Why We Shouldn T Cyberbullying Be Considered A Crime

Due to the rise of technology, cyberbullying has become a developing problem worldwide but the debate of whether it should be considered a crime is still on going. Cyberbullying, which is defined as the act of harassing someone through the use of technology, affects many individuals but there is a fine line that is drawn between whether it should or should not be illegal. Cyberbullying shouldn’t be considered a crime because one is innocent until found guilty, suicide is done by freewill, and teaching is more powerful than persecution.

Cyberbullying has become a problem going around for the past decade but should not be considered a crime for many reasons. One reason is the criminal law states, one is innocent until proven guilty, and this

Crime is a very heavy subject and if improper judgement is made it can lead to the destruction of someone’s life. Another reason is many use the effect of suicide as an explanation to cyberbullying. What Isn’t Known About Suicides by Laurie Levenson explains, “the law assumes that each individual, including, the victim, acts with free will,” and one can’t be held in charge for the decision of another. Suicide is unpredictable in many cases and the cause of it may be something else that is unidentified. Paul Butler further goes on to explain the situation with Tyler Clementi and how his decision behind suicide was social homophobia rather than bullying. The misinterpretation of the situation led many to believe that his bullies were in charge of the suicide when in reality they didn’t inflict it. Lastly, persecution is a violent and incorrect response to cyberbullying.

Bullying Laws Cannot Change the Culture defines cyberbullying as “violating one’s civil rights or invading a person’s privacy are crimes warranting law enforcement intervention” (Robert Trestan) which is not really the case. The Internet has become a platform through which many individuals who don’t even know each other have the opportunity to communicate with each other. Some may say that this is a massive threat to the younger students but instead, every individual should understand how to protect themselves. When a child is having access to the internet, it is parental responsibility to make sure that the child understands what he/she is exposing themselves to. More Insidious Harassment by Marlene Sandstrom continues to talk about how “perpetrators can harass victims via email messages, texts, chat rooms, and other media that can operate on a 24/7 cycle.” One should only put information out on the internet if he/she believes it okay for every individual to see it. Awareness is needed in every individual and every individual should know when they are being taken advantage of online. Cyberbullying is a preventable situation if the correct action is taken towards it, it will resolve the problem. Others may also say that the laws need to be made and cyberbullying should be illegal so that it can become preventable. Bullying Laws Cannot Change the Culture by Robert Trestan says