Cyberstalking, Cyber-Harassment and Cyberbullying - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages For the entirety of this essay, the focus will be on cyberbullying.
The website stopcyberbullying.org defines cyberbullying or online bullying as “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.

Several measures can be done to prevent cyberbullying. “Education and awareness are the keys. Parents and teachers need to understand the problem, and understand the technology.” Since it is next to impossible to limit the access of kids to electronic technologies, parents can purchase software programs that 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, advise students on 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 that could advise on how to be “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.

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 “cyberbullying” while 31 states specifically mention “electronic harassment”. These legislations are indeed a welcome improvement in the status of the prevention of cyberbullying. In an article written by O’Neil, he suggested that it is difficult to pursue a civil or criminal case on cyber bullying because of the high standards that the Supreme Court has established for incitement. 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 has 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. Businesses that require personal information from their website visitors must take extra measures to ensure the privacy of the information being given. They should be held accountable for protecting the confidentiality of the data provided. Social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter should also have stricter guidelines to protect their users.

But for Boyd and Marwick, the internet is not the real issue; rather it is society’s failure to protect children against both online and offline bullying. They went on further to say that the internet only serves as the instrument of visibility to see the problems that presently beset the youth. According to them, it is just so easy for us to blame the internet but in reality, we only have ourselves to blame for some of the fundamental problems that are haunting our youth of today.

In conclusion, I think that today’s internet technology brings with it several advantages and disadvantages. Cyberbullying is one of the major drawbacks of cyberspace technology. But I believe that it is within our power to control and prevent it. Students, parents, educators, community leaders, the business sector, and legislators all have a role to play in raising awareness about limiting and hopefully eradicating cyberbullying. ...Download file to see next pages Read More