Is Cyber Bullying Illegal

[chain]

You may have heard about the sad news of Phoebe Prince's suicide. Prince was the victim of bullying and apparently decided to end her life after a particularly difficult day. Several of her schoolmates now stand charged of various crimes that could send them to jail.

 

While cyber bullying played a part in the way some students treated Prince, it appears that the bullies relied more on old-fashioned physical and verbal bullying. Even so, the mere mention of cyber bullying brings up the debate over what, if anything, the government should do to protect citizens against being harassed online.

 

In the United States, there's no federal law against cyber bullying -- yet. A bill introduced to the House of Representatives last year would make it against the law to "transmit in interstate or foreign commerce any communication, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person, using electronic means to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior." Anyone found guilty of this crime could face a fine or a prison term of up to two years.

 

The bill has generated controversy among several civil rights groups who point out that the vague language could lead to violations of First Amendment rights. During House subcommittee hearings, several politicians and free-speech activists argued against creating a federal law that not only could infringe free speech but also create a burden for the federal government. Another view was that cyber bullying is just an extension of classic bullying and that it should be handled on the local level. The bill and a few similar proposed pieces of legislation are still in committee and may never become federal law.

 

Several states have signed cyber bullying bills into law. States like Maryland, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky and others have tried to define cyber bullying in a way that allows law enforcement officials to charge bullies with specific crimes. These laws also raise concerns with free speech advocates. So while cyber bullying isn't illegal on the federal level in the United States, it is illegal within specific states.

 

Personally, I think most legislative approaches to curbing cyber bullying are a waste of time and money. Worse than that, I don't think they actually curb cyber bullying activities. The Web makes it very easy to harass someone anonymously. Even people who would normally be victims due to their appearance, size or social status in a group can become bullies on the Internet. Anonymity and distance can inspire people to say and do things online they would never do in person. I'm fairly sure that laws against cyber bullying won't change that.

 

Another reason I don't like cyber bullying legislation is that it's reactionary rather than preventive. The laws might give officials the chance to charge bullies under a specific law, but at that point, the damage has been done. These laws won't prevent the next bullied teen from deciding to commit suicide or bring back the people who have already chosen to end their lives as a result of bullying. In my mind, we should be concentrating on the cause of bullying rather than how to punish bullies.

 

What I think needs to happen is to encourage more involvement at the local level. Parents need to mentor their children. Compassion isn't something you can legislate. Only by changing behaviors can we hope to really curb cyber bullying. Threatening kids with punishment isn't going to be enough.

[CharmedOne]

Ok in the US using any electronic device to harass, stalk or threaten anyone if a felony. The major problem with convicting anyone of this on the web is a tricky situation. First off you got the jurisdiction problem. NO COURTS want to extradite anyone for cyber bullying because it would be costly even if they are in a different country. Cyber bullying is a major problem on the net & people dont come to the net to be harassed, they come to the net to unwind yet there are those losers out there with no selfesteem that want to make the net their place to bully & harass others who did nothing wrong to them. Now back to the question is cyber bullying illegal, this will answer a few things.

 

Cyber-bullying has been in and out of the news lately. For example, last month a teenager who posted a death threat on Facebook became the first person in Britain to be jailed for online bullying http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1208147/First-cyberbully-jailed-Facebook-death-threats.html . And research indicates as many as one in 10 employees suffer from cyber-bullying at work, so employers should be aware of their responsibilities http://www.personneltoday.com/home/Catrin .

 

Q What is cyber-bullying?

 

A It is any use of information and communications technology to support deliberate and hostile attempts to hurt, upset or embarrass another person. Examples include sending abusive e-mails and phone calls, posting comments on websites such as Facebook or Twitter, hacking into other people's accounts and sending viruses. Cyber-bullying tends to be associated with schools, but employers should be aware that staff who receive offensive e-mails or phone calls from colleagues or customers could be the victims of cyber-bullying in the workplace.

 

 

Q What should employers do to reduce the risk of cyber-bullying happening in their workplaces?

 

A Employers should ensure that they have up-to-date, effective IT policies which set out clear consequences for non-compliance. Disciplinary policies should make it clear that cyber-bullying may constitute gross misconduct, and could result in summary dismissal.

 

 

Q Can employers take more Draconian measures?

 

A Well, they could ban the use of social networking websites or personal mobile phones in the workplace, but should bear in mind that this will have little effect on cyber-bullying, which can take place outside of working hours.

 

 

Q What legislation must employers abide by?

