Teen Suicide Rates Rise in Tandem with Cyber-bullying

Teen suicides rise in tandem with cyberbullying — and advocates have had enough

Accordingding to the Cyberbullying Research Center, 33.8 percent of teens they surveyed between the ages of 12 and 17 have been cyberbullied in their lifetime. Various teens surveyed reported being threatened with harm through their cell phones — or having a cyberbully post a mean or hurtful photo of them online. While there isn’t substantive evidence to make this correlation a conclusive one, experts have speculated that cyberbullying could be one of the reasons teen suicide is on the rise — specifically among American girls. The suicide rate for girls between the ages of 15 and 19 doubled between 2007 and 2015 — a timeframe parallel to the rise in social media — according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. (Salon)