inflicted cyberbullying.

In order for society to progress

and prevent bullying, the people who

use online networking and high-tech

devices — nearly everyone — must

recognize that there is a problem and

focus on the intensifying relationship

between the growing prominence of

technology in teenagers’ everyday

lives and technology’s psychological

influence on teenagers’ reasoning.

Factors, such as time online,

parental control, and emotional

prioritization to gadgets with social

networking conveniences, affect

how teenagers reason and choose to

handle cyberbullying.

Today’s new and innovative

methods to share, present, and com-

municate ideas parallel the evolving

technology rapidly becoming availa-

ble to the public. The issue of cyber-

bullying remains a psychologically

detrimental affliction, especially in

this transitional time period toward a

growing high-tech society.

Teenagers spend more time en-

gaged on mobile devices and social

networking websites compared to

time spent online four years ago.

Due to the upsurge in occupied time

online, more moderate parental

monitoring, and the emotional con-

nection to high-tech gadgets, the

advancing cyber world allows for an

inattentive and neglectful sense of

detachment when bullying occurs to

the effect where the bully does not

deliberate or feel bothered by the

potential consequences. The very

nature of comprehending and con-

trolling technology serves as the

psychological barrier which gives

reason for the victim to endure the

Over 60 percent of 11

to 18 year olds admit to

being ―very‖ or ―quite‖

obsessed to the Internet,

as found in research

conducted by

Cransfield School of

Management.

A colossal survey, conducted by Time magazine, as reported in 2012,

which examined 5,000 Americans, Chinese, Indians, Britons,

South Koreans, South Africans, Indonesians, and Brazilians,

revealed:

20 percent of respondents check their phone every 10 minutes.

84 percent could not go a single day without their cellphones.

50 percent of Americans sleep with their phone next to them

like a teddy bear or a spouse, a number that

includes more than 80 percent of 18-24 year olds.

T E E N P R I N T I N C .

Addict Adolescent Times

A P R I L 8 , 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

Covering the latest

Teen Trends Social Issues

Education News

The extent

of addiction

has

drastically

climbed

from 60

percent in

2009 to

84 percent

in 2012.

P A G E 2

Briefing: Accessibility and Parents Any young person

can text, set up an email,

Facebook, blog, Twitter,

MySpace, or any other

type of social networking

account. Setting up an

account is usually a fast

and easy process. Those

who make accounts

bargain their rights and

themselves to the

common online risk of

cyberbullying.

This includes the

power to share their per-

sonal lives with, phenom-

enally, the entire cyber

world, the psychological

stimulation of being

online, the anonymity, as

well as the augmented

chances of involvement

in cyberbullying, due to

the extensive time spent

online. Since almost all

of America’s teens go

online and own cell-

phones, with the promi-

nent escalation of occu-

pied time online, teens

are more susceptible to

cyberbullying today than

ever before.

About 34 percent of

parents check their

child’s social network

sites. Research by Taylor

Thomas reveals 67 per-

cent of teenagers know

how to block want they

want to hide from their

parents online.

About 20 percent of

kids think their parents

have no idea what they

are doing online, regard-

less of the existing Face-

book parental controls,

which can be unlocked.

The seemingly empower-

ing notion of what ap-

pears to be parental ab-

sence in the easy and ob-

tainable social network-

ing world emboldens

people to cyberbully.

technology as a crimi-

nal weapon‖ (Hinduja

& Patchin, 2008, pg.

131).

Although a horrible

cruelty and an illegal

offense in several

states of America so

far, cyberbullying does

not appear to be a di-

minishing problem

among young people. According to the US

Department of Health

and Human Services,

52 percent of teens do

not tell their parents

when cyberbullying

occurs.

In full acknowl-

edgement of the nu-

Social networking

websites, mobile com-

munication applica-

tions, and online usage

in general have

evolved into growing

necessities, integrated

into daily life by the

rising young genera-

tions.

As the cyber world

continues to release

new and advancing

high-tech smart devic-

es which connect to the

internet, people must

realize ―those who can-

not adjust rapidly, and

that is all of us, are at

risk from those who

can and will deploy

merous, promising, and

innovative benefits the

cyber world continues

to offer, and although

there may be nothing

unethically wrong with

having a sense of pos-

session and excitement

to personal devices,

young people, and

adults alike, must

proceed with caution,

control, and sensitivity

when online.

