Should Cyberbullying Be a Crime?

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‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ (The Christian Recorder). This is the infamous saying that many have heard since they were young. With vastly growing technology today, face to face bullying is being replaced with what is known as ‘cyberbullying’. Cyberbullying is defined as, “an aggressive intentional act carried out by a group or individual using electronic forms of contact repeatedly and over against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself” (WebMD). It can take place using cell phones, computers, tablets, social media sites, text messaging, and/or chat rooms. Cyberbullying has become a growing awareness nationwide, prompting lawmakers to act and propose new laws making cyberbullying a criminal offense. Several tragedies nationwide have been a result of cyberbullying, making state lawmakers more increasingly willing to criminalize such behavior. With new modern day technology, recent laws being legislated, and worldwide tragedies; cyberbullying has led to a growing awareness of the issue and prompting cyberbullying to become a criminal offense.
With the vastly advancing technology growing every day, cyberbullying is becoming a constant issue among teens and adolescents. A simple text, tweet, post, or video is all that it takes to ruin an individual's self-esteem. The Internet has become a tool for many different things, but unfortunately many individuals have chosen it to anonymously bullying other individuals. Cyberbullying is something one can never escape, due to that it can happen twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Anything can be posted anonymously and can become wide-spread within minutes. The U.S Department of Health and Human Services states, “Kids who are cyber bull...

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...lsie. "Why Bullying Should Be Illegal." Google Sites. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Federman, Eli. "Bullying Is Bad, But Criminalizing Bullying Would Be Even Worse." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Mann, Denise. "Emotional Troubles for 'Cyberbullies' and Victims." WebMD. WebMD, 6 July 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Nicole, Cinnie. "Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones." Mediate.com. The Christian Recorder, Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
Patchin, Justin W. "The Great Debate: Should Cyberbullying Be a Criminal Offense?"Cyberbullying Research Center The Great Debate Should Cyberbullying Be a Criminal Offense. Cyberbullying Research Center, 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Toppo, Greg. "USA TODAY." USATODAY.COM. USA News, 12 June 2012. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
"What Is Cyberbullying." Home. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

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