,” said Palmer.

One of the reaosons cyberbullying happens is because of the confidence people have behind a screen. As Palmer said, they feel like they will have no consequences, and people become used to saying whatever they want.

Social media is a place where cyberbullying happens all the time. With having hundreds of people viewing posts, information travels very quickly. Posting pictures of others without consent can lead to feelings of embarrassment. This situation happens more than people think, and it contributes to the problem of cyberbullying.

Overall, the creation of social media and communication through technology has significantly impacted the world. The mental health of  the youth has been affected in particular, this issue is fueled because it is easy to say something hurtful behind a screen or become reliant on the satisfaction that comes with likes or popularity. It creates problems for the students that can lead to depression, anxiety, and even thoughts of suicude, which can seriously hurt the  future  generations.