Cyberbullying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cyberbullying - Essay Example The website stopcyberbullying.org defines cyberbullying or online bullying as â€Å"when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones.†The site further states cyberbullying involves minors; otherwise, if adults are involved it is labeled as cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. There are several ways how a minor is cyberbullied. These include pretending to be someone else to trick the other person, spreading lies and rumors about the victim, deceiving people to provide personal information, sending cruel or malicious messages and posting pictures of the victims without their knowledge.2 There are a number of measures which can be done to prevent cyberbullying. â€Å"Education and awareness is the key. Parents and teachers need to understand the problem, and understand the technology.† Since it is next to i mpossible to limit the access of kids to electronic technologies, parents can purchase software programs which can monitor their children’s communications and the websites they visit. On the other hand, schools should educate their students regarding cyber ethics, discuss cyberbullying, advice students how to stay away from it and talk about its negative effects. Among the other institutions, it is the schools that play an important role in stopping and remedying cyberbullying. They should promulgate policies that will discipline students who engage in such acts, whether inside or outside the campus, especially if it adversely affects other kids in school. Schools, however, should be careful not to exceed their authority, lest they be sued. They should encourage their students to report to their teachers or other school authorities if they are victims or are aware of cyberbullying incidents. Schools can also provide pamphlets which could give advice on how to be â€Å"cyber- safe†, such as not sharing or posting personal information online; not divulging internet passwords with anyone except their parents; not personally meeting anyone whom they just know through the net and to always remember to talk to their parents on what activities they do online.4 As of February 2011, there are already 44 states that have cyberbullying laws according to the Cyberbullying Research Center.The Center goes on to specify that of these 44 states, six states specifically mention â€Å"cyberbullying† while 31 states specifically mention â€Å"electronic harassment†. These legislations are indeed a welcome improvement in the status of prevention of cyberbullying. In an article written by O’Neil, he suggested that it is difficult to pursue a civil or criminal case on cyberbullying because of the high standards that the Supreme Court has established for incitement.6 He pointed out further that although the Tort and Libel Laws are in place, they are inadequate to protect an individual from cyberbullying. I believe that legislation against cyberbullying have a long way to go. The state should not be reactive in introducing new laws against cyberbullying; rather it should be proactive and not wait for more tragedies to happen before it begins to act. Aside from government policies, the business sector also has a responsibility in barring cyberbullying.