Cyberbullying

Students today, especially teenagers, experience and observe many forms of bullying.
The ways one might bully or be bullied by someone has changed. Many people might think of
bullying as face to face confrontation, however now most of bullying starts from or is on social
media. There are many reasons for this, like the ability to say something without fear of having
to think on their feet for a comeback, or having the ability to click delete. That is what makes
social media a scary and second world for many teens. The amount of bullying that is done on
social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Ask.fm is a problem that is rising in schools.
Schools should be educated about cyber bullying and enforce more rules to stop students from
posting harsh comments about other students on social media sites.
Many students have taken their own lives because of another student saying something
harmful to them online, and this needs to stop (Promisel, 2013). One teenage victim stated: It
makes me hurt both physically and mentally. It scares me and takes away all my confidence to
make me feel sick and worthless (Goodno, 2011). Harassing, bullying, and threaten always are
happening at all schools however no longer does the bullying end once the school day ends
(Goodno, 2011). All the new technology has given a whole new meaning to bullying. People are
able to say things on social media sites for the whole world to see 24 hours a day. Cyber
bullying is such a grueling thing, its follows the kids that are being bullied from school to home
on their computer screen. With allowing anyone to log in to their account, and see the bullying
and join in. The bullies are using sites like YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook to mock others
by creating posts, accounts, videos and profiles to mock others.
Most face to face bullying that happens in schools starts from the internet. So if there is
a way to stop cyber bullying it would be a great way to also stop face to face bullying. The
amount of bullying that happens over the internet is way greater than the amount that is
happening face to face. If a student is being harassed on the internet by a classmate and it
causes a problem in school or makes them uncomfortable in school, something should be done.
The rule book shouldnt have to come in to effect after someone happened to harm someone
physical or mental. The problem should be addressed prior to the physical confrontation. There
are some situations where no one had any idea of the cyber bullying happening, which is due to
the fact that kids are too afraid to come to someone and tell them what is going on. However in
the cases that students come forward and tell an adult or principle what is going on, there
should be a consequence put in place. Whether it is a first time warning or a second time
punishment. Having punishments for this type of actions would teach students a lesson, and
prevent the problem from further happing.
There are more and more students that are joining social media site. Many parents of
these kids dont know what type of information their kids post on these sites. This makes it
hard to for parents or schools to enforce rules for their kids when being involved with social
media. One major problem is that kids dont think everyone will be able to see their posts.
Thats where their wrong, once you click post your words are viewable to everyone and even
if you delete it most of the time there is still a way for someone to find out what it was that you
posted (Grabendhorst, 2012). Once someone posts something they should understand that
there liable for all the consequences. If schools were to educate students on cyber bulling it
would show the bullies what type of reactions they are causing to the victims. That may show
kids the harsh reality of what cyber bullying could do to someone, and may stop it from
happening, so there would be no need for punishments.
Some say that cyber bullying is easier to get away with than face to face bullying and
that its hard to punish someone for it. This is true, due to the fact that teachers and staff
members do not follow students on social sites so they do not know what is being said.
Students that are being bullies on these sites arent getting punished so they do not think that
they are doing anything wrong. There are many ways to prove that someone is saying
unnecessary comments on these sites, for example if you were to tweet something it says the
name of the person, who tweeted it, and what time it was published at. Many times in these
situations the tweet is brought to an adults attention, and if the comments were brought to
the principle the problem should be dealt with. The principle will be able to get more
information on the situation and if the evidence they find is found to be true, there sound be a
consequence.
School administrations and law makers are stumped when it comes to the rules and
laws schools can have for students who are involved in cyberbullying. Due to all the problems
that cyberbullying is causing, state legislators are beginning to create specific laws to address
the situation. They are trying to find a way to not violate students first, second, third, and
fourth amendment rights. Schools cant punish someone for something that happened off
campus however if it is brought back to campus or creates a problem during school hours they
can do something about it. Thats where I believe that once cyberbullying comes back to the
school campus schools should have rules in place where there are punishments to the kids that
are involved.
Bullying in the twenty-first century is more different now than it has ever been. The use,
moreover, the misuse of social media has manipulated the problem. Defining who is
responsible and what should be done about bullying in this fashion is very hard to determine.
Often times, it is too late for authorities, school or otherwise, to fix the problem. While a
perfect solution doesnt exist, a number of things can be done to limit potential problems.
Schools must take a no tolerance stand when it comes to bullying. Clear yet fair policies must
be made and followed, each and every time! Within the school, each district should limit the
access to social media sites within their buildings if they seem to be problematic. If the
cyberbullying is occurring out of school, on personal devices, the government needs to give
schools and administrators the right to access and use damaging tweets or other postings
against those who are bullying. Taking steps to solve this problem may help students attend
school more regularly and align their priorities with what everyone wants: a great education.









References
Promisel, R. (n.d.). Persuasive Essay Outline: Cyber Bullying. Roshan Promisels Blog.
Retrieved April 23, 2014, from https://sites.psu.edu/english137h/2013/03/20/persuasive-
essay-outline-cyber-bullying/
Goodno, N. (n.d.). How Public Schools Can Constitutionally Halt Cyberbullying: A Model
Cyberbullying Policy that Considers First Amendment, Due Process, and Fourth Amendment
Challenges. Wake Forest Law Review How Public Schools Can Constitutionally Halt Cyberbullying
A Model Cyberbullying Policy that Considers First Amendment Due Process and Fourth
Amendment Challenges Comments. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from
http://wakeforestlawreview.com/how-public-schools-can-constitutionally-halt-cyberbullying-a-
model-cyberbullying-policy-that-considers-first-amendment-due-process-and-fourth-
amendment-challenges
Grabendhorst, A. (n.d.). Cyber Bullying Essay by Merlin920. StudyMode. Retrieved April
23, 2014, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Cyber-Bullying-Essay-959303.html



http://wakeforestlawreview.com/how-public-schools-can-constitutionally-halt-cyberbullying-a-
model-cyberbullying-policy-that-considers-first-amendment-due-process-and-fourth-
amendment-challenges
https://bangordailynews.com/2012/11/15/news/bangor/former-orono-high-student-charged-
in-cyberbullying-case-target-and-family-speak-out/
http://nation.time.com/2013/10/16/a-florida-tragedy-illustrates-rising-concern-about-cyber-
bullying-suicides/