Over the years Frederick High School has had ”tea pages” on social media. These tea pages are created by students at Frederick High School. Students at Frederick confess personal comments about their peers to the “Anonymous” pages on social media, comments sent in by students are then posted for everyone who follows the account to view. Comments on the accounts have leaned more towards the areas of bullying rather than they do kind to students at the school. 

Social Media has been a place where bullying is taken to an extreme. Today, students are being targeted by peers via the anonymous expose/tea accounts on Social Media. Cyberbullying is defined as using a computer or other electronic devices to intimidate, threaten, or humiliate another individual, which is what these accounts are doing. Students can develop psychological problems by seeing poor comments about themselves. For example, students can begin having anxiety, lower self-esteem, frustration, or depression. Another effect of this is that the students will start avoiding their peers and activities because the students do not know who the anonymous bully is saying mean comments about them. 

Action needs to be taken against these expose/tea accounts and put to rest. Every year there are new anonymous accounts being put up on social media. If the account gets banned on social media it’s hours before a new one is created for students to comment on. Here are some steps you can take to help stop cyberbullying:

• Save the evidence. The only good news about bullying online is that it can usually be saved, and shown to someone who can help. You can contact SAFE2TELL a school resource about the account. 
• Reach out for help. If the bullying is getting to you. Talk through it with a friend, relative, or maybe an adult you trust. 
• Use available tech tools. Most social media apps and services allow you to block an account. You can also report the problem to the social media provider.

Frederick High School needs to overcome this form of cyberbullying. With help from the students, teachers, and staff, we can help make social media a safer place for students to enjoy being on.