Should Cyber Bullies Be Prosecuted?
Sticks and Stones may break your bones but words never hurt, but in reality, words cut deep. Cyberbullying is on the rise and more people are taking their lives due to another person(s) choice of words and actions. Someone has to take a stand against it, cyberbullies should be prosecuted. It has become a bigger issue than face to face bullying. Cyberbullying is permanent and inescapable as technology progresses with time it lasts forever. They way that social media networks are set up its possible for something to go viral within a matter of seconds. Some people argue that prosecution violates the 1st Amendment; others might say it doesn’t cause any bodily harm. The effects that cyberbullying may have on someone physically, mentally, and emotionally should be enough, criminalizing cyberbullying would reduce the number of victims. No one deserves to be trapped.
On October 7, 2003, 13-year-old Ryan Halligan hung himself at his home and his body was discovered by his older sister, due to being bullied at school and online by his classmates. One classmate pretended to like him while they talked online little did he know everything he had shared with her had been shared with the rest of the school. He tried to tell his father but he simply told him that words don’t hurt you and ignore the bullies. No one expected Ryan to take his life because he kept quiet about his feelings. Since then his father has done programs on ABC to inform people of
Technology―it’s the focal point of our lives, from sending a quick text to checking the latest news. But the real debate comes when the conversation switches to cyberbullying, which is customarily described as an act that is “repeated, hostile, and severe with the intent to embarrass, threaten, or harass” (“The Dangers of Cyberbullying” by Warnke, lines 26-27). Bullies in the real world can and do get prosecuted, so what makes this any difference. In some cases, the bullying is so deleterious that the victim commits suicide. If all of this can be prevented, then lives will be saved and children will be able to live without the fear of being bullied. The three sources “The Dangers of Cyberbullying” by Brett Warnke, “Sacrificing the First Amendment
“...1 in 3 teens [have] admitted to being a victim of cyberbullying…” says child psychologist, Eden Foster, in reference to a survey, talked about in “The Dangers of Cyberbullying” by Brett Warke, that shows the absolute significance of cyberbullying in this day and age. Cyberbullying on social media is everywhere and it’s about time that someone took some action against it, and, in this case, taking legal action via prosecution may be the best way to go. Let it not be said that cyberbullying and bullying are different, infact, the only difference is the platform they take place on. Cyberbullying is done with the same malicious intent as face-to-face bullying is done with: the intent to hurt a victim in a psychological or physical way- showing
In the ophelia project fact sheet 60 % of targets said that their online experiences as a target of cyber bullying affected them at school and at home by causing them intense anger. Cyber bullies are very mean and should be prosecuted. Cyber bullies cause mental and physical harm as well as the message the bully is relaying can be viewed by a much bigger audience and the message will forever be in cyberspace. Even though some people believe that prosecuting cyber bullies violates the 1st amendment, individuals should be prosecuted for cyber bullying because cyber bullies are making threats which violates the 1st amendment.
Students, parents, and teachers everywhere are being affected by cyberbullying and it is getting worse every day. With technology advancing as fast as it is, everything is starting to revolve around the internet even bullying. Cyberbullying is a problem especially in schools. As the rate of cyberbullying in schools increases, concerned citizens are raising the question: should students be punished for what they say online outside of school? While some people may say limiting students’ freedom of speech online is the best way to stop cyberbullying, the reality is limiting a students’ freedom of speech online is an unacceptable idea because it goes against the First Amendment, and, in truth, it would never get rid of the problem.
Every day millions of people log onto social media platforms. There has been much discussion on whether or not individuals should be prosecuted for statements made on social media platforms. Individuals should be prosecuted for statements made on social media. Although cyberbullying is just a small crime, people should still be punished for harsh or hateful remarks on social media. Having freedom of speech is a privilege not a right, we should focus on the bigger stories on cyberbullying, and individuals affected by cyberbullying are affected in all aspects of their life.
Did you know that nearly 1 in 3 teens have admitted to being a victim of cyberbullying? That’s an absurdly large number of teens! But what really is cyberbullying anyway? Well, the Cyberbullying Research Center defines it as “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices”. Congresswomen Linda Sanchez is currently sponsoring a bill that would make bullying through an electronic means a federal crime and I wholeheartedly support it! Individuals should definitely be prosecuted for statements made on social media.
