Research Paper on Sexting and Cyberbullying for Children Victims

Introduction

Nowadays, it has been observed that increasing number of children are getting access to various communication devices and this has enabled them to access current technological advancement like easy access to the internet. Sexting is a situation where children take pictures which are deemed to be provocative, sexually explicit and or images that are nude. They can also be videos of themselves or of others which they send through text message or by sharing the pictures electronically through other apps (Slonje et al., 2013). It should be noted, however, that the images that are used in sexting are different from those of child pornography. Undeniably, it is true that sexting equally violates the laws that are guiding child pornography because the sexting involves the original picture of the child or minor. On the other hand, cyberbullying is a form of aggression usually carried out against individuals or people using information and different types of communication technologies. Cyberbullying can as well be defined as repetitive, deliberate and a hostile act with the aim of harming the victim by the use of information and communication devices mainly mobile phones and other internet devices. It is for this reason therefore that the essay seeks to investigate the impacts of sexting and cyberbullying on the children victims (Siegle, 2010).

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It is worth noting that teens have made online their other home. They do this by either tweeting, on Instagram, through snap chat or by sending numerous texts. In this case, they find a way to thrive in a culture of always feeling connected to the whole world. Unfortunately, the acts of still getting connected sometimes prove to be disastrous. Therefore, sexting and cyberbullying is an example of how much disadvantageous it can be. As had been stated above, sending sexually explicit texts are liable to receiving appropriate charges as a result of distributing child pornography. Consequently, the person who is receiving the photos is equally responsible for receiving charges as a result of possessing such pornography on children. It is important to note that even administrators in schools can be held accountable for holding such pictures in the process of doing their investigations on the same.

In addition to the above, it should be stated that sexting as an act can lead to unwell sexual solicitations, violence as well as sexual assault. This is because once these pictures begin to circulate; there is no other way that one can use to control their movement. In fact, it should be noted that some sexual predators contact children as a result of sexting (D'Antona et al., 2010). Notably, bullies have also used sexting as a purpose to target the victim so that they can embarrass, humiliate, harass and intimidate them. Besides being labeled as a sexual predator, they can also suffer some emotional effects as a result of the fact that the public shares photos. It can also lead to relational aggression, social isolation, bullying and cyberbullying. Victims are always harassed and tortured by comments and insulting names.

It is true that there is a possibility of emotional and self-esteem issues in dealing with such social problems. Due to this, children who have engaged in sexting always display the same warning signs as any other victim of bullying. It is even worrying to note that in some instances, because of public humiliation which can be intense and relentless and therefore a feeling of hopelessness, some also feel and decide to even commit suicide.

Methods

In the context of this study, the methodology that is used is the verification of the research risks of internet communication as well as the research on the risky behavior of various students. However, it should be notated that methodological descriptions of this case focus solely on the areas that are associated with sexting and cyberbullying (Siegle, 2010). In considering the research goals, the objectives of the research was to determine the number of victims involved as well as attackers in the manifestations of cyberbullying. In this case, the study observed who the victim should seek help from if required. On the other hand, the research also found the impact of switching of the roles between attackers and the victims and their connection with cyberbullying and sexting. Additionally, another research problem that was studied is the communication podiums used in the act of cyberbullying.

The sample that was used in this case comprised of children in the primary and secondary schools from all regions of the country so that the whole image of the nation could be reflected concerning sexting and cyberbullying. A contact database was used to address the children that covered around 2,000 schools and other related educational institutions (Slonje et al., 2013). The research was oriented quantitatively by use of questionnaires whereby the questions were distributed electronically through the internet platform. The questions that were included in the questionnaire were procedurally arranged in a way that they could efficiently reflect the objectives of the study and the possible problems that could be encountered

Results

The results of the research considered the existence of various forms of cyberbullying that exist among children. A primary focus is given to detailed measured data. In looking at the multiple types of cyberbullying, the chart below helps to indicate the number of respondents who were victims of the various forms of cyberbullying.

The values that were measured are interpreted in the way that the distribution of the various forms in the population. It is observed that verbal cyberbullying is the most prominent form, and then followed by threats and intimidation. In both cases, it is noted that a vast number of agents were engaged in cyberbullying from victims. This, therefore, showed that there exists a link between victimization and consequent implementation of cyberbullying (Kowalski et al., 2012).

The differences in the samples of the study are observed mostly in sexting which involved differences in sharing own intimate sexual materials on the internet and then sharing with others.

As explained, it can be noted that the occurrence of sexting at an advanced level of education compared to those of children is observed to be almost nearly twice as big. Undeniably, this situation is explained by the fact that students at higher learning institutions always engage in sexual life compared to children in the primary schools. At the same time, inspiration for the application of sexting is also different as children are associated with the themes of how they can overcome boredom, how to get a girlfriend or boyfriend, and or sexting which serves as a way of presenting yourself, but for grown-ups, sexting is treated as part of the relationship, and hence materials that are sexually suggestive which arise from the desire to be visible, to show off among others.

Conclusions

From the above study, it would be wise to conclude that the cases of cyberbullying among higher levels of education are comparable to the same situation in the children; verbal forms prevail, and followed by extortion and theft of identity that is misused for cyberbullying. On the other hand, it is observed that sexting is more prevalent in the higher levels of education which is mostly operated in the form of sending materials which are deemed to be intimate. Sexting is mainly performed in the context of a relationship. However, the motivation for sexting appears to be different in children as compared to adults even though the exposer to risk in both cases regarding materials is the same.

References

Siegle, D. (2010). Cyberbullying and sexting: Technology abuses of the 21st century. Gifted child today, 33(2), 14-65.

D'Antona, R., Kevorkian, M., & Russom, A. (2010). Sexting, texting, cyberbullying and keeping youth safe online. Journal of Social Sciences, 6(4), 523-528.

Slonje, R., Smith, P. K., & FriseN, A. (2013). The nature of cyberbullying, and strategies for prevention. Computers in human behavior, 29(1), 26-32.

Kowalski, R. M., Limber, S. P., Limber, S., & Agatston, P. W. (2012). Cyberbullying: Bullying in the digital age. John Wiley & Sons.