Bullies Need a Harsher Punishment

Bullying is one of the leading causes in teen suicide today. People bullied in the past or present have been studied and it has shown that they have a lower quality of life. Though they have a lower quality of life, the have better physical and mental health. (“Seaman” 1). Studies have shown that most bullying happens in middle school and high school. There is bullying in elementary school but it is minimal and less serious (“Bullying Statistics” 1). Most kids refuse to speak up while being bullied in fear that the bully will just taunt them more (“Cyber-Safety Act” 2). Bullying has become a very serious issue regarding our society today.

According to the American Psychological Association, “Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words or more subtle actions” (Bullying, 2013). People bully each other for several reasons and there are different outcomes that are a result of those reasons. People can be bullied physically, emotionally, or verbally. Bullying can take place at school or online. Bullying should be a considered a crime, but kids get away with it all the time; furthermore prevention can be used in order to keep kids safe from bullying.

In the past, bullies were bigger children who constatntly picked on the smaller and weaker children. Bullies normally teased the children they victimized. If they got away with it, bullies also demended food and money from their victims. Sometimes, for the few unlucky ones, the bullies got physical with them. When bullyng occurred, it typically happened on school’s premises. Once the children who are being bullied got home, they were safe from the abuse. As scoiety evolve into the world of technology so has bullying. With cyberbulllying, children are never safe from the continous torture of being bullied. Yet, some states do not define cyberbullying as a form of bullying in their anti-bullying laws. Every state has a diverse definition of bullying. While some states specify physical altercation or badgering as a form of bullying, others define it as merely aggravating behavior (Maggie Clark 2). With no definite definition and no sole constitutional course of action, adults are bullie at work as well. They can only fit the crime to a punishment (Allison Ballard 3). If there is a single definition which covers all aspects of bullying, in any type of environment,, adults and children will have the protection they need.

In Congress right now “the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act” is being debated upon. If the bill was passed it would “...make bullying through an electronic means a federal crime.”(Warnke 26). If the bill is passed different charges upon the bully may be applied depending on how severe the bullying

In our time today, there are many types of "bullying", but the one type I believe can be the worse and the one I will be discussing will be “Cyber bullying.” Cyber Bullying is an action when people either get together or by themselves purposely threaten or harass another kid through social media, such as Twitter or Facebook. The use of smart phones makes this action so easy to do and we can't really do anything to stop it from happening. These people can go and tweet about something any part of the day. All types of bullying are usually related in some type of way but the action of doing it is usually much different. Cyber bullying is one of the worst types of

What then is the actual definition of the act of bullying? Bullying in the State of Nevada is defined as carrying out actions that may be “highly offensive to a reasonable person” and intended to “cause the student to suffer harm or serious emotional distress” (Cyberbully tactics are focus of state law, 2010). Cyber bullying elsewhere is bullying by means of electronic communication (Cyberbully tactics are focus of state law, 2010). In Texas, bullying means engaging in written or verbal expression or physical conduct that will physically harm another student or student’s property, or is persistent enough to create an intimidating or threatening educational environment for a student (Grobe, 2012). These definitions are typical of those used in other states.

Students can send cruel comments through texts and emails instead of doing it in person. A whole group of students can send anonymous messages and slander through Facebook or YouTube. The home address or cell phone number of the victim can be posted online. Videos and pictures of an individual during a vulnerable or intimate time in their life can be used on the internet to continue their humiliation for years to come. Victims are no longer safe in their own home because their bullies can follow them online. In addition, teachers cannot witness these online altercations like they could with altercations in a classroom. Being unable to track student behavior online, instructors could no longer report activity unless it occurred in their presence or they are notified by a student. School boards cannot respond to these internet attacks with their sweeping policies because they did not apply to off campus situations. Federal laws provided little relief. “In January 2006, the United States made it a federal crime to harass people on the internet.—but the law applied only to people over the age of eighteen.”(Klein 119-120) Cyber-bullies in secondary school could commit acts of aggression without worries of repercussion. If caught, online abuser could evoke their first amendment rights, which defendsfreedom of speech. No one willing to stop these attackers would know what was happening until it was too late for the

