النهار

If bullying was traditionally witnessed in the smallest nooks of schools, it has now become widespread especially when social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp tend to expose many children and teenagers to such an aggressive behavior.

Initially, social media was conceived to weave links between people, but it is so sad that it is becoming the main platform for bullying. In fact, cyberbullying affects 1 in 4 teens today as 1 in 6 people admit to having cyberbullied someone. Furthermore, most of the people are hiding behind the liberty of sharing their opinions, whether they were hurtful or not, in order to bully others freely. The impact of their shared opinion goes beyond the walls of their social media accounts. Unfortunately, victims of these trollers tend to experience depression and anxiety. In addition to that, being a victim of this crime increases the risk of inflicting self-harm and having suicidal thoughts. In fact, statistics show that 14% of bullied people consider suicide and that 7% of them actually commit it.

This is why we should raise awareness about the consequences of this crime by convincing people to think twice before writing a hurtful comment that can lead to the death of others and not to hide behind anonymous accounts and bully others. We also need to prevent this in schools by encouraging students and creating anti-bullying policies and rules.

In conclusion, to all the bullied people out there: you are amazing; you are worth it, and your life is so precious so don’t end it. And to all the bullies out there, put yourself in these victims’ shoes, how will you feel then? Depressed? Anxious? Will you think about committing suicide?

The answer is without any doubt : YES! So stop doing it.