Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Effect of cyberbullying
Ways to prevent cyberbullying on social media
Cyberbullying societal effects
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Should Cyber Bullying Be Prosecuted? Cyberbullying has become a huge problem, over the years in this world. Cyberbullying is defined as someone posting something embarrassing, threatening, harassing, stalk-like, rumors, gossip, fake identity etc. on the internet. Although, having bullying be a problem, with the growing of technology these days, bullying is being taken over by cyberbullying. This essay tells the question that some people are still wondering today. Should individuals involved in cyberbullying be prosecuted? By having cyberbullying grow, people are starting to make new laws and make it a federal crime. It’s a lot harder to get rid of cyberbullying, because there are so many social media sites where it can be found. With just a mean effortless tweet, comment, or message it can be a toll on somebody’s life. Statistics show that “20% of youth ages 11-18 have been victims of cyberbullying.” Most teens do cyberbullying, because they think it’s funny, or they just think that person deserves it, but what teens don’t get is what consequences lie …show more content…
Others might say that the idea of prosecuting someone for cyberbullying is crazy, stupid and pointless. I can see in their perspective that it shouldn’t be that big of a problem, if that person just stops going on the internet. The Ophelia Project says “The only solution to cyberbullying should not be prosecution, just education. Children should be educated to manage and avoid offensive situations on the internet. If the person getting cyberbullied can’t handle not being attached to the internet, they shouldn’t use it. It's that simple.” With bullying it’s a whole other concept. The Ophelia Project states that “ In traditional bullying, an aggressor immediately sees the hurt they have caused the target.” With cyberbullying an aggressor/ cyber bullier can keep repeating it’s harmful behavior towards a person and not get confronted for
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.
With the use of the internet increasing, researchers are finding a higher amount of cyberbullying. According to Hinduja and Patchin, “There is no shortage of potential offenders or victims of cyberbullying because of the widespread availability of computers and the Internet in the developed world,” (Hinduja and Patchin, 132). Both the writers make a good point stating this fact. With the amount of technology that is available to students, on different devises, has allowed them to freely communicate. While this is not all bad, there are major downfalls, cyber bullying being a big one.
Cyberbullying is defined as behavior online that is “repeated, hostile, and severe with the intent to embarrass, threaten, or harass”, and it has become a serious problem. With the new popularity of social media and technology, victims of bullying have been finding it impossible to escape the onslaught of rude and embarrassing comments. Because of this, Congress has been trying to pass a law that states that people should be held responsible for the comments they make. Individuals should be prosecuted if the cyberbullying endangers someone's life, or severely affects the victim. First, cyberbullying can lead to embarrassment and shame, which can be amplified by the wide audience.
First off, cyberbullies should not be prosecuted because there are more important matter to be worried about. Examples include murder and theft. Hurting someone’s feelings is not big enough to be criminally prosecuted. The radio interview “The Dangers of Cyberbullying” by Brett Warnke states, “shouldn’t the law enforcement officials be focusing on the kind of crimes that affect more people? Cyberbullying might seem somewhat trivial, as it only affects only two people: the bully and the victim.” Cyberbullying is very minor compared to actual crimes that affect more people. As Warnke states, cyberbullying only affects two people.
In some cases, criminalization is preferred, while other bullies are slapped on the wrist and grounded for a month. What can be agreed upon is the need for a definitive policy. Cyberbullying, as a burgeoning field of abuse directed specifically at teens, requires direct, speedy, and, perhaps even harsh, measures to curtail the stream of mistreatment flowing freely online. In order to develop such measures, cyberbullying must be recognizable. The government website dedicated to the prevention of bullying in general offers this definition: cyberbullying is “bullying that takes place using electronic technology” (“What is Cyberbullying.”)....
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.
