Since 2004 a new form of bullying has been on the rise, a form of bullying that has caused countless numbers of children and teenagers to take their own lives: cyberbulling. Bullying is no longer about the strong picking on the weak at the school courtyard. 

The Physical abuse is now replaced by 24/7 online bashing. Teens are so tech savvy today, that many are using instant messaging, text messages, emails, and popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, to zero in on their targets. The damage done by a cyberbully is no less than the damage of physical bullying, and at times can be more painful.

Victims of cyberbullying often feel paranoid, exposed, and vulnerable, because they do not know who their attacker is. Victims of cyberbullying often engage in cutting themselves suffer from depression, and some even commit suicide. 

According to iSafe, a program created to raise awareness on internet safety, most victims of cyberbullying are teenage girls, or those of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transexual (LGBT) community. Statistics show more than fifty-five percent of teens have been victims of online abuse at some point in their life. Teenagers in general are often the victims of online abuse and over half have been bullied online, or have engaged in cyberbullying. Often those who have previously been victims of online abuse result in bullying others. Usually the victims and the attackers both are likely to have a low self-esteem.

In 2010, the National Institute of Health found that an alarming rise of suicides nationwide. In the month of September, more than twenty suicides occurred all over the US, in which all of the victims most were teens who had endured extreme forms of cyberbullying. After the suicides of Phoebe Prince and Tyler Clementi, both of who constantly faced online abuse, various states have passed laws introducing anti-bullying curriculums, and many other states have placed cyberbullying as a crime.

Due to the increase of cyberbullying cases since 2004, the State of Florida adopted a law in 2008 to prevent cyberbullying and the law prohibits the bullying and harassment of any K-12 student or employee. The law, called the Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for all Students Act, was created and named after Jeffrey Johnston, a 15-year-old who committed suicide after being the object of cyberbullying for more than two years.

Since the law was placed into action, any reported cyberbullying in the state of Florida would be considered a crime. Some form of cyberbullying is against the law now in every state. That means that cyberbullying can get you arrested, which happened to two girls named Taylor Wynn, 16, and McKenzie Barker, 15, in Estero, FL. The police issued search warrants on the two girls, and both were later charged with a felony-- a criminal offense. With the rise of cyberbullying, even Hollywood has created films and movies, and celebrities have worked together to raise awareness about online abuse. Recently, ABC Family and Seventeen magazine worked together to make the film Cyberbully, which was released on July 17, 2011. The made for TV movie tells the story of a girl in high school who was bullied online by her peers and even her friends, and eventually tries to commit suicide. The incident led to the creation of a law that made cyberbullying a crime in the state she lived in. The movie was made in efforts of “deleting digital drama” and has had much success.

                Many of MLEC’s own students have been victims of cyberbullying and are willing to share their stories in hopes of raising awareness. Gabriela Salas, a junior in the Health academy shared her story. 

                 “For a very long time I tried to overcome my insecurities that arose from people insulting me through the internet. It gets to a point where you start making drastic changes, and soon enough your life circles around it like it's the only thing that matters to you. It's very frustrating when you're trying to mold yourself to please others. At first, I didn't know what to do of myself and how I felt, but after a while, I realized I needed an escape. I went on to talking to my parents and other adults about how I was feeling,” continued Salas.

“It took a very long time to feel even remotely good about myself again. If I ever had the chance to sit down and talk to those who are going through or went through what I did, I'd tell them to keep their heads held high. No matter what others say about you, you should know that you're beautiful and perfect in your own way. Those that think less of you should take a look in the mirror because judging others makes them look disgusting. I still get bullied but I've just learned that what other's say shouldn't matter,” Salas said.