 

A Those that monitor employees' internet and e-mail use to reduce the risk of cyber-bullying should ensure that they comply with their obligations under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, the Data Protection Act 1998, and the Telecommunications Regulations 2000.

 

 

Q What should an employer do if an employee complains about being cyber-bullied?

 

A The most important consideration is to ensure that the employee receives appropriate support and is convinced that their employer is taking the matter seriously. Employees should be encouraged to preserve all evidence of cyber-bullying by saving e-mails, logging phone calls and taking screen-prints of websites. Much will depend on the identity of the cyber-bully. If it is a fellow employee, employers should conduct an investigation and, if appropriate, take disciplinary action. If the employer decides to take disciplinary action it should ensure that it complies with the Acas Code. If the cyber-bullying involves illegal content or contains threats of a physical or sexual nature, employers should inform the police.

 

 

Q If an employer fails to act appropriately on a complaint, what legal action may they face from the employee concerned?

 

A Employees cannot make a complaint to an employment tribunal for cyber-bullying alone. However, if the cyber-bullying relates to their sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, age or religion, they may be able to bring a claim for discrimination and/or harassment. In serious cases employees may choose to resign and bring a claim for constructive dismissal. Employers owe a duty of trust and confidence to their employees, and a failure to take cyber-bullying seriously or to prevent it from recurring could breach this duty. For this reason it is crucial that employers take appropriate action to deal with cyber-bullying and treat it as seriously as face-to-face workplace bullying.

 

 

Q Will an employer be liable for complaints that follow cyber-bullying?

 

A Employers may be liable for discriminatory acts of their employees, but at present will generally not be liable for the acts of third parties such as customers or visitors to the office unless there is a discriminatory reason why the employer failed to prevent the harassment. However, the forthcoming Equality Bill will change this, and employers may be liable for discriminatory cyber-bullying committed by third parties. If an employee complains that, as a result of cyber-bullying by a fellow employee, he has been constructively dismissed, the employer may have a defence if it can show that the cyber-bully was acting outside the scope of their employment. However, the employer could be liable for harassment by a third party if the employer is in breach of the implied duty to provide a suitable working environment. Employers have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect their staff from bullying and harassment and a failure to do this could mean the employer is liable for a constructive dismissal claim arising from cyber-bullying.

 

Catrin Llewellyn, solicitor, Reynolds Porter Chamberlain

[CharmedOne]

The serial bully

How to spot signs and symptoms of serial bullies, sociopaths and psychopaths

including the sociopathic behaviour of the industrial psychopath and the corporate psychopath

 

The Attention-Seeker

 

Motivation-: to be the centre of attention

Mindset-: control freak, manipulation, narcissism

Malice-: medium to high; when held accountable, very high

 

1.) emotionally immature

2.) selectively friendly - is sickly sweet to some people, rude and offhand to others, and ignores the rest

3.) is cold and aggressive towards anyone who sees them for what they really are or exposes their strategies for gaining attention

4.) overfriendly with their new target, especially in the initial stages of a new working relationship

5.) overhelpful, ditto

6.) overgenerous, ditto

7.) manipulative of people's perceptions, but in an amateur and childish manner

8.) manipulative with guilt, ditto

9.) sycophantic, fawning, toadying

10.) uses flattery to keep a person in authority on side

11.) everything is a drama, usually a poor-me drama

12.) prefers not to solve problems in own life so that they can be used and re-used for gaining sympathy and attention

13.) capitalises on issues and uses them as a soapbox for gaining attention

14.) exploits others' suffering and grief as a vehicle for gaining attention

15.) misappropriates others' statements, eg anything which can be misconstrued as politically incorrect, for control and attention-seeking

16.) excusitis, makes excuses for everything

17.) shows a lot of indignation, especially when challenged

18.)lots of self-pity

19.)demanding of others

20.)easily provoked

21.)feigns victimhood when held accountable, usually by bursting into tears or claiming they're the one being bullied and harassed

 

 

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The Wannabe

Motivation-: craves respect for being competent and professional despite lacking in competence and professionalism

Mindset-: deceptive

Malice-: low to medium; when held accountable, medium to high

 

1.) similar to the attention-seeker

2.) is one of life's chronic underperformers and is best described as ineffectual in everything

3.) craves undeserved respect and attention and will go to considerable lengths to acquire them

4.) hangs around the fringes of a profession

5.) not professionally qualified but claims they are a professional because they sit next to a professional or work alongside or near or in the midst of professionals, or provide services to professionals