Not to mention with everyone being connected throughout social media makes it easier for the word to get around faster and make it worse for that person. Cyberbullying might not involve physical abuse and the words said will not make it hurt any less, but the posts someone puts up will be there for anybody to see and might not ever go away. Cyberbullying is no better than bullying because it can still lead to psychological or emotional problems many kids have to face. In some serious cases it can lead to depression or even worse suicide. It can be prevented by social media websites censoring any harsh or mean comments before the posts are even posted. Although it is not their fault, that is how the problem starts and continues.
Although the freedom of speech has had limitations and changes added to it, it should not be changed for cyberbullying. Bullying and cyberbullying are very similar yet they are also very different, cyberbullying is only mental or emotional harm, while regular bullying is usually only physical and emotional. Physically harming someone is illegal but emotionally harming someone is not illegal because no true harm was done. If someone who does have their feelings hurt easily they should avoid the Internet as much as possible, yes it is very difficult to not use the Internet because almost everything today uses the Internet, those people could block other users that are hurting their feelings instead of the “attacker” getting prosecuted. “But then, why don’t kids just ‘unplug’?” according to “The Dangers of Cyberbullying” by Brett Warnke.
Every day, millions of people roam the internet. There has been much discussion on whether or not people should be prosecuted for cyber bullying. I believe that they should. Although many think that prosecution affects the first amendment, cyber bullying promotes getting hurt, affects the targets life, and promotes depression.
To begin, any person that has cyberbullied another person should be punished, whether it be in school or legally. The victim being cyber bullied often feels “angry, hurt, embarrassed, or scared” (Source A). The way that these victims feel is also displayed through movies like “Cyberbully” and “13 Reasons Why.” These movies have a school setting and they reveal how a victim feels at school and in their community when being cyberbullied. If cyberbullying was supposed to be justified by the First Amendment or anything
The First Amendment has high importance and guarantee coming from our founding fathers. The Constitution promises its citizens that those rights will never be taken away, regardless of what is said. It is too significant to overlook. Cyberbullying also may contain its own positives. Not only would it be seen by powerful and disapproving adults but also influential peers for both the bully and the bullied. It could lead to independent fixing. Although many believe in government consequences, education itself could finish the pressing problem in today’s youth. What, if any, prosecution such as jail led to the termination of the one thing it was meant to stop? So then, why would prosecution for cyberbullying be any
Although cyberbullying is something that should be prevented I admit that it has caused many incidents over the years. People made unthoughtful actions as being the victims of this and committed suicide or hurting themselves. “Although cyberbullying may seem insignificant in the big picture, in a survey conducted in 2006, nearly 1 in 3 teens admitted to being the victim of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can also lead to kids getting physically injured.” Teenagers should not be punished criminally because of their
‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ (The Christian Recorder). This is the infamous saying that many have heard since they were young. With vastly growing technology today, face to face bullying is being replaced with what is known as ‘cyberbullying’. Cyberbullying is defined as, “an aggressive intentional act carried out by a group or individual using electronic forms of contact repeatedly and over against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself” (WebMD). It can take place using cell phones, computers, tablets, social media sites, text messaging, and/or chat rooms. Cyberbullying has become a growing awareness nationwide, prompting lawmakers to act and propose new laws making cyberbullying a
Concluding, ones who bully online should be prosecuted for the acts they have committed. The effects done by cyberbullying cause many people to become miserable. Bullies do terrible things to make others feel bad about themselves because of their insecurities or because they do things differently than them. Cyber bullies should only be prosecuted for reasonable reasons. If the bully does something so bad that it causes the victim to do things such as self-harm, then they should be punished for their
Should cyber bullying be prosecuted? WellI I agree that civilians should be prosecuted for online cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is becoming a common event on online social media in today's world. Recent studies show that 10 to 20 percent experience it regularly. Cyberbullying mainly focuses on the percentage of deaths due to bullying, how you can be protected from online bullying, and how cyber bullying begins in the first place.