The issue of whether or not cyber bullying should be against the law has been very controversial, because of differences in opinion. I strongly believe there should be laws against cyber bullying because of numerous reason. Some of these reasons are; regardless of where you bully someone bullying is bullying, the emotional issues that occur because of bullying and the increase in the death rate as a result of this.
First, many people think that because bullying is not done in the presence of the victim then it is not bullying, but I beg to differ. Cyber bullying is as bad as if not worse than regular bullying because the offender uses technology to threaten, harass, embarrass or target a person. Even though it occurs mostly among teenagers it is not uncommon among adults. However, in the cases where adults are involved it is called cyber-harassment or cyber-stalking. Though cyber bullying is not a widely publicized issue, as stated before it is still an issue and it has been proven by the national fight crime that 1 in 3 teens and 1 in 5 preteens have been victims of cyber bullying. (“Cyberbullying”)
It has been proved that majority of the kids who are being cyber bullied are also bullied in real life. However, cyber bullying is different from regular bullying mainly because it is harder to get away from, widely distributed and it can be extremely difficult or impossible to trace the source. As a result of the constant growth in technology it is extremely difficult to design surveys that accurately capture a trend in cyber bullying. (What)
The emotional aspects of cyber bullying are beyond disturbing. As a result of being cyber bullied the victims often become depressed, angry or even suicidal. Scientists often ask questions such...
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...people that are being bullied but also the parents of the victims that are being bullied. Parents notice the withdrawal and depression of their children and are feeling responsible and worthless because there is nothing they can do about the issue, especially if the child refuses to inform the parents. In the best case scenario the bullies become bored and leave the victim alone, though this is highly unlikely, but in the worst case scenario the bullying becomes so severe the victims commits suicide and this leaves the family of the victim feeling “empty”, depressed and angry. (Skye)
Cyber bullying is a major problem in today’s society especially with the amount of social networks we have. Cyber bullying should have severe laws against it because the effects it has on a single life is outrageous and an extremely saddening. Cyber bullies should be severely punished.
The definition of bullying uses broad statements to define the actual meaning. Because of this, people may view the definition differently than others. Bullying can range from physical violence to verbal abuse to even cyberbullying. Most people do not realize how common cyberbullying actually is. Over half of teens and adolescents have been bullied online and almost the same number have engaged in the bullying (“Cyber Bullying Statistics”). Cyberbullying is becoming more and more prominent throughout this time period because of the technology continuing to expand around the world. Each year this statistic increasingly grows due to the technology
Prosecuting Cyber-bullies: should the States and the federal government pass an anti-bullying legislation to target cyberbullying?
Let’s first take a look at where the word cyber bullying originated from. The term “bullying” is defined as “physical use of force, aiming at the individual, another person, a specific community or group which can result in injury, death, physical damage, some development disorders or deficiency.” Even though is has been around for years, it has had a spike in increase and a new form of bullying was created. The invention of the internet was created in 1983 giving people the ability to access the web. Cyber bullying became more frequent as online technology became accessible to more people. According to the Christian Science Monitor, "After the school shooting at ...
Bullying is nothing new but now times have changed because technology has made it possible for teenagers to bully one another without having to be face to face. This type of bullying is known as Cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is another method that is being used in today’s society to bullied one another and it takes place using technologic devices such as; computers, tablets, cell phone and using social media websites such as; facebook, twitter Instagram etc.. Although cyber bullying is not physical it has become a big problem in today’s society affecting many families psychologically and resulting in irreversible outcomes.
As a recently recognized form of bullying, cyber bullying also referred to as electronic or Internet bullying, is defined as “the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group that is intended to harm others” (Belsey, n.d., p. 8; Bonanno & Hymel, 2013). Cyber bullying is characterized by intimidation, harassment, victimization, and aggression toward others that occurs through email, chat rooms, instant messages, webs...
Bullying has been around forever, however with today’s technology bullying has become easier than ever. It is easier to bully in cyberspace than it is to bully face to face. With cyberbullying a bully can pick on people with much less risk of being caught. Bullies are natural instigators and in cyberspace bullies can recruit the participation of additional students who may be unwilling to bully in the real world. Cyberbullying is any harassment that occurs over the Internet. Vicious discussion posts, name calling in chat rooms, posting fake profiles on web sites, and cruel email messages are all ways of cyber bullying. Cyberbullying can be more serious than conventional bullying. At least with conventional bullying, the victim is left alone on evenings and weekends. Many people may think that cyberbullying is not a problem in life; well, think again, it can change a victim’s life forever by just one offensive comment about them. It will make the victim want to commit suicide, drop out of school, and suffer from self-esteem issues like depression and anxiety. We must fight for what is right, the sooner the better. The movement into the digital age has change the behaviors and interactions of minors and it is time our culture to rethink its relationship with the Web and social networking.