6.) lacks the ability, competence and professionalism to be a qualified professional

7.) wants so much to be seen as competent professional person but is unable and unwilling to put in the work to achieve this

8.) is unable and unwilling to apply knowledge gained from experience but instead devotes time and effort to improving skills of deception, manipulation, false claim, denial and projection

9.) may have been rejected by their chosen profession for lack of competence

10.) is spiteful towards and despises anyone who is qualified in the profession from which the bully has been excluded by virtue of lack of competence

11.) is likely to be vilifying the profession they want to belong to or which they're claiming to be part of or which they are claiming to represent

12.) displays a deep-seated envy and jealousy of the professionals that he or she works alongside or claims to serve

13.) harbours a bitter resentment, grudge, distaste and contempt for the professionals that he or she works alongside or claims to serve

14.) is likely to be criticising, condemning, disadvantaging and causing detriment to the professionals he or she works alongside or claims to serve

15.) may seek positions of power over the professionals he or she works alongside or claims to serve, perhaps to facilitate a compulsion to criticise, condemn, disadvantage and cause detriment

16.) is irresistibly drawn to organisations, roles and positions which offer the wannabe power and control over the professionals s/he despises (eg inspection regimes, approval roles, regulatory bodies, ticksheet compliance schemes, political correctness police, trade union official, etc) - and is often described as a talentless jobsworth

17.) when in a position of power associates with and makes alliances with or surrounds him or herself with clones, drones, minions, fellow wannabes, sycophants and brown-nosers

18.) instinctively objects to any suggestion of change, reform, improvement, progress or evolution, but has no viable or positive alternatives of their own

19.) opposes every idea, suggestion, opinion, contribution or reform on principle but has no original, positive, constructive ideas or contributions of his or her own

20.) is likely to plagiarise and steal others' ideas which are then put forward as their own

21.) may place undue emphasis or reliance on an old, minor or irrelevant qualification to bolster their claim of belonging to or deserving to belong to a profession

22.) may claim ambiguous or misleading or bogus or fraudulent qualifications, associations and experience

23.) displays a superior sense of entitlement because they associate with or serve higher performers

24.) emotionally immature

25.) controlling

26.) easily provoked

27.) when challenged is adept at rewriting history to portray themselves as competent, professional and successful, regardless of multiple witnesses and overwhelming evidence to the contrary

28.) quickly and loudly feigns victimhood when exposed and held accountable, often repeatedly and loudly accusing the person holding them accountable of being a bully

29.) when held accountable makes conflicting and contradictory threats and demands (eg demands apology but orders the other person not to communicate with them)

30.) when held accountable makes lots of loud but empty threats (eg of legal action such as libel, slander, defamation etc)

31.) only carries out threats of legal action when in the presence of a superior serial bully, especially a sociopath type

32.) may indulge their jealousy and envy of professionals or those they claim to serve by pursuing vindictive vendettas, sometimes with the help of a superior serial bully, especially a sociopath type

33.) is easily manipulated and controlled by a superior serial bully

34.) female wannabes may be arch bullies (some people might call them puppetmasters or queen bees)

35.) may surround herself with drones of the opposite sex

36.) may exploit some perceived vulnerability in self to ensure drone loyalty

37.) gives the appearance of loyalty to drones but will discard them when they've served their purpose

38.) is likely to have affairs to gain power, status or position

39.) presents as a false victim when outwitted

40.) may feign exclusion, isolation or persecution

41.) malicious

42.) constantly tries and will do almost anything to be in the spotlight

43.) includes Munchausen Syndrome

44.) the focus of their life is to be the centre of attention

 

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The Guru

Motivation- task focused

Mindset- confusion, inability to understand how others think and feel

Malice- zero to low; when held accountable, low to medium (it's often the absence of malice that identifies a guru type of serial bully) but could be medium to high if narcissistic or psychopathic traits are present

 

 

1.) often successful in their narrow field of expertise

2.) regarded as an expert

3.) valued by the employer because s/he brings in the money, status etc

4.) ruthlessly pursues objectives regardless of the cost

5.) ruthless determination to succeed

6.) can be successful over the medium term in their field

7.) task focused

8.) zero people skills

9.) control freak

10.) mainly but not exclusively male

11.) often has a favourite who receives extra attention but who is expected to reciprocate with sycophancy

12.) favours, protects and promotes non-threatening sycophants whilst marginalizing and hindering the advancement of those with higher levels of competence, especially in people skills