Addict Adolescent Times

Silence, when others are being hurt, is unacceptable.

Stand against cyberbullying, and visit here for more information:

http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/take_action/

take_a_stand_against_cyberbullying.html

P A G E 3

Cyberbullying differs from

face-to-face bullying.

Several factors serve advan-

tageously to the inflictor: ano-

nymity, accessibility to the victim

spanning 24 hours a day and 7 days

a week, and discretion from the out-

side world of adults. Since cyberbul-

lying does not require as much brav-

ery as face-to-face verbal and physi-

cal confrontation need, the cyber

bully does not feel as responsible for

the online or mobile vindictiveness.

The cyber bully mentally takes ad-

vantage of the physical separation

from the victim, which gives more

ease to abuse and harass. Texting,

sending a message on Facebook,

commenting in a chat room, instant

messaging, and emailing anony-

mously are so much simpler because

the communicative skills to physi-

cally speak, threaten, or fight in

person are missing. Therefore, the

cyber bullies psychologically detach

themselves from consequence

because they do not fear any retri-

bution from the victim. The enjoy-

ment and emotional power from

the psychological thrill of han-

dling their personal devices en-

courage cyber bullies to act out

with less reason in contrast to the

traditional physical, verbal, and

relational bullies. Such detach-

ment from an anticipation of the

consequences that may or may

not follow in abusing victims

concerns people because nowa-

days, teenagers lash out and say

things through a text message or

online without a feeling of ac-

countability. So many teens say

things online that they would not

dream of saying in person. These

high-tech devices authenticate

power and mental confidence in

those who know how to operate

them and dedicate a lot of time

to cyber hyperactivity. The ex-

tensive time and capability to

handle today’s technology fur-

ther enable the cyber bully to

achieve psychological and per-

emptory power by means of

technology conveniently availa-

ble to them – regardless if the

cyber bully has the face-to-face

communication skills or not.

Addict Adolescent Times

The cyber

bully

confidently

bullies due to

psychologically

encouraging

circumstances.

In a survey conducted by

the US Department of

Health and Human Services’

Cyberbullying Research Center

(2012), the Bureau of Justice Sta-

tistics reveal about 33 percent of

teens experienced

cyber threats online,

and 25 percent of teens

have been bullied

repeatedly through

their cell phones or on

the internet. About 39

percent of social net-

work users have been

cyber bullied in one

way or another. The victim’s will

and inclination to endure ongoing

cyberbullying and its psychologi-

cal effects intrigue many people to

this day. 1 in 4 victims tolerates

cyberbullying in fear for their safe-

ty. However, the victim’s fear for

safety and fear of retaliation by the

cyber bully – who quickly obtains

mental domination over the victim

– do not goad the victim to put up

with cyberbullying alone. Recent

studies suggest an even deeper

fear, one that correlates to teenag-

ers’ personal attachment to their

devices: fear of the loss of technol-

ogy. Completely eliminating the

smartphone and computer usage

serve as the ultimate ways teenag-

ers can avoid subjugation and har-

assment from cyber bullies. By

removing the technology from the

abuse equation, teenagers should

be able to get help and feel em-

powered to fully sep-

arate themselves from

the affliction and

move on. However,

due to teenagers’

attachment to their

devices, they cannot

simply give up the

psychological thrill of

maintaining an online

presence and identity. Most vic-

tims will tolerate the cyberbullying

– as long as no physical harm is

involved – rather than become

detached from the social network-

ing cyber world.

“Most victims will tolerate the

cyberbullying…rather than

become detached from the social

networking cyber world.”

Input from several doctors about the

―impersonal‖ problem with

cyberbullying.

ADDICTED HYPER-NETWORKING TEENS

According to Dr. Kim Mason’s (2012) study, the age range of addiction today stretches from 8

through 18 year olds who, on average, spend about 7 and a half hours a day online,

compared to about 4 and a half hours a day four years ago.

The American Academy of Pediatrics classify those who spend more than three hours per school

day on online social networks as ―hyper-networking teens‖. Whether through the use of a com-

puter or mobile device, hyper-networking teens are 110 percent more likely to be a victim of

cyberbullying, compared to those who do not spend as much time on social networks.

BE SAFE

Seton Hall University

Victoria L. Hilario

Dr. Martinelli

April 8, 2013