Punishing Cyber Bullying
Not too long ago, a child could find refuge at home. Despite being made fun of at school for one reason or another, or not having anyone to play with at recess, a kid could go home at the end of the day to a family who accepted and loved him. Home was a safe place free from the other children who made fun of him. The bullies in the class would have to make an extra effort to bully outside of school. They had to pick up the phone, without their own parents being aware, and dial their target’s house for a prank call, or find a way to physically travel to their target’s home to ding-dong-ditch, or play some other prank without being seen in the neighborhood.
Social media has slowly crept into younger and younger generations’ lives in the past decade. Teens joined MySpace and instant messaged with friends, which allowed them to connect with friends virtually and outside of school. While this gave the opportunity to develop friendships without having to physically be in the same room as a friend, it also opened the door to advanced bullying. When Facebook became available to …