Several factors, emotional and physical, can contribute to a teenager's decision to take his own life. Suicide rates among teenagers have undoubtedly increased over the past 50 years, but the question is: why? As our world continues to advance decade after decade, modern teenagers experience problems very different from those faced by teenagers of previous generations. A distinct modern influence of teen suicide is social media. Of course, most teens today own or have access to a smartphone, computer, or other device that can be used to connect to the Internet and view an endless number of social websites. Social media can be fun and a fun, quick way to connect with friends and family, but it also has its drawbacks. Many teens today know someone or have themselves been a victim of a negative aspect of social media called cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the act of harassing, tormenting, or embarrassing someone else on the Internet, sometimes anonymously. Even though this type of bullying occurs online, it can still have a huge impact on a teenager's life. People known as cyberbullies tend to think that they have more power when they harass someone online and, more importantly, that they won't get caught. The biggest problem with cyberbullying is that there is no easy way to avoid it. Unlike real-life bullying, cyberbullying doesn't just end at school. Victims of online bullying are up to nine times more likely to commit suicide than teens who have never been victims of cyberbullying (“11 Facts About Cyberbullying” 1). While it's definitely a contributing factor to teen suicide, social media isn't the only one to blame. Television programs that broadcast news and provide coverage of other teenagers in the... media... or occasionally just out of curiosity. The mental and physical side effects of drugs and alcohol in adolescents can be more harmful than in adults, due to age and underdevelopment. In addition to these distractions, some teens may be involved in other dangerous activities, such as gang affiliations. Teens associated with gangs often don't realize their extremity or seriousness and are never fully prepared for what awaits them on the street. Teenagers are often characterized by their impulsive nature. Due to the possession of this quality and the lack of awareness of the possible consequences of one's actions, the suicide rate of adolescents is much higher than that of any other age group. Adolescents are more likely to be victims of suicide than adults because they do not understand that the act of taking their own life is serious and cannot be undone (Portner 7).