When I was born 19 years ago, the internet was was a newly up and coming phenomenon. People were not able to communicate as easily or as quickly as they can now. Today, almost every person you see walking down the street owns some sort of device with which they can access the internet whether it is a computer or some kind of smart phone. As technology becomes more advanced, the internet becomes more accessible and in some cases more dangerous.
When I was in grade school, we had assemblies warning us about bullying. This of course was mostly aimed towards bullying through a verbal or physical manner. Along with today’s growth in technology, bullying has also grown and moved onto the internet and tuned into what they call “cyber bullying”. Cyber bullying is basically the same thing as bullying only it is performed via the internet, mainly on social networking sites or by instant messaging or e-mailing. This new level of bullying also bought along new laws about bullying which give schools the power to punish students who participate in cruelty to others over the internet, text messaging, or on the telephone. The penalties for cyber bullying vary from state to state. Though, cyber bullying is not the only dangerous thing about the internet.
Cyber stalking is another scary action which has moved onto the internet. Cyber stalking is when the internet is used in the act of stalking. This is just as dangerous as cyber bullying. If someone is charged with cyber stalking they can be arrested and spend up to two years in jail or pay a $5,000 fine.
In my opinion, bullying, whether it’s done physically, verbally, or virtually, should be dealt with zero tolerance. It is a dangerous thing and I do not believe most children, along with teenagers and adults, are punished enough for their actions. I feel the same way about cyber stalking. Cyber stalking may be even more dangerous than regular stalking because with today’s technology, it is much easier to stalk somebody and get a hold of their information. The scariest part is that it is hard to predict what the outcome of these actions may be. Victims of cyber bullying and cyber stalking may just shrug it off and ignore it or if they are affected by it in a harsh enough way, they may go as far as suicide. Both of these situation have the potential to be extremely dangerous and should not be dealt with lightly.
Very well put together and thought out!
ReplyDeleteGood.
ReplyDeleteFull credit: 14 points.
2 years and $5,000 is not a sufficient punishment for cyberstalkers. The punishments should be tougher. Good info.
ReplyDeleteSeems rather short, but you do get the point across. Minor typos made some of the sentences odd to read, though.
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