Cyber Bullying in Schools Essay Example

Cyberbullying is prevalent in most middle and high school online conversations. The topic of prosecuting cyberbullies is being debated. The question is, should teenagers be prosecuted for cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is a problem that should be addressed, but not in this manner. Giving a high school student a criminal charge will not solve the cyberbullying epidemic in America. The fact is, cyberbullying does not warrant a criminal offense. The problem with prosecuting cyberbullies is that it would be a waste of resources, the crime of bullying online and in-person would not be held to the same standard, and cyberbullying can be resolved in other ways. In the modern age, cyberbullying has begun to run rampant, there are solutions to cyberbullying that do not include prosecuting a teenager.

Time, money, and resources will be wasted if they are to be used to prosecute cyberbullies. If cyberbullying does become a criminal offense, time will be needed to prosecute; money from the government would be needed to pay the judges, and judges will need to prosecute the offenders. The claim that cyberbullying needs to be a criminal offense will hurt the judicial system and will not adequately solve the issue of cyberbullying. Kirk Sigmon states, “Moreover, the idea that hurt feelings justify criminal prosecution at all is an offensive use of the criminal justice system to prosecute minor crimes, ultimately wasting judicial time and taxpayer resources.” This idea solidifies the idea that criminalizing cyberbullying is not justified. Also, making the people pay for the criminalization of something unnecessary, is not just. Additionally, cyberbullying is not as urgent as it seems. According to ‘the Ophelia Project’, “20% of youth ages 11-18 have been a victim of cyberbullying.” If cyberbullying is such an urgent issue, why are only twenty percent of youth affected by it? Twenty percent is not a large margin; it is small compared to the number of people affected by cyberbullying. The population of cyberbully victims, according to this sample, is not very prevalent. By no means is cyberbullying correct, but arresting kids for cyberbullying will not deter them from bullying. All in all, cyberbullying is not enough of a problem to where it needs to be a criminal offense. Is cyberbullying worth the resources of a system that already does not have enough time or money to spare?

If cyberbullying should be illegal, then in-person bullying should be illegal too. But only cyberbullying becoming a crime is up for debate. The two crimes would not have the same importance. If someone were to be bullied in-person then, there would be no charge. So, the claim that bullying online should be illegal would make no sense the crime would not have the same moral value. Although cyberbullying is not morally correct, it does not have an immoral value stronger than bullying someone in real life. Kirk Sigmon presents, “The last time I checked, hurting someone’s feelings-even in real life-never justified criminal prosecution.” To further this claim, cyberbullying is not a justifiable crime, is that the freedom of speech is protected in the First Amendment. The idea that someone can prosecute another person because of their own beliefs or feelings would be an infringement, on the freedom of speech. Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully someone. And the freedom of speech says that congress can not make any law abridging the speech of Americans. This freedom identifies that congress cannot make a law limiting the speech of the people, so even if cyberbullying is being callous online, congress can not make any law limiting the speech of a cyberbully. Kirk Sigmon adds, “Like it or not, implicit within the text of the First Amendment is the right to be as cruel as one wants, right up to the point of libel or slander.” As much as it seems unfair to be so hateful to another person, no law could be passed, that would limit the freedom of speech. But, to accuse a person with the charge of cyberbullying when bullying someone to their face is legal, is unfair. If anything, the supposed “crimes” should be held to the same standard, not one be worse than the other. It is clear that for cyberbullying to become illegal, congress would not only have to hold cyberbullying to a higher standard, but they would also have to violate the First Amendment. 

Parents and some government officials push the narrative that the internet is a dark and frigid place where cyberbullies prey on children. But the fact is, the internet is not as scary and dangerous as it seems to be. Children that have the proper education in online safety can have a happy and healthy online presence. A kid that went through courses on how to deal with cyberbullying will be far more successful in stopping the cyberbully than a kid that does not know what to do when being bullied online. It is about kids being prepared, not incarcerating them. Kirk Sigmon says, “Children should be educated to manage and avoid offensive situations on the internet.” With the proper education, kids can regulate their emotions online, and not become a cyberbully in the first place. Kids would also know when to report the cyberbully or log off. Some people might say that schools do not have enough money to fund these programs. But, if the government would be willing to spend money on persecuting kids, they would have enough money to eradicate the problem of cyberbullying itself. Besides, kids are not being forced to be on the internet. They are not obligated to have an online presence. As much as it seems unfair, they could log off the site where they're cyberbullied on. Brett Warnke mentions, “But then, why don’t kids just “unplug”?.” To eliminate the problem of cyberbullying, education on preventing cyberbullying can be used and can spread awareness. It can also teach kids how to express their emotions healthily. The courses would explain how a cyberbully would address the problem that they have, with the person they would be cyberbullying, and the child being cyberbullied would learn how to avoid the cyberbully, like logging off or reporting the cyberbully. The number of cyberbullies and cyberbullying victims would be lowered drastically by prevention courses, then only prosecuting the cyberbully. 

People that support the laws that would prosecute kids claim that cyberbullying can lead to children being harmed. They say this because cyberbullies could potentially harm children's physical health. In extreme cases cyberbullying has led to harm, they are in support of the law so, there is no chance of cyberbullies causing any harm. Brett Warnke states, “Cyberbullying can also lead to kids getting physically injured. This bill ensures that someone is held accountable for the behavior that led to someone getting hurt.” Admittedly, in some cases, kids have been harmed by their cyberbully, which should not go unnoticed. But, it is not the right solution for the problem they are trying to prevent. Most cyberbullying intentions are not to cause harm. In most cases, the goal of the cyberbully wasn’t to hurt the other person. ‘the Ophelia project’ explains, “When teens were asked why they think others cyberbully, 81% said that cyberbullies think it is funny.” More than half of teens think cyberbullies did not have mal-intent behind their messages. Although it is not appropriate for cyberbullies to make fun of someone for personal gain, it does not warrant a criminal charge. In most cases cyberbullying does not lead to physical harm and only in extreme cases cyberbullying leads to physical abuse. In all actuality, most cases of cyberbullying intentions are not to cause the other party any injuries. What good would come from taking legal action against every instance of cyberbullying?

With the evidence provided it is clear that cyberbullying is not a justifiable crime nor is criminalizing it needed. Cyberbullying is a serious issue but it should be dealt with in other ways, instead of wasting money and time to prosecute cyber bullies, there could be educational programs to decrease the amount of cyberbullies efficiently. It is an absolute necessity that cyberbullying does not become a crime because if it were to be illegal, resources like time and money would be wasted, the crime of bullying online and in-person would not be held to the same degree, and cyberbullying can be solved in other ways. With the problems of criminalizing cyberbullying listed, it is clear that cyberbullying becoming illegal will not solve the issue of cyberbullying. Will cyberbullying actually become a criminal offense?