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Erin Costanza
Ms. Gardner
English 10, 0 period
4 May 2014

A Spiders Web: an Exploration of Cyberbullying
When words are spoken, people tend to ignore and forget; when words are written,
people tend to accept and believe. Peoples knowledge is commonly influenced by words
written in books or typed on screens; therefore, this power may be easily corrupted by people
who write their callous thoughts on another subject or person. This is known as cyberbullying.
A more academic definition of cyberbullying is a form of bullying where peopleusually
young adultsfrequently torment one another on a social media network. Bullying has been an
issue for centuries whether people bullied because of ones ethnic group, religion, or social class;
however, with advancing technology that expands throughout the globe, cyberbullying now
poses a larger threat in different ways that people can abuse one another. In fact, a new law has
been proposed, Audries Law, in California about schools regulating social networks in order to
virtually eliminate online bullying. Although there are a great deal of people in California who
have tentative feelings on this law, there are numerous ways that this law can positively affect
the society and can potentially create a less hostile environment at school. Schools everywhere
should enforce sterner regulations on cyberbullying; otherwise, cyberbullying can devastate the
victims life, it can severely influence the victims academic and social life, and the outcome can
impact the bullys life.
Many argue that, while cyberbullying is unethical and should be contained, it is protected by
the first amendment: this argues that schools dont have the right to interfere. Also, the
difference between bullying and cyberbullying is constantly questioned; Sarah Preston, North
Carolina ACLU official, contributes her opinion on this dispute: [Teenagers have] been writing
[discredits] on bathroom stalls or carving it into desks or whatever. Just because they post it
online doesnt make it suddenly any less protected(qtd. In Policinski). Preston observes that
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bullying does not differ enough from cyberbullying to the extent of where schools should acquire
the power to disrupt the freedom of the minors. Additionally, schools can face law suits if they
try to prohibit the students rights to freely express themselves and communicate. Despite
Preston argument, Robert Fitzgerald, a cybersecurity expert, acknowledges this situation in a
more lawful manner: The liability is far greater than the school, or their attorneys,
understand"(qtd. In Wood). The legal involvement increases more concerns throughout the
school districts for their liability to intervene would become burdensome and a treat of
potentially circumstances where they might be charged. Indeed, many might agree with the
protection of the first amendment and the accountability on the schools would be too substantial.
However, the majority of high school students are under the age of eighteen, not fully containing
these rights; therefore, schools are accountable for the intervention of cyberbullying if it has
affected the students academic responsibilities.