Research suggests that verbal abuse is the most common type of bullying today and following verbal abuse is relational and physical bullying. Cyberbullying seems to be growing with time but it is a lot more difficult to calculate because of the way bullies go about it (A. James, 2010).
Cyber bullying is a cruel and unnecessary act. It can and should be controlled and punishable by establishing laws, “school policing” online sites, and parental supervision and punishment being enforced. Just in the past ten years technology has begun to grow and flourish into something that could be seen as beautiful or evil. Bullying was always known to be done on the school yard or down the block from your house. Cyber bullying has made itself very evident in our world today. Nearly forty-three percent of kids have been bullied online. Of that forty-three percent, only 1 in 10 inform a parent or trusted adult about it. Law enforcement, school staff and parents are working on a way to keep cyber bullying from occurring as often. Even though there is a battle going on to establish a law, cyber bullying should have severe consequences to cut down the amount of it that occurs. This still raises question of whether it will take numbers down or enrage kids to be rebellious and the number continue to rise.
In her article “How the Internet Has Changed Bullying”, Maria Konnikova explained how bullying has reached technology, and in the workplaces of many adults. The Internet has made it harder to escape from bullying, and easier for bullies to escape from confronting their victims. Furthermore, the author stresses that cyberbullying not only targets high schoolers, but it’s affecting the lives of college students as well (Konnikova 1). Cyberbullying takes place in the Internet world where is easier for a bully to gossip and humiliate multiple of victims in a faster pace. The studies have shown that cyberbullying is making a greater impact in the victims’ and the bullies’ lives more than the traditional bullying and many people are not aware of it; therefore the schools, witnesses, and employers should work together to fight against cyberbullying and provide help to the victims and bullies.
Bullies have been around a long time, but the advancement in technology gives these bullies a whole new platform. Cyberbullying is the act of harming or harassing via information technology networks in a repeated and deliberate manner. Sometimes cyberbullying is easy to spot, for instance if a child shows their parent a direct tweet or message which is viewed as harsh, rude or even threatening (Kids Health From Nemours, 2016). In other cases, it is not as easy to spot, like impersonating a victim online or posting personal or embarrassing information. Cyberbullying causes psychological, emotional and physical stress. Each person’s response to bullying is different and unique, but more often than not, youth who are bullied have a higher risk of depression and anxiety (Kids Health From Nemours,
Cyber bullying can be more terrifying than standard bullying, because the target typically does not know who is after them. Cyber bullies believe that because they are posting anonymously or not using their names, they can get away with anything. The case is that Internet activity is traceable. It is important to know that cyber bullying can be charged as crimes. In some cases, cyber bullies will be charged as sexual predators and have to be on the registry. Furthermore, items posted on the Internet can affect the person’s ability to get into university or employment.
While cyber-bullying and physical bullying are similar in nature, they still differ to a degree. Cyber Bullying is online harassment, intimidating messages, or threatening communications by a single individual or multiple individuals and is ultimately a misuse of the online social media system. Cyber-bullying is not face to face contact like physical bullying, where the perpetrator can be hands on with the victim, nonetheless equally harmful to the victim.
This paper discusses the different types of bullying, particularly cyberbullying, and the effects it has on children and young adults. Also we will identify the policies and programs that are already set in place to try and prevent bullying. Studies done on the effects of electronic bullying in middle school children found that, “on an annual basis in the USA, more than 3.7 million students in grades 6–10 engage in moderate or serious bullying while more than 3.2 million students are victims of moderate or serious bullying” (Moore, Huebner & Hills, 2012, p. 429). There are many strengths and weaknesses to each approach attempting to combat bullying but since it is such a complex topic with many subsections it is difficult to identify any significant change. On the other hand, it is important to know that as long as there are cyberbullies there will be people fighting to end the physical, verbal, and emotional abuse children and young adults endure every day but do not deserve.
In conclusion, cyber bullying is a problem that is growing exponentially with the expansion of today’s technology. In order to stop the hatred thrown onto children through the Internet, preventative strategies need to be put in place. Too many children are being worn down mentally and emotionally due to being bullying anonymously on social media, through texts, and over email messages. Ignoring this problem can not continue. There are so many promising preventative routes to take when approaching cyber bullying. More people need to be educated and aware of the prevention methods available to them, because the varieties of prevention methods are endless.
Cyberbullying should be a criminal offense because whether it’s bullying or cyberbullying, it still damages a person emotionally and physically. Admittedly, many will argue that it is crossing the line to force perpetrators behind bars when it is not even bullying, but some foul words thrown in social sites. However, there is no difference between cyberbullying and offline bullying when it is still an issue that constantly eats away at its victims, abusing them with hurtful words and messages. “The United States Department of Health and Human Services calculated the percentages of bullied victims, where 37% of teens have been physically bullied, while 52% of teens have been cyberbullied” (Cyber/Bullying Statistics). Studies shown indicate that there have been more cases of cyberbullying than offline bullying, whereas people believe that “cyberbullying is not real bullying” and “it is to speak out in what...