Dear Mr. or Mrs. President,

Cyber bullying is a major issue that causes many teens to fall into depression and possibly even commit suicide. Cyberbullies think that it’s okay because they can’t see their victim face to face. This issue causes many problems with the victim’s social life and self-confidence. This is a major problem, and I’m hoping that you will be able to help prevent it.

Stopbullying.gov states that kids who are cyber bullied are more likely to use alcohol/drugs, skip school, experience in-person bullying, receive poor grades, have lower self-esteem and have more health problems. These issues are major because people could become non-confrontational and not receive a good education. This could also lead to major health issues that could affect them later in life. The I-Safe Foundation says that around half of teens have been victims of cyber bullying. This proves that many teens and their families have to deal with this evilness. Out of all these teens, only 1 in 10 teens tell their parents or report it. The I-Safe foundation also states that girls are more likely to be cyber bullied, which is wrong because they are taking advantage of women and their insecurities.

Online harassment causes many suicides throughout the US. Studies from nobullying.com shows that 20% of victims consider suicide. Studies also show that over 13% create a plan for suicide and that 8% have made a serious attempt. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC (bullyingstatistics.org). Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University. A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying. This proves that cyber bullying and regular bullying cause many young people to commit suicide, which is really devastating because they are so young and had a long life left to live. Also, according to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30% of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of their fear of being bullied. These statistics prove that cyber bullying/bullying is a huge threat to young kids’ lives, and it needs to stop.

Some cyberbullies may say that it’s okay because they can’t see the person face to face. This is wrong because what they don’t know is that their actions threaten the lives of others. Cyberbullies might just be “joking”, but this “joking” can most of the time be taken seriously and really hurt and devastate the person on the other end of the conversation. This matter really needs to end, and I believe that you can help with this issue.

I feel that there are many things you can do to stop cyber bullying. You can regulate the internet and social medias more closely, so that any bullying will be noted and taken care of. You should also strongly encourage people on the internet who see mean comments to immediately a report the comment and tell the person to stop. I know that you, as the president, can help with this matter and make the nation a kinder and better place.

I know that cyber bullying can be prevented. Hopefully, you can help with this issue, based on the number of deaths that have occurred because of this problem. Online harassment is wrong and needs to be stopped because it causes many teens to fall into a depression and have low self-confidence and self-esteem. This needs to end so the internet can become a happy and safe place.

Thank you for your time.

~Alaina H.