Cyberbullying Thesis Statement

‘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

As cyberbullying has become a major social concern for school administrators, students, parents, it becomes increasingly important for them to understand the different perspectives people have on cyberbullying in order to be able to offer and work out solutions. Two sociological perspectives, the conflict and functionalist perspectives, can provide crucial insight on the victim and the bully, two important sides of the problem of cyberbullying.

Part I focuses on the “recent emergence of cyber-bullying and its devastating effects on minors” (220), Part II discusses “why current laws fail to protect victims” (220), and Part III discusses “how to criminalize the act of cyberbullying” (220). I found this article in particular to be very useful because it poses a detailed examination of the types of laws in place regarding bullying and why they need to be updated. It also specifically talks about the failure of schools and courts to effectively punish cyberbullying as a crime because of First Amendment issues, “Schools face the challenge of balancing the rights of students, while judges face the challenge of balancing the First Amendment right to free speech” (237). Lastly, this article lists many case examples of students who have fallen martyrs to cyberbullying or experienced the serious short-term or long-term effects that

Compton, L., Campbell, M. A., & Mergler, A. (2014). Teacher, parent, and student perceptions of motives of cyberbullies. Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, 17(3), 383-400. doi:10.1007/s11218-014-9254-x

In chapter eight of the book, “Cyber Bullying and the Wild Web: What Everyone Needs to Know” by J.A. Hitchcock talks about social media websites and apps that teens, and parents need to be aware about. In the beginning of the chapter the author lists off a few of the popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Kik, and Snapchat. The author then shares a story about a girl named Colleen getting harassed on the internet by a group of girls because she felt uncomfortable with her boyfriend being friends with one of the girls because she was flirting with him. Once the boyfriend deleted the girl, Colleen started getting harassed online However, she was smart enough to know how to block them and not accept anyone that she didn't

All the people of this nation need to consider the national controversy of cyber bullying. If you gazed at someone being teased on the internet, what would you do frankly? Did you know that 14% of high schoolers premeditated suicide and half of them that considered actually did? Because 55% of all teens convey that they have spotted online teasing and 95% of them overpass the locality watched, hectoring online is becoming a contention. Out of all teens in this nation, 52% declared that they have been online bulldozed. Internet intimidating is the leading determinant of the youth of this generation to execute suicide. People should be more perceptive of cyber bullying for the reason that technology is an uprising, the suicide cases for online antagonizing are unforgettable, and the population of teens is decreasinhjjg twenty-four seven.

In An Exploratory Study of Cyberbullying with Undergraduate University Students, written by Carol M. Walker, Beth Rajan Sockman, and Steven Koehn, the article explores the topic of cyberbullying. It looks into what undergraduate students go through, while it also gives a basis for future research in cyberbullying on college campuses. One of the research questions being posed is what instances of cyberbullying do undergraduate students experience, and what role does gender play in cyberbullying at the undergraduate level? The other question is what forms of technology do undergraduate students use to perpetrate or receive bullying, and how often does it occur?

Michael M. Honda states that “everyone in America likely has a bullying story, whether as a victim, bully, or as a witness.” Cyberbullying has become a major epidemic in the modern day world because everyone has access to the internet in some way. By taking an in depth look at cyberbullying, one can see just how urgent it is to stop it, because not only can it strike anywhere at any time, cyberbullying can also lead to suicide and cause serious mental health issues.

Cyberbullying is worse than physical bullying because the bully can remain anonymous and those being bullied have no safe haven. Bullying through the internet means the the bully can remain unknown. Because students are too nonchalant about their usernames and passwords, the bully could easily hack into another student’s account and take on their identity (Scott Meech, computer teacher) . Therefore, the bully would be untouchable and could remain a complete mystery. Due to the accessibility of the internet, a student could be bullied by anyone, anywhere and at any time of the day. This means that student is no longer safe from bullying by just going home. In fact, a 2006 survey revealed that

Everyone has the power of photography and social media. They are like drugs and we need to stop the harmful side effects. According to Dictionary.com, “cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.” This is cyberbullying and millions of kids around the world are dealing with this daily. Cyberbullying can be caused by many ways and we all need to come together to eliminate the harmful side effects once and for all. Cyberbullying is a nationwide epidemic and it can affect people of all ages, so people have to stand and put an end to it today.

Over the last few decades, the use of technology continues to develop daily, impacting the lives of many American’s in a negative matter. In society, because of advanced technology through electronic devices, bullying has increased, people lack in social skills, and it has made people lazier.

I believe that if a student is cyberbullied, there should be a punishment for it. If a child has been cyberbullied and has told a teacher about their situation, the student that cyberbullied should get a punishment. The punishment should be a suspension from school. It should be a suspension because if it was a detention or just a demerit, the student might not learn their lesson or feel bad about what they did. If the student continues to cyberbully, they should be suspended again but for a longer time. The student should also see a counselor or someone to help the students work out their problem.

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.

Facebook and other social media platforms have brought communication across the world to a whole new level. The rise of social media has created a place for children to communicate with others in both a positive and negative manner. Although it has made a positive impact on American youth, it has also contributed and exacerbated bullying in our schools. This new form of bullying, often referred to as cyberbullying, has created an around-the-clock atmosphere where bullying can occur even when school is not in session. Many professionals have sought to address the negative aspects of social media and have worked to develop a solution to bring cyberbullying to an end.

We use technology in almost every aspect of our daily lives; it is how we stay connected in this fast-paced world. Technology provides many benefits, but it has the potential to destroy many people. With technology use on the rise, bullying has taken a new, more destructive form. Cyberbullying, as defined by the Cyberbullying Research Center, is the willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text (qtd. in Chait). Cyberbullying is a serious problem and has serious consequences.