Cyber Bullying is a Crime

1313 Words3 Pages

Most of us have heard the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. With today’s technology, that saying may no longer hold true. Studies show that in the past five years, online bullying has quadrupled (M. Ross, 3). The technology has given bullies a whole another proposal for their actions; virtual name-calling can have harsh effects on the security of kids and teens in today’s society. An online bully is someone who sends messages via technology, hides behind that keyboard and uses words or pictures to embarrass and bully their target.

The online bully’s goal is to make their target feel weak; these online bullies can be referred to as a cyber bully. Cyber bullying is the exercise of using technology to embarrass, threaten, harass, or target another person; according to its definition it occurs among young people (New, 4). It is usually performed by a child’s peers and surprisingly occurs early as the second grade (Jacobs 1). Cyber bullying can even be unintentional, especially through the use of emails, IMs, and text messages because the tone of the sender may be hard to depict. However, recurring emails, online posts, and texts are hardly ever unintentional (124). As the number of youths increase that have the availability to technology, cyber bullying is likely to continue to rise and continue to take its toll on youth. Due to its excessive effect that it has on children today, Cyber bullying should be taken more seriously.

Cyber bullies bully for a reason, just as all bullies do. There are many reasons that the bully may perform this horrible crime; the bully “may feel bad about themselves and may think being a bully will make them feel better” (Jakubiak 8). The cyber bully also mig...

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...ttle signs should be watched out for. It may only take one bully to tear down a child, but all it takes is a supportive and action-taking family and friends to build it back up.

Works Cited

Jacobs, Judge Tom. Teen Cyberbullying Investigated: Where Do Your Rights End and Consequences Begin? Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc., 2010. Print.

Jakubiak, David J. A Smart Kid’s Guide to Online Bullying. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2010. Print.

Margaret Ross. Kamaron. Kamaron Institute, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. .

New, Michelle. KidsHealth. The Nemours Foundation, January 2009. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. .

Stop Cyberbullying. WiredKids, Inc., n.d. Web. Dec. 2014. .

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