13.) apt to betray those formerly favoured, especially when the favoured person starts to show independence of thought or action, or starts to receive more attention or become more popular than their mentor

14.) a male Guru in a position of power may exhibit inappropriate sexual conduct

15.) gauche, aggressive and unpleasant but not evil

16.) may not be overtly attention-seeking but dislikes those around them getting more attention than they're getting, or getting attention which doesn't include the bully

17.) selfish, self-centred, self-opinionated, dogmatic and thoughtless and with a tendency to pontificate

18.) apt to throw temper tantrums when things don't go well or can't get their own way

19.) emotionally immature, perhaps emotionless, sometimes cold and frigid

20.) convincingly intellectualises feelings to compensate for emotional immaturity

21.) intelligent (often highly) but lacks common sense

22.) is happy to lie to suit own purposes

23.) can have a rigid routine

24.) does not accept responsibility for their own behavior

25.) blames others for own inadequacies

26.) refuses to recognise that they could have any shortcomings of their own

27.) does not live in the present

28.) usually extremely neat (for example, desk is always clear)

29.) organized (sometimes overly)

30.) tempts fate but always gets away with it

31.) has stereotypical ideas about gender roles (though this may not be expressed consciously)

32.) makes assumptions about others' thoughts

33.) does not follow social rules, for example may display bad table manners in public

34.) appears unable and unwilling to engage in and sustain small talk

35.) seems unaware of the nature and purpose of rapport

36.) seems to exhibit some symptoms similar to autism, although autistic people tend to be shy, introspective and lack manipulative skills and are usually the targets of bullying, not the perpetrators (it's unknown whether there might be a common cause or whether the similarities are just a superficial coincidence) [more on autism]

37.) appears unable to read people and their thoughts and especially feelings

38.) when held accountable exhibits genuine confusion as to why their behaviour is inappropriate

39.) in cases where malice is low or absent the person my be regarded as somewhat avuncular or mildly jovial or charismatic in nature

40.) likes the appearance of normalcy but rejects responsibilities of relationships

41.) is unable to comprehend or meet the emotional needs of others

42.) often puts work and duty above everything, including relationships

43.) makes power plays, for example leaves the room when someone is speaking, or pretends not to hear and constantly asking a person to repeat what they just said, etc

44.) doesn't share information about self (thoughts, insights, etc) and is not open to receiving this type of information from others (allegedly knows it all already)

45.) secretive

46.) possessive of objects and sometimes people

47.) may view people as objects (this enables controlling behaviour of other people)

48.) thinks of self as superior and above the law / rules / regulations etc (these only apply to other people)

49.) uses denial as a defence mechanism

50.) there are likely to be problems with succession

 

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The Socialised Psychopath or Sociopath

Also known as the corporate psychopath, workplace psychopath, industrial psychopath and administrative psychopath.

Motivation- power, gratification, personal gain, survival

Mindset- manipulation, deception, evil

Malice- high to very high; when held accountable, off the scale

 

 

1.) Jekyll & Hyde personality

2.) always charming and beguilingly plausible, especially to those who are capable of protecting or enhancing the sociopath's position

3.) excels at deception (this must never be underestimated, but always is)

4.) excels at evasion of accountability

5.) is extremely and successfully manipulative of people's perceptions and emotions (eg guilt and anger)

6.) silver-tongued, has an extreme verbal facility and can outwit anybody (including a top barrister) in verbal conflict

7.) will often engineer himself or herself into a position of authority as gatekeeper of the organisation and thus the person through whom all information must flow, and the person to whom all requests for services must be referred - which he or she then takes delight in denying

8.) is adept at offering weak and inadequate people the positions of power, control, security, influence or respect that they crave but who lack the necessary competencies to achieve - such people are unaware that their consequent dependence on the sociopath makes them permanent manipulatees, pawns and expendable agents of harassment

9.) identifies those essential to the sociopath's survival and manipulates their perceptions them by making them feel special and thus obligated to reciprocate with support and protection

10.) manipulates others into making fools of themselves in situations where they cannot back down or from which they cannot withdraw - these people become increasingly susceptible to further manipulation and are then trapped as pawns in the sociopath's game

11.) is likely to be surrounded by people who, having been subjected to control, manipulation and punishment by the sociopath, look wretched and who start to exhibit behaviour best described as disordered, dysfunctional, sullen, aggressive, defensive, hostile, retaliatory, counterproductive or cult-like and for whom disbelief, disavowal and denial are instinctive responses

