Cyber Bullying In Australia Essay

In modern society today, freedom of speech has been a main concern to delinquents as to what they say on the web. Although, cyberbullying has turned into a major issue online that has gotten the schools’ attention and turn towards the security of their students. To accomplish nurturing their students’ safety, they have punished pupils for what they say on the Internet that is harmful in account of others. Alternatively, the Constitution believes this goes against the First Amendment and violates the students’ rights. Schools should be authorized to limit students’ online speech to decrease the matter of cyberbullying which has affected us in many ways.

With the internet and mobile phones being an everyday feature in most peoples lives this has opened the door to a new type of bulling known as cyber bullying. Children who have been bullied at school could at one time come home and get away from their tormentors but now with such technologies available there is the all too unfortunate reality of their problems coming home with them in the form of texts, emails and abuse through other websites.

“...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

There are various categories that Cyberbullying can be prosecuted under in Australia’s criminal framework. But a lack of specific definitions of what ‘Cyberbullying’ leaves the severity of the crime up to interpretation and often the issue is not addressed to the satisfaction of the victim.

There are many discrepancies with Australia’s Cyberbullying laws that has triggered issues nationwide. Cyberbullying happens across all ages however it is mostly seen with Australia’s youth, where 1 in 5 teenagers have experienced Cyberbullying in their life. Cyberbullying is where a person uses the internet or an electronic device to harass, discriminate, stalk, threats, intimidate, defame or to encourage suicide (Legalaid, 2017). Cyberbullying has become a legal issue as it has resulted in depression within young Australians and in even more serious cases, where the bullying is intense, it has resulted in the receiver committing suicide. Cyberbullying in youth is a difficult situation as it could be difficult to determine an appropriate sentence for juveniles and challenging to decipher the element of intent.

Cyber Bullying is defined by the National Crime Prevention Council as - "when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person" (National Crime Prevention Council).

Notar, 2013), yet the problem has become a pervasive one today. It is a sad fact that cyberbullying, particularly in schools, is prevalent throughout the world, with Australia being no exception. It seems to be a part of human nature to try to dominate other people and the lessons that are learned in school tend to stay with children more than the official education they receive. With easy access to internet, teens are empowered with information and using the information for good or bad cause but intent hardly teaches us with power comes the responsibility. In schools, cyberbullying emerges most commonly from relationship problems (break‐ups, envy, intolerance, and ganging up); victims experience powerfully negative effects (especially on their social well‐being) ( Dainne L.Hoff, 2009).

The 21st century has seen many technological advancements occur however, the legal system has struggled to keep pace. With the progression, technology has become a medium used by teens to target others through the method of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying occurs when a person under the age of 18 is bullied, embarrassed, threatened or harassed by another person under 18 via interactive technology such as phones, computer and the internet. In Australia there is no current legislation that specifically deals with cyber bullying which has put all people under 18 at risk of potential cyberbullying.

People are bullied for many reasons, mostly because of their sexual persuasion, racial issues, attitude, weight and even clothing. Sometimes bully can leads to abusing the victim, end up the trauma of bullying hits the newspaper and the terrible scenario has happened. Perhaps a person has harmed their own self or someone else has stepped over the line and hurt them. Bully usually take places in the silence place such as classroom, a street corner or a home so that the victim can’t called for help. Bullies have the ability to create havoc and seem like the innocent party. There are some example of bully cases happen across the globe.

Technology is rapidly advancing at a dizzying rate which has seen many amazing feats but has also introduced and increased the act of Cyberbullying. Cyber bullying can be defined as targeting someone using any form of technology (this includes social media) to tease, stalk or humiliate someone online (Dictionary.com, 2016). Cyberbullying is so detrimental because it encourages the targeting of an individual; It is often done in secret with the bully hiding who they are by creating false profiles or names, or sending anonymous messages. It is difficult to remove as it is shared online so it can be recorded and saved in different places. Cyberbullying has such a negative impact that research shows that there is a correlation between the violent

Cyber-bullying is a very well-known, yet untouched issue that thrives within the age of technology. As it remains untouched and "acknowledged" by the striving online communities, negative cyberspace behavior increases. It gets to the point where this behavior is so frequent, there had been instances of a victim's suicide, supposedly caused by people on the Internet, who are classed as cyber-bullies. Cyber-bullies should be held criminally responsible for a victim's suicide because they are breaking the law, using the web to their advantage, and if they are not held criminally responsible, chances are that the problem will continue.

In this newspaper article, the author helps the reader understand and how to treat cyber bullying. The author explains what bullying is and how it is modernized to become cyber bullying. The article informs the reader of main point, in a brief but effective description about recognizing and treating cyber bullying. The author show great statistical research on her topic but not enough the emotional appeal. It provides good use to my research because of the extensive use on how it should be treated.

“Cyber bullying is defined as using the computer or other electronic devices to intimidate, threaten or humiliate another individual,” Admin October 13th, 2008. As the

Bullying is a bad thing but the worst of all the types of bullying is cyber bulling, it is a terrible weapon that can destroy someone's life and reputation. Cyber bullying is a part of bullying in which a person torments or harasses other people in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner, with technology. It has had a much greater effect on the world more than the traditional way of bullying.

For such a long time, physical bullying has been the largest problem schools and parents had to face with their children, but now another form of bullying has arisen; cyber bullying. In society today, teens are drawn cell phones, laptops, and other technological advancements. Social media is a way for many teens and adolescents to interact with one another and share countless happenings of their personal lives. Cyber bullying occurs when individuals use the internet to send or comment cruel and unnecessary messages to another. In its various forms cyber bullying includes, indirect and direct harassment, posting inappropriate pictures, impersonating another being, or just being plain cruel. Although anyone can become a victim of cyber bullying, improper use of the internet can further induce harassment, due to the adolescents desire to use modern day technologies. The harassers could be classmates, online “friends’’, or anonymous users. One barrier that is difficult to overcome is determining who is responsible for the attacks online, because many bullies hide behind fake usernames or profiles to protect their real identity, which is commonly known as “hiding behind a screen”. (Bonanno 2013). The motives for a cyber-bully are never clear, some might say