Internet Bullying
Internet Bullying
A freshman at Rutgers University, Tyler Clementi, posted a goodbye message on his Facebook page before he jumped to his death because of an Internet bullying incident. Tyler’s roommate, Dharun Ravi, and his friend, Molly Wei, secretly filmed Tyler during a "sexual encounter" in his dorm room and posted it live on the Internet. What the two thought was a harmless prank turned into something much more serious. According to ABC News, “Under New Jersey 's invasion-of-privacy statutes, it is a fourth degree crime to collect or view images depicting nudity or sexual contact involving another individual without that person 's consent, and it is a third degree crime to transmit or distribute such images. The penalty for conviction of a third degree offense can include a prison term of up to five years. However, what these two did can never make up the loss of a life” (Friedman). Tyler Clemnti is not the only one who has been harassed over the Internet. Many children face an increasing number of dangers on the Internet because of sexual predators and pornography, but mainly because of Internet bullying. This type of bullying is increasing everyday and is becoming a serious issue that children encounter on the Internet.
According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, an organization founded by two criminologists, Internet bullying is defined as "willful and repeated harm” inflicted through phones and computers (Research). Some examples of Internet bullying are harassment, peer pressure, threats of violence, and psychological damage. It used to be that Internet bullying was merely one person attacking another by way of Internet-enabled desktop computers on programs like chat rooms and email. Only a few years ago, broadband Internet was not as common and social networks were not mainstream, so in these circumstances the issue was less prevalent (Stop Cyberbullying- Guide for Parents). However, today we live in a society where technology has become
A freshman at Rutgers University, Tyler Clementi, posted a goodbye message on his Facebook page before he jumped to his death because of an Internet bullying incident. Tyler’s roommate, Dharun Ravi, and his friend, Molly Wei, secretly filmed Tyler during a "sexual encounter" in his dorm room and posted it live on the Internet. What the two thought was a harmless prank turned into something much more serious. According to ABC News, “Under New Jersey 's invasion-of-privacy statutes, it is a fourth degree crime to collect or view images depicting nudity or sexual contact involving another individual without that person 's consent, and it is a third degree crime to transmit or distribute such images. The penalty for conviction of a third degree offense can include a prison term of up to five years. However, what these two did can never make up the loss of a life” (Friedman). Tyler Clemnti is not the only one who has been harassed over the Internet. Many children face an increasing number of dangers on the Internet because of sexual predators and pornography, but mainly because of Internet bullying. This type of bullying is increasing everyday and is becoming a serious issue that children encounter on the Internet.
According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, an organization founded by two criminologists, Internet bullying is defined as "willful and repeated harm” inflicted through phones and computers (Research). Some examples of Internet bullying are harassment, peer pressure, threats of violence, and psychological damage. It used to be that Internet bullying was merely one person attacking another by way of Internet-enabled desktop computers on programs like chat rooms and email. Only a few years ago, broadband Internet was not as common and social networks were not mainstream, so in these circumstances the issue was less prevalent (Stop Cyberbullying- Guide for Parents). However, today we live in a society where technology has become
Citations: "Prevention." STOP Cyberbullying . N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. "Research ." Cyberbullying Research Center. N.p., 2010. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. "Stop Cyberbullying- Parent 's Guide ." Safety Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. Thames, Dr.Sandy. Personal interview. 3 Nov. 2010.