cyber bullying

With the advent of the Internet , the world became a global village and it has created an entirely different world of social communications especially for young people . Young and old people alike can stay in touch with just about everyone - family , friends and classmates by using email , SMS text messaging , or chat rooms . Although most of these interactions are positive and friendly , there are some instances that these tools are used to antagonize , torment and intimidate others especially children . Such action is considered cyber bullying . The Internet can easily provide anonymity in

terms of bullying others where in a face-to-face scenario one may hesitate to do so for fear of repercussions and punishment from the authorities . Whereas before child bullies can only torment other kids within the confines of school As soon as the tormented kid gets home , he can seek refuge in his home But this is not the case nowadays

The Internet has provided another avenue for bullies to intimidate and torment kids away from adult supervision and punishment . It has become the perfect tool to reach out anonymously to just about anybody , at anytime and anyplace . The home which was once a refuge to those tormented kids has been broken from the pressures of peers and bullies Because of the anonymity afforded by online communication , children feel free to do anything that they would not normally do in the real world Thus , they feel that they can torment and antagonize just about everybody because of this anonymity without worrying that they will be identified and punished for their actions

There are several ways in which young people bully others through the Internet . They send e-mails or instant messages containing insults or threats directly to a person . They may also spread hateful comments about a person through e-mail , instant messaging or postings on Web sites and online diaries (Media Awareness Network . Cyber bullying is admittedly challenging adult authority because of their failure to monitor and guide children more so with those using mobile phones that are web-enabled . Hence , victims get harassed both in school and at home because of its accessibility

Because of the rising cases of cyber bullying , more and more people are getting concerned , especially parents of the victims of cyber bullies According to a recent survey of 1 ,000 youth commissioned by the organization , one in three teenagers ages 12 to 17 and one in six children ages 6 to 11 have found themselves victims of cyberbullying--translating to about 13 million youth nationwide (Anne Broache . Hence , anticrime groups and citizens are urging lawmakers to pass new laws that would specifically target cyber bullying

However , such endeavor is met with strong oppositions coming from advocates of free speech . According to them , if such law against cyber bullying is passed , it would ultimately be tantamount to the curtailment of the freedom of expression and speech . Parents of the victims of cyber bullies on the other hand disagree . The emotional abuse is more difficult compared with the physical...