Stimpson 1

Tayler Stimpson
Tiffany Seeley-Case
Digital Communication
2015 April 9
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is any type of bullying that is done over any technical device. Regular
bullying is done in person and to a persons face. Cyberbullying is the same thing but is done
over the internet, texting, email, social media, etc. There is a very high chance that if a person is
being cyberbullied, then they are being bullied in person as well. One bad thing about
cyberbullying is that it can happen anytime. It can happen at night, in the morning, or during the
day. Whenever you are around any technological device, cyberbullying could be happening.
Another bad thing about cyberbullying is that if the person that is attacking the victim, posts any
proof of cyberbullying on the internet, there is almost always a way for others to see the post.
Nothing is secret on the internet and it can be very embarrassing to be a victim of cyberbullying
or just bullying in general.
There are many effects of cyberbullying. Not all of technology is used for cyberbullying.
Social media sites can be used for positive things like keeping track of family and friends and
being able to keep in contact with them. These tools can also be very hurtful towards certain
people and quite possibly ruin someones life. There are many ways that cyberbullying can affect
a person. Not only will it hurt their self-esteem, or their self-confidence but it can also affect
them in a negative way and in the long run. When a child is being bullied in anyway, whether it
is cyberbullied or just being bullied in person, they can become addicted to drugs and alcohol to
get rid of the pain that they are feeling. They might also skip school and have an attitude that
school isnt very important that they dont need to attend school. Along with that, they would
have grade problems and not learning as much as they should be learning because they arent at
school. They may also have self-esteem problems as I had mentioned earlier. Their health may

Stimpson 2
also be a cause of being bullied. They might give up on life and take it out of themselves and eat
whatever they want, and they could be putting the wrong things into their bodies ("What is
Cyberbullying"). These can carry out throughout their whole lifetime and can cause some serious
issues within a person.
When people think of the word bullied, they think of elementary school, kids,
teenagers, but no one ever thinks of adults being bullied. Adults can get bullied as well. It may
not be that common but they can get bullied by another adult also. Cyberbullying can also
happen to adults. It is actually more common for adults to be cyberbullied than in person,
according to the Cyberbullying Research Center. When I was reading a story about how bullying
isnt just for kids by Justin Patchin, I came across a Twitter post that he had posted about
bullying. It read, I believe that many teen problems online are symptoms, not causes, of
problems at school and at home. I dont know of a better quote that I could have used for this
paper. I believe that that is definitely the case. The reason why people bully others and make
someone else feels like they are being belittled, is because they are uncomfortable with
themselves. When someone feels bad about themselves, they try to bring others down to their
level so they can feel better about themselves and thats why there is so much bullying is because
not enough people feel good enough about themselves to leave other peoples feeling and selfesteem alone.
In some states, they have bullying laws and other laws that regard bullying in some way
or another. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, Wisconsin has both a bullying law
that they just had passed and also a separate statutes regulating telephones and other electronic
information. In Wisconsin, it is a misdemeanor crime to threaten to inflict injury or personal
harm through the use of e-mail or another computerized communication system. In some states,

Stimpson 3
it is also illegal to harass, annoy, or otherwise offend another person electronically. Every state is
different with respect to the extent that they specifically address electronic forms of harassment.
In Idaho, there are laws that are anti-bullying. The term that is used for the Idaho laws are
harassment, intimidation and/or bullying. These laws do cover cyberbullying in every way. In
Idaho, there are mo specific groups that are listed under the Idaho state law. Any schools that
receive federal funding are required by the law to address discrimination on a number of
different personal characteristics. If teachers or staff at schools sees that there is any bullying or
harassment anywhere, they have to report it and they could get into big trouble if they dont
report it. It doesnt seem like the law here in Idaho is very strict about cyberbullying like other
states. Some other states take it more serious than we do in Idaho.
In my opinion, I think that cyberbullying should be taken more seriously and should be
handled. There has been countless times when I have been on Facebook and Ive seen obituaries
from all over the world that people have shared and most of the time, they are because they were
bullied. Seeing someone end their life because of bulling is so sad and it is so unfair to the person
the ended their life. The person that was bullying will have to live with that for the rest of their
lives. I know for a fact that I could not be able to live with myself if I had caused someone to do
such a horrible thing to them. It just amazes me that some people are that rude so some people to
make them feel like they are so worthless and they decide not to continue their life on this Earth.
People shouldnt have to go that way and I honestly believe that that is the worst way to go. If to
go thinking that no one cares about you and that they think of you as a worthless human being. I
dont think that people should get away with talking down to people so rudely and being able to
keep doing it because no one is doing anything about it.
In conclusion, cyberbullying can affect so many lives and some of them can be lasting
throughout their lifetime. It can also happen to anybody. Some people think that if they grow to
be a certain age that they are safe from being bullied, but they are wrong. It can happen to

Stimpson 4
anybody and no one is safe from being a victim. There are some states that have enforced a law
against bullying in general and some states that are against it but have no law. Every state is
different. It should be enforced more harshly and it should come to a stop to make everyones
lives that much easier and that much happier.

Stimpson 5
Works Cited
Patchin, Justin. "Bullying Is Not Just a Kid Problem - Cyberbullying Research Center."
<i>Cyberbullying Research Center Bullying Is Not Just a Kid Problem Comments</i>. 2
Apr. 2015. Web. 7 Apr. 2015. &lt;http://cyberbullying.us/bullying-is-not-just-a-kidproblem/
"What Is Cyberbullying." <i>What Is Cyberbullying</i>. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.
&lt;http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/
"The Great Debate: Should Cyberbullying Be a Criminal Offense? - Cyberbullying Research
Center." <i>Cyberbullying Research Center The Great Debate Should Cyberbullying Be
a Criminal Offense Comments</i>. 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.
&lt;http://cyberbullying.us/the-great-debate-should-cyberbullying-be-a-criminal-offense/
"The Current State of Cyberbullying Laws - Cyberbullying Research Center." Cyberbullying
Research Center The Current State of Cyberbullying Laws Comments. N.p., 03 Aug.
2010. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.
"Idaho Anti-Bullying Laws & Policies." Idaho Anti-Bullying Laws & Policies. N.p., 31 Mar.
2014. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.