Introduction and Background
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that takes online. It entails posting offensive messages on social networking sites (SNSs), such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, sending harassing emails or text messages, or revealing personal information about an individual or a victim without their consent or permission. The debate on whether cyberbullying should or not be punishable by imprisonment rages incessantly. Proponents argue that cyberbullying should be punishable by imprisonment because it can destroy an individual’s life. On the contrariwise, opponents argue that cyberbullying should not be punishable by imprisonment because it is merely a minor crime. Given its diabolic nature, most institutions, including schools and religious institutions, now forbid cyberbullying. This is because it had led to tragic and heartrending outcomes. For example, victims of cyberbullying often commit suicide or suffer from severe depression (Goebert et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2019). In recent years, cyberbullying has been on the rise. About 37% of minors (12-17 years) have been bullied online in 2019 (Patching, 2019). However, the solution to this problem is not clear. Thus, given its diabolic nature, cyberbullying should be punishable by imprisonment because it can destroy an individual’s life.
Reasons and Evidences
Although cyberbullying is not as harmful as physical bullying, it is more emotionally harmful. This is because the victims of cyberbullying can be harassed relentlessly. Furthermore, cyberbullying can lead to victims committing suicide or suffering from severe depression (Goebert et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2019). Due to its negative effects, there is a need to put stringent measures to curb cyberbullying. One such measure is to make cyberbullying a punishable crime. In particular, cyberbullying should be punishable by imprisonment. A number of states in the U.S., including the state of California and Florida, have made cyberbullying punishable by imprisonment. For example, in 2018, Florida charged two students for participating in cyberbullying (Lynch, 2018). Furthermore, in 2018, Nebraska passed a bill that makes cyberbullying punishable by a $500 fine and three months in jail (AP News, 2018). By making cyberbullying punishable by law, bullies will be discouraged from bullying others online. In addition, the victims will feel safer knowing that the law protects them. Moreover, making cyberbullying punishable by imprisonment can reduce the negative effects of cyberbullying. For instance, it can reduce the number of suicides as well as the cases of severe depression. Thus, taking cyberbullying more seriously and punishing cyberbullies can save the lives of youths. Without these stringent measures, people will continue to be harassed by their cyberbullies, and as the technology continues to advance, the number of cyberbullies will continue to increase as well. Thus, to keep people safe from harassment online, cyberbullying should be punishable by imprisonment.
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Anti-Thesis (Counter-Argument)
Other people believe that cyberbullying is a minor crime and should not be punishable by imprisonment. Many on the side of this debate believe that cyberbullying should not be taken seriously and that schools, parents, and caregivers should be the ones responsible for punishing their children for participating in cyberbullying. In particular, schools should punish students who participate in cyberbullying, regardless of whether the act takes place within or outside the school setting. Furthermore, parents should punish their children for being bullies.
Reasons and Evidences
The main reason put forward by opponents is that cyberbullying is a minor crime, and, thus, it does not warrant imprisonment. Rather than charging them, opponents of cyberbullying argue that stringent actions like deleting the cyberbully’s SNSs and educating cyberbullies ought to be considered. These measures will help reduce the amount of cyberbullying that people face. This is because it will not give cyberbullies a chance to bully others online. Furthermore, these measures will reduce the number of victims committing suicide or suffering from severe depression.
Refutation to Anti-Thesis
Given its diabolic nature and adverse effects, cyberbullying should be considered a minor crime. This is because, although it is not as harmful as physical bullying, cyberbullying is more emotionally harmful. As stated earlier, cyberbullying can make the victims commit suicides and suffer from severe depression (Goebert et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2019). As such, it should be taken seriously, and harsh punishments, including imprisonment, should be implemented to discourage people from becoming cyberbullies. Although measures like educating and deleting a cyberbully’s social media account work, there is a need for stringent measures like fines and imprisonment. Moreover, cyberbullies often occur under cover of anonymity, and cyberbullies can create other accounts. In addition, cyberbullies can mask their identity behind their technological devices, such as smartphones and computers. Thus, deleting cyberbully’s account is not as effective as charging them.
Conclusion
Cyberbullying should be punishable by imprisonment because it can destroy an individual’s life. This paper has discussed the ways in which cyberbullying can destroy an individual’s life. First, it can make the victim commit suicide. Secondly, it can lead to severe depression among the victims. In this regard, there is a need to take cyberbullying seriously. This includes finding and imprisoning individuals who participate in cyberbullying. These measures will help reduce the cases of cyberbullying, which will, in turn, reduce its negative effects. Without these stringent measures, cyberbullies will continue to harass their victims. And as the technology continues to advance, cyberbullying is highly likely to increase in the future if stringent measures are not taken to curb it. With the advent of the Internet, anyone who uses the Internet is susceptible to cyberbullying. Thus, to keep people safe from cyberbullying, cyberbullying should be made punishable by imprisonment.
References
AP News. (2018). Governor signs bill to address cyberbullying in Nebraska. [Online]. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/2e8c2b3f64bf4a3d8d17bb6f6f4f6c30
Goebert, D., Else, I., Matsu, C., Chung-Do, J., & Chang, J. Y. (2011). The impact of cyberbullying on substance use and mental health in a multiethnic sample. Maternal and child health journal , 15 (8), 1282-1286.
Lynch, J. (2018). Police accuse two students, age 12, of cyberbullying in suicide. [Online]. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/23/us/florida-cyberstalking-charges-girl-suicide/index.html
Patching, J. (2019). 2019 cyberbullying data. [Online]. Retrieved from https://cyberbullying.org/2019-cyberbullying-data
Wang, W., Xie, X., Wang, X., Lei, L., Hu, Q., & Jiang, S. (2019). Cyberbullying and depression among Chinese college students: A moderated mediation model of social anxiety and neuroticism. Journal of affective disorders , 256 , 54-61.
