Cyber Bullying Case Study

Do you think that the Singapore government should make cyberbullying a criminal offence? Technological advancement has allowed great strides in many fields for the mankind yet, at the same time, resulted in forms of transgression which are way beyond control. Bullying has proliferated as technology evolved over the years, the accessibility of Internet has also redefined how the younger generations take on one another. Cyberbullying will continue to become more prevalent as people spend more time connected to people with technologies. Cyberbully can occur in many forms such as harassment, impersonating, cyberstalking, cyber threats and many more (Singapore Children's Society, 2010). The sudden rise in suicide cases among the younger generations
The new law was established with the sole purpose of protecting victims or potential victims against intimidating acts such as cyber harassment, bullying of children as well as sexual harassment and stalkers. Provision of self-help will also be made available for those victims of harassment should they encounter any form of unpleasant web experiences with cyber bullies. With the introduction of the new law, victims of harassment may apply to the Court for Protection Orders; this would deter the harassers from being able to attempt any form of actions which may result in further harm to the victims. In cases of urgent harassment, an Expedited Protection Order can be applied in order to protect these victims from harm. (Ministry of Law, 2014)
After assessing the harassing conduct, depending on how severe the harassing conduct is, the Court may then issue out Protection Order which requires the harasser to remove those offending material which has inflicted harm or damages to the victims. The introduction of these protection orders will act as a protective shield for these victims against the threats they faced. Penalties will also be imposed on those harassers who are found guilty of breaching the Protection
Recent studies published in JAMA Psychiatry showed a study that while those victims of bullies possesses a risk factor of 3-5 times for contracting future psychological problem, bullies themselves faces an increased risk of 4-5 times of getting anti-social personality disorder (W Copeland, 2013). Thus, it is definitely important for the government to step and provide help and assistance to those bullies as bullying not only affects the victims negatively, but also to the bully as well as their schools and community.
In order to effectively tackle the problem, strategies should be properly implemented in order to help those bullies deal with their aggression and emotions. There is definitely more that can be done to help the younger generations manage their anger and frustration. Initiatives by the Education Ministry and charities such as the TOUCH Cyber Wellness and the Singapore Children’s Society are commendable approaches that the government has introduced to help these youths curb their aggression issues. (Tan,