12.) creates an environment where levels of denial are so great that those involved are oblivious of the foolishness and self-evident absurdity of their denials when presented with the facts, with the result that non-involved observers are led to question whether such levels of denial merit psychiatric intervention

13.) is contemptuous of disrepute to their organisation and of collateral damage and of the destructive consequences for all direct and indirect parties

14.) is always surrounded by and leaves behind a trail of dysfunctional organisations, destroyed businesses, ruined careers, stress breakdowns and unexplained suicides

15.) despite a trail of devastation to individuals, organisations, families and communities, the actions of a socialised psychopath may go undetected or unrecognised for years

16.) a history of conducting frivolous, vexatious and malicious legal actions, especially (but not exclusively) against anyone who can recognise the sociopath for what he is

17.) only after the sociopath is exposed and relieved of position, or they move on, can the full depth of their destructive behaviour be fathomed and the consequences calculated

18.) is skilled at identifying, undermining, discrediting, neutralising and destroying anyone who can see through the sociopath's mask of sanity

19.) at all times restricts the actions and rights of others (especially those holding the sociopath accountable) whilst aggressively protecting his or her right to do anything without being hampered by social norms or legal requirements

20.) pursues endless vindictive vendettas against anyone perceived as a threat or who attempts, knowingly or unknowingly, to identify or reveal or expose the sociopath, or who makes efforts to hold the sociopath accountable

21.) is adept at appropriating rules, regulations, procedures and law to manipulate, control and punish accusers regardless of relevance, logic, facts or consequences

22.) persists in and pursues vindictive vendettas using self-evidently false evidence or information, even after this is brought to the attention of the sociopath

23.) will often manipulate minor bullies of the Wannabe type (who on their own might or would not merit the label 'serial bully') into acting as agents of harassment and as unwitting or unwilling conductors of vendettas

24.) is adept at placing people in situations where the sociopath can tap into each person's instinctive urge to retaliate in order to use them as his or her instruments or agents of harassment

25.) gains gratification from provoking others into engaging in adversarial conflict

26.) once conflict has been initiated, the sociopath gains increased gratification by exploiting human beings' instinctive need to retaliate - this is achieved by encouraging and escalating peoples' adversarial conflicts into mutually assured destruction

27.) revels in the gratification gained from seeing or causing other people's distress

28.) when faced with accountability or unwelcome attention which might lead to others discerning the sociopath's true nature, responds with repeated and escalating attempts to control, manipulate and punish

29.) is adept at reflecting all accusations and attempts at accountability back onto their accusers

30.) is adept at creating conflict between those who would otherwise pool negative information about the sociopath

31.) has no limits on his or her vindictiveness

32.) the need to control, manipulate and punish develops into an obsession with many of the hallmarks of an addiction

33.) is skilled at mimicry and can plausibly and spontaneously regurgitate all the latest management jargon

34.) exhibits minimal professional skill level and competency

35.) exploits his or her intelligence to excel at talentless mediocrity

36.) is always identifying the behaviours and strategies to which other people respond with the desired effect

37.) is able to anticipate and credibly say what people want to hear

38.) is easily able to win people over before betraying them or deceiving them or ripping them off

39.) easily manipulates and bewitches an immature or naive or vulnerable or emotionally needy person to be their spokesperson or agent of aggression

40.) exploits anyone who has a vulnerability

41.) is pushy and extremely persuasive

42.) is sexually inadequate and sexually abusive

43.) is likely to protect anyone accused of or suspected of sexual abuse of pedophile activity, and will frustrate or obstruct investigations into that person

44.) maybe associating with, or actively involved in, abuse or pedophile activity

45.) has no emotions, no emotional processing capability and no ability to understand other's emotions

46.) is incapable of understanding, initiating or sustaining intimacy

47.) the male sociopath has often convinced a string of women to feel they are in love with him and despite being treated abominably they blindly continue to be loyal to him and minister willingly to his every demand

48.) may start projects with apparent enthusiasm and energy but quickly loses interest

49.) frequently takes unnecessary and uncalculated risks but takes no account of consequences

50.) is reckless and untrustworthy with money

51.) is likely to be illegally diverting or siphoning off significant sums of money to his or her own budget, project, account or cause

52.) is unreliable and untrustworthy in every facet of life

53.) is likely to be leaking confidential information or secrets to third parties

54.) is likely to have committed or be committing criminal or near-criminal offences, eg fraud, embezzlement, deception

