Why Do Cyber Bullying Laws Need to Be Enforced?

Is cyberbullying an old problem with a new disguise? Bullying in the real world has been around for a seemingly endless amount of time. Due to the rise of technology in society today, bullying in the cyber world, also known as cyberbullying, has erupted. Cyberbullying can be defined as using technology, such as the Internet, social media, and text messages, to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person (Hirsch). According to 11 Facts About Cyberbullying, nearly eighty-three percent of teens believe bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person. This shows that cyberbullies use online networks to camouflage themselves from reality. Cyberbullying is emotionally abusive to the victim’s mental health because the scars imprinted from the cruel remarks sent through text messages and posted throughout social media are bound to forever impact one's life.

Cyberbullying is an everyday situation for teenagers around the world. Many teenagers suffer from bullies that are treating them badly and differently than other people. Individuals should be prosecuted for statements made on social media because of the impact that it has on the victim. The cyberbully should be prosecuted because of how the victim reacts to the situation, how the bully harrasses them, and how it spreads around the internet.

The word 'bullying' has developed a very traditional definition amongst society: a face-to-face interaction involving either verbal abuse and/or physical abuse. With the technological advances that have occurred within the past 15 years, bullying has become anything but traditional. Children and teens have more access to the Internet and to social media platforms more than ever before, thus allowing them to avoid face-to-face interaction. Within the past 15 years, there has been a significant rise of cyberbullying in the youth demographic (ages 12-18) (Slonje, Smith, & Frisén, 2013). In order to understand what the difference between traditional bullying and cyberbullying is, one must familiarize themselves with the definition of cyberbullying.

While this technology held out the promise of a new era for interconnectedness, information sharing and education, it also came with a dark underbelly, as bigots and anti-Semites found it a useful tool for propagating hatred. The web sites they created have evolved over time and with the technology, yet they continue to be a very effective tool for spreading hatred, giving the bigots the ability to reach a potential audience of millions. Now, this ability to spread hateful sentiments electronically has reached new dimensions. It has taken on new life in the form of cyber bullying, or the ability to use (and abuse) the fairly new technologies of instant messaging, cell phones, texting, and online social networking to harass and intimidate. Nowhere has this new form of bullying been more prevalent than in middle and high schools. After all, it is teenage students who are most facile with these new technologies and who are most likely to employ them in a group social setting, such as school or camp. Indeed, the Internet, cell phones and other technological paraphernalia play a central role in the social lives of nearly all adolescents. While much of their online activity may be harmless enough, it has also provided an opening for would-be schoolyard bullies to spread innuendo, falsehoods and slander to dozens, even hundreds, of classmates with the touch of a button or click of a mouse. The real-world consequences of cyber bullying have been widely

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.

"Cyber-Bullying: Its Recent Emergence and Needed Legislation to Protect Adolescent Victims." Loyola Journal of Public Interest Law 13.1 (2011): 219-52. Print. This informative and persuasive piece is well organized and direct. Manuel divides her article into three parts, Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages in an threatening nature or tearing down an individuals character based on religion, gender, ethnicity, or disability. In terms of effects overall, cyberbullying has increased the use of communication via technology and has become more common among teenagers (Cabral 3). Technology has made it easy for bullies to find individuals via social media in the privacy of their on own homes., which has allowed them to express how they feel anonomously. This has become an issue that is occurring more and more in High Schools and Middle Schools across America. One of the biggest discussions when dealing with bullying and cyber-bullying would be how do we stop this epidemic to save the soul of our youth? Education is key, we have to educate one another on the effects of bullying to know that this is real and affects so many people to this day. Much of cyberbullying is the

In this wonderful and at times, overwhelming age of technology, in which any person can send and receive information instantaneously and anonymously, cyber-bullying is rapidly emerging as one of the top problems facing today's youth. Cyber bullying is described by the National Conference of State Legislators as being "the willful and repeated use of cell phones, computers, and other electronic computer devices to harass and threaten others." Recent, highly publicized cases of cyber-bullying such as the stories of Tyler Clemente and Audrie Pott are only the tip of the iceberg in what is rapidly becoming an epidemic of cyber-bullying in America. At this moment, forty nine of fifty states have some type of anti-bullying laws in place, with eighteen

|Uhls, Yalda T. "Cyberbullying Has a Broader Impact than Traditional Bullying." Cyberbullying. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: |

Cyberbullying is a problem that has only come to light in the last few years. It has many different effects on people; it can cause depression, suicidal thoughts and actions, and effects the way students do in school. Cyberbullying is one of the top leading causes of suicide in teens and young adults (Swearer). Cyberbullying is a major problem that this country needs to get under control because it is leading to self-harm and suicide in teens and young adults. It causes an unsafe learning environment, and the victim cannot get away from the bullying because the attackers stalk them through social media accounts and their cell phones. So, how does

Sources life i-Safe, which is known as the “leader in internet safety education”, have statistics about the amount of cyberbullying that students have to deal with, but they have not been updated since 2004-over ten years ago(Cushing, 2013). Even if those sources were updated, many schools now set aside whole lessons to learn about cyberbullying and what to do about it, providing them with sources for the victim or other concerned people to take care of the situation(Robinson & Segal,

Bullying has had a well known status for destroying the confidence and esteem of our world’s youth for decades. Recently, a new form of bullying has emerged and has taken over the technological environment. Similar to a student physically bullying another peer, we see victims hurt after an attack over misuse of the Internet. Cyberbullying has been much harder to track than face-to-face bullying. It has also been easier for someone to attack another mercilessly and guiltlessly due to the lack of physically seeing the damage caused (Donegan). Some believe legislation addressing anti-bullying is needed to stop these cyber attacks in their tracks and

Internet usage in children and adolescents has been increasing in a steadily fashion in the past number of years and with the increase in internet usage, a new form of bullying has developed – Cyber bullying. Cyber bullying can be defined as “the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person,” (Merriam-Webster, 2012). This form of bullying can come through various mediums including but not limited to text messages, emails, videos, and social networking sites. There is an overwhelming amount of information that defines cyber bullying, identifies the demographics of bullies and victims of cyber bullying, and identifies the outcomes of cyber bullying on victims. More focus needs to be placed on who the perpetrators

While social media and electronic means for communication have been around the better part of fifteen years, the past ten years have overall shown increases in cyberbullying. Although bullying in general over the past decade has been at a consistent rate, or in some cases even declining, cyberbullying on the average has been rising over the past decade. Statistics regarding

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