Bullying is defined as an intentional act that causes harm to others, and may involve verbal harassment, verbal or non-verbal threats, physical assault, stalking, or other methods of coercion such as manipulation, blackmail, or extortion. Without a doubt bullying, has become an increasing epidemic among individuals today. “The bulling cycle,” according to Dan Olweus, a world-renowned psychologist from Norway, there needs to be three individuals or groups of people involved: the bully, the victim and the bystander. The process begins with simple taunts and can escalate into behavior requiring legal intervention. In fact, several cases have been presented to courts for both criminal and civil prosecution. Another key factor in the progression of bullying cases is the internet. Today’s bullies need not be physically present

No matter what type of bullying, it should not happen to anyone. No one deserves to have fears about going to go to or to work because they are afraid of being threatened and bullied. Bullying is a well known problem in the US yet little had been done to prevent the problem. Everyday, in schools, a placed where security and shelter was promised, young children and teenagers are physically threatened, publically embarrassed, and exploited on social media all because of bullies. If bullying happens in schools, people believe it is the children’s responsibility to address the problem themselves which is not the case. Yes, some of the responsibility is on the children, the victim, the bully, and the bystanders, but the other half is for the adults

Furthermore, since there are no federal laws that address bullying, “bullying overlaps with discriminatory harassment when it is based on race, national origin, color, sex, age, disability, or religion.”(Federal Laws 1) After the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, forty-eight states put anti-bullying laws into place. All of their laws state that a hardcore investigation must take place, along with reporting it, followed by strict punishment. A victim has to report it happening from the same person or group repeatedly before anything is done about it, in order to suspend or expel the bully. Not many students in school are willing to report any bullying activity, they fear that they too will become bullied, for being a “snitch” or “tattle tale”. Students know that if the bully discovers who told on them, then it will make them more hostile and escalate them to find more cruel way to punish their victim. Even if the bully is expelled from school there is other means of torturing someone.

The Government laws has changed cyberbullying also forty-nine states now have anti-bullying laws. For instance, Illinois requires schools to do social-emotional learning exercises to prevent bullying. During the exercises, students describe their emotions during a stressful event or recognize the emotional reactions to stress. On the punishment side, five states don’t have any

Bullying and cyber-bullying have increased tremendously in past six years. With the increased popularity of Facebook, bullies are finding a new way of tormenting victims. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in teens, with bullying being one of the leading causes. Legal standings on who is accountable have not been clear and when cases are brought forth the infrequent use of laws holding parents and schools responsible is glaring. It is time to make bigger strides on holding parents and school officials responsible for the bullying that occurs within the community. Civil suits are filed at an alarming rate but criminal charges are not considered in some bullying cases. Children are not being led by example but left to think their

Not only are bullied children anxious, depressed, and underachieving during the months and years of their torment, but even years later, they have lower self-esteem as well as painful memories. 7 The picture is somewhat different, but often more ominous, for bullies. Contrary to the public perception that bullies are actually insecure and lonely, at the peak of their bullying they usually have friends who abet, fear, and admire them, and they seem brashly unapologetic about the pain they have inflicted, as they often claim, "all in fun." But their popularity and school success fade over the years, and especially if they are boys, they run a high risk of ending up in prison. In one longitudinal study done by Olweus, by age 24, two-thirds of the boys who had been bullies in the second grade were convicted of at least one felony, and one- third of those who had been bullies in the sixth through the ninth grades were already convicted of three or more crimes, often violent ones. International research likewise finds that children who are allowed to regularly victimize other children are at high risk of becoming violent offenders as adolescents and adults. 8 Unfortunately, bullying during middle childhood seems to be universal: it occurs in every nation that has been studied, is as much a problem in small

Bullying is defined generally as an act of aggression directed towards a party or individual deemed weaker than the aggressor in order to cultivate a feeling of

According to Erik Manriquez (University of Texas at El Paso) “Cyber bullying is very similar to traditional bullying. Cyber bullying involves more emotional and psychological harm. Cyber bullying can also lead to violence, if the cyber bully decides to physically attack their victim. Cyber bullying has a broader audience; anyone in the world can see the hateful messages left by a bully. Cyber bullying can involve social networking sites, text messages, websites, and emails. Humiliating messages and videos can spread fast and cause more harm. There have been several killings and suicides due to cyber bullying. The most effective method of prevention is education and awareness of cyber bullying. Several states have different laws