Here's a familiar scenario:  

You made new friends at school. They invited you to their Instagram, Snap-Chat, and Kik accounts in order to stay in contact. They started earning your trust, and you told them anything and everything about yourself. One night, you got on social media and saw that your "friend"  had posted something. You clicked on the post only to find that it said awful things about you. You tell yourself that everyone will forget by the weekend...or maybe by Monday. The next day you go to school and everyone points and laughs, still sharing the hurtful post.

 Many people resort to suicide because of what someone said on social media.  Nearly 43% of children have been bullied online, and 1 in 4 have had it happen more than once.  Over 80% of teens use their devices regularly, including mobile phones, computers, and tablets, and many say cyber bullying happens a lot. This problem can be spread rapidly around school, sometimes around different states.  90% of teens have seen bullying but tried to avoid it, or said nothing about it. Unfortunately, 81% of young peers say bullying online is way easier than actually doing it in person, so the issue won't end any time soon.

Enough with numbers. Many teens, and even some adults, don't  realize that there is a real person behind a screen. They don’t see how they can affect someone just by just saying, " You are ugly, and no one will love you." But it does. So next time you see cyber bullying, or bullying in general, tell someone. And think before you send that hurtful message. Just think.

~Max Leasher~