55.) is likely to have committed or be committing breaches of harassment and discrimination law, employment law, contract law, etc

56.) disregards rules, regulations, Health and Safety requirements, professional standards, codes of conduct and legal requirements, etc

57.) cannot comprehend the deeper semantic meaning of language and is thus unable to understand or appreciate metaphor, hyperbole, irony, satire etc (these elicit either zero response or a hostile response)

58.) likes, seeks, enjoys and relies on procedure, ritual and ritualistic practices

59.) through arrogant overconfidence takes increasingly risky chances and eventually overplays their hand or makes a mistake which leads to the sociopath revealing him or herself

60.) exhibits parasitical behaviour, takes everything and gives nothing

61.) grabs headline credit for minimal, flukey or other peoples' success whilst surviving off the backs of manipulatees who are exclusively blamed for all failures

62.) rarely blinks, may have stary scary eyes that cut right through you, or may avoid eye contact completely

63.) is callous, cold and calculating

64.) is devious, clever and cunning

65.) is ruthless in the extreme

66.) regards people as objects and playthings to be discarded when surplus to requirements

67.) displays zero empathy

68.) completely without conscience, remorse and guilt

69.) malicious and evil

[Raptor]

Cyber bullying IS a crime in the US as CharmedOne stated. Using an electrical device for any form of crime is illegal. It has become a very serious issue in the past few years. When you say "online", this can be anything from surfing the web right on to email. My girlfriend was the victim of threats from her ex husband, and the police took it very seriously.

Most cyber bullying comes from places like chat, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and the like. The discussion on where it may come from is vast and in no way easy to just make a simple list. Crackers aren't trying to bully anyone with phishing sites or phony scheme sites, they just want to steal your data and/or money. I personally think it's appalling, and the person/s responsible should be punished just the same as if they had committed the crime on a face to face level ( sorry chain, I jus't don't agree with you ).

I've been a member here off and on for many years, I stop by to see what's new, but since I gave up mIRC, I don't usually have anything to say. This topic got to me register again. We have people using places like the above mentioned, Craigs List, and many of the dating sites to commit rape, theft, even murder. It's time to start laying the hammer down!

If you are honestly against the government placing punishable laws on the asses of the www, then you may just be one of the people using the www to victimize people. Not trying to start a bloddy battle of the good and the bad on the www, but seriously, the only people against this would be the font thugs.

[CharmedOne]

Maybe error i jumped to quick about buzzen staff not doing much to stop cyber bullying if so i am sorry, as a chatter I cannot see whats going on with what staff does, but i do see what is not being done. I am sure you all work your butts off to keep server going, it is just frustrating to see people in buzzen ran rooms picking on others who did nothing to them. Heres more info on cyberbullying.

 

What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is any harassment that occurs via the Internet. Vicious forum posts, name calling in chat rooms, posting fake profiles on web sites, and mean or cruel email messages are all ways of cyberbullying.

 

 

 

Examples of Cyberbullying

A person is bombarded by anonymous threatening and taunting emails at home, even though there is no direct harassment in public. The victim has no idea who is sending the messages and starts to feel like everybody is against them. That person is being cyberbullied.

A message board is spammed with name-calling posts that spread vicious rumors about a specific person. The rumors aren’t true but people see the posts and believe them. That person is then ostracized by peers. This person is the victim of cyberbullying.

A nasty fake profile is posted at a social networking site using a person’s real name, photo, and contact information. That person starts getting weird email messages from strangers who think the profile is real. Some of the messages are crude. Some of the messages are mean. This is another example of cyberbullying.

These are just a few examples of cyberbullying. If you are taking part in things like this it is not harmless fun. You are being a cyberbully. If you are the victim of this type of treatment you are being cyberbullied and there are things you can do to stop the harassment.

 

 

 

Why Do People Cyberbully?

Bullying has been around forever but cyberbullying is different because it lets a bully remain anonymous. It is easier to bully in cyberspace than it is to bully face to face. With cyberbullying a bully can pick on people with much less risk of being caught.

Bullies are natural instigators and in cyberspace bullies can enlist the participation of other students who may be unwilling to bully in the real world. Kids who stand around doing nothing in a real life bullying incident often become active participants in online harassment.

The detachment afforded by cyberspace makes bullies out of people who would never become involved in a real life incident. The Internet makes bullying more convenient and since the victim’s reaction remains unseen people who wouldn’t normally bully don’t take it as seriously.