Topic > Essay on the Dangers of Social Media - 881

Almost all social media users have witnessed or experienced some form of cyberbullying and it is especially prevalent in one demographic, teenagers. According to Justin W. Patchin of the Cyberbullying Research Center, “On average, about 25% of students… said they had been a victim of cyberbullying at some point in their lives.” Any issue that affects a quarter of all students on social media is easily the top issue on social media; and sometimes cyberbullying can have serious consequences. The traumatic events of the last decade have shown the worst that social media can offer vulnerable users. Every day, parents, teachers, law enforcement, other students, and countless others face the opportunity for students to harm themselves or another individual due to suffering experienced on social media. Unfortunately, a school or public shooting by a bullied teen seems like an annual occurrence in the United States. While mass shootings get all the media attention, the thousands of teenagers who commit suicide due to cyberbullying do not. The reason preventing cyberbullying is such a difficult challenge is due to the inability to prevent an offender from committing acts of cyberbullying. The most effective way for a victim to stop cyberbullying is to ignore it or prevent a situation that allows it to occur. The blame is not placed on the victim;