Kids should be educated to not succumb to cyberbullying and learn how to prevent it. In conclusion, individuals should not be prosecuted for cyberbullying, it goes against too many factors to ever become a reality. First of all, prosecuting for cyberbullying is going against the First Amendment of free speech. According to Sacrificing the First Amendment to catch “Cyberbullies” by Kirk Sigmon, [“ ...a handful of Democratic New York State senators think that the First Amendment should be treated “not as a right but as a privilege”]. Obviously, the First Amendment is a right that every American should possess, the freedom to Religion, Speech, Press, Petition, and Peaceful Assembly.
This sort of phenomenon makes major headlines regularly in recent times and effects a clear majority of today’s youth. State and local lawmakers have taken steps to prevent this type of bullying by making illegal under several criminal law codes. Michele Hamm, a researcher in pediatrics explained, “There were consistent associations between exposure to cyberbullying and increased likelihood of depression.” Cyberbullying became widespread among students with the rapid growth in use of cellular devices and the Internet. With this kind of technology bullies have the ability to send harmful messages to their recipients at any given time. This type of bullying is the hardest to control because it involves students but often happens off school grounds. However, because the evidence is material, students and parents could bring this evidence to the school and local police departments if a situation were to happen. Parents should be mindful of their child’s use of the internet and electronic messaging, cyberbullying usually takes place in a medium in which adults are seldom present (Mason, 2008). Also, instead of sending direct messages to other students, bullies use platforms such as social media and anonymous blogs to post harmful things for others to see. Educators must understand the significance of social media use to their students, especially
The purpose of this essay is to state my thoughts on criminalizing cyberbullying. I say that cyberbullying should be criminalized. It would protect teens from the negative emotional and social effects of bullying. Cyberbullying lowers self-esteem, increases the amount of teen suicides and self harm and can ruin schooling. If cyberbullying was a criminal offence, it would create a safer environment for both students and teachers.
The initial reason why anyone who cyberbullies should be criminally accused is due to their harmful behavior that can result in people getting seriously hurt both mentally and physically. If the bully is convicted, cyberbullying can be stopped! As directly stated in the Radio Interview of source one “Cyberbullying can also lead to kids getting physically injured.” This statement further emphasizes why the outcome of this act should be punishable by law. Due to the fact that individuals face violent behavior, it could mean suicide for the victim. In no shape or form should this be tolerated since lives are taken due to the
Because cyberbullying is a relatively new phenomenon, there is some degree of variance in its definition. In its early inception, cyberbullying was thought to be limited to the internet. However, the rapid creation of new technology tolls has expanded the boundaries to include cell phones, instant messaging, chat rooms, and email (Campfield, 2006). Campfield (2006) conducted a study of middle school students to determine the incidence rates of cyberbullying. She found that nearly 70% of students were involved in cyberbullying in some capacity, as a bully or victim. In a similar study, Li (2007) found that 39% of students have been involved in cyberbullying, while 52% were aware of a peer being harassed through electronic m...
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...
For years, cyberbullying has had an effect on many lives all around the world. Every year, 4,400 teens have committed suicide over cyberbullying and is the third leading cause of death among teenagers, according to www.bullyingstatistics.org. Teens have made over 100 suicide attempts in the past year and over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide as a last resort. Cyberbullying needs to be illegal and more and more people are getting hurt by it. There are made side effects of cyberbullying and sadly, no one is doing anything to prevent it.
Cyberbullying has become a serious dilemma because of the harm and pain it can leave. It affects so many teens and can potentially change their future. Cyberbullying can change a person’s mood, character, and even destroy someone’s motivation. This is an important issue that will hopefully be stopped in the near future.
With technology progressing, students are moving past face to face hectoring, and are verbally bullying other through social media. Cyberbullying can sometimes become more harmful than verbal, physical, and emotional bullying due to victims, not feeling like they have an escape route because they are threatened repeatedly through text messages, e-mails, social media, etc. The worst part about cyberbullying is that the things posted can be anonymous; therefore, there is no blame for who posts what. A victim can suspect that someone is to blame for the actions done, but there is no proof to solve a possible ongoing issue. Cyberbullying and bullying are actually considered a crime when someone: physically assaults another person, gender or racism is talked about, violent or deadly threats are made, sexually texting, inappropriate photos, stalking,