Anna S.

11/3/16

Dear Future President,

Teen suicide is one of the top leading killers within teens ages 15-24. People are ending their lives before they have had a chance to live their lives, this is going on all around this country but is ignored. Because of social pressures by family, friends, and the internet; the suicide rate is increasing rapidly, we need to act before it get’s out of hand.

Bullying is a major cause for suicide. There are many forms of bullying like: Cyber bullying, physical, verbal, ect. All adding and pushing someone until that person can’t take anymore and ends their life before they can get bullied even more. When somebody gets tormented so much that they don’t want to live anymore, you know someone is doing something wrong, whether it be the school's faculty, a parent, a friend, or a bystander, bullying might not disappear completely but it shouldn’t be at the point it is now. “Low self-esteem, perfectionism, substance abuse, heavy drinking and eating disorders. These are all major negative thoughts and actions many people on the verge of suicide think about. ‘I had spells of not caring if I lived or died, and I had to be completely perfect in school. Says Christina, age 16.” According to Janice Arenofsky “Teen Suicide: When the blues get out of control” (Junior Scholastic) School is suppose to be the place where people feel the most comfortable in and where they have support from their teachers but along with the judgement of students, teachers can be harsh and add to the negative thoughts the student may already have.

Between all the social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, MySpace, Facebook, ect. There is more bullying than there ever could be with a live approach. “Williams abandoned her Twitter and Instagram accounts Tuesday after saying at least two people were sending her Photoshopped images of her father's dead body and other disturbing messages.” Article by Doug Ross “Robin Williams daughter quits social media after her abuse” (CNN) The world we live in can get very cruel if you let it, the best things to do in these situations are to delete your account, and save yourself from whatever someone can say to try and hurt you. With all the technology, kids of all ages have access to these sites, and the majority are using them to bully others, watch others get bullied, or be the one getting bullied and they don’t even acknowledge it. Many people would much rather say hurtful things online rather than in person because you don’t have to face that person. This is also occurring with some adults. Parents aren’t all that different than teenagers, they still gossip and they do bully other adults.

If it isn’t enough to get bullied by other people, girls are also bullying themselves with the expectations they get from edited pictures online. Girls at a young age don’t understand that the way things look online is not how they look in real life. Online you have access to resources that can help you edit a picture, which makes things look nothing like they actually do. "It's only the 'standard beauty' who gets the 'likes' I feel like to be the hot girl, you have to be like that, or wear your shirt too low and your skirt too high.’ --Kirby, 18” Says Jen Rubino “Fantasy, Reality, and Painful comparisons” (CNN) These girls are very easy to impact and they look up to the girls on instagram that look good all the time and they wish they could be like that. When in reality they don’t, they don't show you what they look like when they first wake up, or without makeup on, or without a filter. You always have to think about the things they aren’t showing you. These girls are being way to harsh on themselves and will even start to hate themselves, or go to extreme measures to look like these edited pictures. Some of those being substance abuse, anorexia, bulimia, or causing self harm because they hate who they are.

These problems are not going to go away without the help of a well respected leader, and society. There needs to be strict regulations on what can be commented and posted on social media sites, there should be no bullying tolerance policies in schools, and also there should be a program that helps kids that need it get into rehab, or see a therapist, even when they can’t afford it. Every life matters, a loss of one creates devastation in families, schools, and societies. Yet we are losing over 6,000 per year due to suicide. Help us take the pain out of these teens and these families.