Cyberbullying means sending insulting or threatening emails, texts, or instant messages directly to someone using a computer or cell phone. It means spreading hateful comments about someone through emails, blogs, online profiles, or chat rooms. It means stealing passwords and sending out threatening messages using a false identity. It means building a website targeting specific people. If there is so many ways to hurt people through technology, how come there is no laws or punishments for cyberbullying. Only recently the United States have been instating laws to help reduce cyberbullying. Even at that it is not enough these laws need to be strictly enforced by the government, and the people being held accountable for their actions.
People argue the cyberbullying laws are a violation of the 1st Amendment, more specifically the freedom of speech and the freedom of expression. In Michigan, Joshua Mahaffey was 15, he and a friend created this web site in 2001. The website was called “Satan’s Web page” and according to Joshua it was created it for laughs. On the website listed “people I wish would die,” which listed names of several students at their schools. Then a parent notified the police about the site, it’s a threat and posed an infraction against the cyberbullying laws. Joshua was interviewed and admitted to creating and contributing to the website. Then he was sent to a local psychiatric hospital. After three days, doctors released him as not a threat to himself and others. The school then suspended him for the first semester. Joshua’s parents then sued the school district for violating his freedom of expression. Joshua then won his case against the school district. However, after September 11th security against another terriost attack was on highest alert. People’s rights were thrown out the window. People were listening to people’s conversations and looking at what they post online, trying to prevent the next terriost attack to help save millions of lives. So shouldn’t the same measures be taken to help decrease the amount of cyber bullying and the number of victims?
When you are a victim of cyberbullying you feel guilty like it is your fault. You feel unsafe and afraid. You feel hopeless and stuck like you can’t get out of the situation. You feel alone, like there is no one to help you. You feel depressed and feeling rejected by your friends and others. You feel confused and stressed out wondering what to do and why this is happening to you. You feel ashamed that this is happening to you. According to a study by the Cyberbullying Research Center, 40% of victims felt scared, 51% of victims felt sad and depressed and 55% felt frustrated and didn’t know what to do. Your self-esteem goes down when you have been cyber bullied. Well according to the Cyberbullying Research Center, on a scale of 1 to 4 a cyber bully victim’s self esteem is 2.67 where as a non-cyber bully victim is 3.01. The only way to prevent people especially teenagers from feeling like their weak and hopeless and can’t do nothing about it, is to enforce the cyber bullying laws strictly.
Cyberbullying is deadly. When teens are cyber bullied they feel so bad that it drives them to take their own lives to end the pain and suffering. According to the a study found that cyberbullying victims are 1.9 times more likely to commit suicide than those with no experience of cyberbullying. In Missouri, Megan Meier had struck up an relationship with a boy named Josh Evans on MySpace. He messaged her and asked to be her friend. Megan accepted and continued on for about 6 weeks. Then Josh turned on Megan, telling her that she was cruel and he didn’t want to be her friend anymore. He told her that the world would be a better place without her in it. Other postings found on Josh’s site read: “Megan Meier is a slut,” and “Megan Meier is fat.” Megan’s last message to Josh read, “You are a boy a girl would kill herself over.” On October 16, 2006, Megan hanged herself with a belt in her bedroom closet. In Florida, a boy named Jeff Johnston stood out because he was almost 6 feet tall and because of his long shoulder length hair. After breaking up with a girl in 7th grade, he was bullied online and was called a stalker for the next three years. Then when he was in 8th grade someone hacked into his online video game account and left it filled with nasty comments. At 15 years old, Jeff wrote notes that read, “the world would never change” and “I will never get over 8th grade.” After he left the notes in his bedroom, he hanged himself in his closet. How many lives need to be lost before the government does something about it and enforces the laws strictly.
In Missouri, there is a law that states “Harassment by computer, text message, and other electronic devices is illegal; it is it is a felony for an adult (age 21 or older) to cyberbully anyone 17 or younger. Violation of the law is a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine and 90 days in jail.” Every state in the United States needs to follow Missouri’s example and do the same. Make a strict law and enforce it so we are able to decrease the amount of cyber bullying and once again have teens feel safe and secure.
Bibliography:
Cavanaugh, Millie Anne. "Cyberbullying Can Have Deadly Consequences - Parent Liability for Bully Behavior." Help for Troubled Teens Boarding Schools - Aspen Education. 29 Oct. 2011 <http://www.aspeneducation.com/Article-cyberbulling-consequences.html>.
"Cyberbullying." KidsHealth - the Web's most visited site about children's health. 29 Oct. 2011 <http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/cyberbullying.html>.
Cyberbullying Research Center - cyber bullying examples, cases, laws, articles, stories, presentations, videos, facts, statistics. 29 Oct. 2011 <http://www.cyberbullying.us/research.php>.
Jacobs, Thomas A. Teen Cyberbullying Investigated: Where Do Your Rights End and Consequences Begin? Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Pub., 2010. Print.
"Teen Health - Health Topics." CYH Home - Home. 29 Oct. 2011 <http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=243>.