Certainly, schools would be reliable for a higher percentage of the students safety and
bullying would occur even with these potential laws. Regardless, when one identifies the
intimidation cyberbullying poses to a young adult, it is challenging to be against the new
impending regulations. Mary Bowerman, author of the article Childhood Bullying Can Linger a
Lifetime: Study, contributes her personal information on the effects that arise due to
cyberbullying: Researchers found those bullied in childhood had lower levels of education,
greater physical and cognitive health problems, and poor social functioning throughout their
lives, compared with those who were not bullied(Bowerman). Adding to Bowermans
information, teenagers tend skip school frequently if they are being bullied; while avoiding direct
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confrontation of the bully, they are also absent in their classesinevitably leading to failure.
Because cyberbullying is so direct and teenagers have a harder time coping with the stress and
oppression that the detrimental words bring upon them; this causes unfocused behavior and a
miserable attitude and these qualities delude their sense of reality. Without help, these qualities
might be carried with these pitiable souls throughout their lives. Unfortunately, Stuart
Twemlow, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Baylor College of Medicine
in Houston, acknowledges the fact that most children dont tell their parents that they get bullied:
"kids can be bullied without parents knowing at all," Twemlow says. "We need to continue
talking about bullying so kids can know it's OK to talk about it, OK to cry about it and OK to say
my life is horrible"(qtd. In Bowerman). Teenagers dont want to tell that they are being
cyberbullied, fearing it will make the bullying worse; however, if a teenager communicates to a
figure of authority at the first mean comment they get on Facebook, the chance of the situation
becoming a real issue is decreased. According anti-bullying website only fifteen percent of
parents know their child is getting cyberbullied (Cyber Bullying Statistics). Not only are the
parents of the victimized unaware to their childs cyberbullying issues but, according to the
figure above, it depicts that the parent of the bully are oblivious as well(Cyberspacers). This
disregarded information causes misconceptions between parent and child initiating an absence of
understanding. Considering this information, cyberbullying takes away from academics;
resulting in both of the students who are contributing to the bullying are expected to be deficient
within their educational needs.
Additionally, cyberbullying should be regulated to discourage any student that feels immoral
enough to let their feelings out on another pupil. Commonly, teenagers are insecure and
confused, resulting in mistakes and a frequent fault young adults create is bullying a peer out of
fear and doubt of themselves. Not only is this an unhealthy habit during school but it teaches
these young adults a certain mind frame so when they grow up they conceive the idea that they
are a superior to their coworkers: turning them into tyrants and dictators. Also, there can be the
influence of family members: if a child grows up in an abusive household, they are more likely
to misinterpret the difference of right and wrong. Consequently, they might commit a socially
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unacceptable action without fully understanding the effect of their hostile actions. Furthermore,
bullying goes through a cycle that may act as a slippery slope: a child who is bullied by another
at an earlier age is more likely to torment a peer or a coworker at an older age. This point of
view embodies the impression that there are two sides to every story and even if a person makes
a harmful mistakesuch as cyberbullyingit doesnt mean they do it out of malice.
Ultimately, there should be more enforced guidelines on cyberbullying because it may
dramatically impact the victims life. Daniel Blake, a clinical psychologist in Huntington
Woods, creates observations on people who were bullied earlier on in their lives and reports,
Generally, in mental health, you see problems in adulthood are carried on from difficulty the
person experienced in childhood"(qtd. In Bowerman). The tragic reality is that threatening
words tend to effect an individual, sometimes, to the extent of carrying them throughout that
individuals life. Cyberbullying is also known to cause depression, which may lead to suicide:
bullied victims are two to nine times more likely to commit suicide(Cyber Bullying Facts). Not
only does cyberbullying cause depression but it also decreases a sense of security that individual
contains; because cyberbullying happens on a screenand in current times people tend to be
irrespirable from a screenit becomes inescapable. Traditional bullying is more destructive to a
young adult but because of the unavoidability a larger threat in bullying techniques appear.
Cyberbullying is can be like a tornado: it is destructive, unpredictable, and in the eye of the
tornado there is a bully; the bully pulls everyone into the tornado and spins lies around them until
people give in to those lies. Nevertheless, cyberbullying is continuously dangerous and impacts
the lives of several people who are entangled within the bullying.
In conclusion, schools should regulate cyberbullying more extensively or it may damage
the academic lives of those who are involved, it may discourage the victim, and it may have
negative effects on the perpetrators life. Although it takes away some freedom rights, it
decreases the suicide and social anxiety rates and increases the academic achievement for
everyone. Even though the internet provides information on news reports, weather reports, and
videos of small kittens playing with a cardboard box, there are a lot of people who take
advantage of the easily accessible social networks to spread harmful gossip around the eternal
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universe known as the internet. Cyberbullying is like a spiders web, people can become stuck
and entangled in lies that are spread on any social media website; therefore, we must take
precautions to avoid any harm to the victims and the bullies by enforcing more laws and
regulations.
























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Work Cited:
Bowerman, Mary. "Childhood Bullying Can Linger a Lifetime: Study." USA TODAY. 18 Apr. 2014:
A.7. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 May. 2014.
"Cyber Bullying Facts." No BullyingExpert Advice On Cyber Bullying School Bullying. N.p., n.d.
Web. 07 May 2014.
"Cyber Bullying Statistics." No BullyingExpert Advice On Cyber Bullying School Bullying. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
"Cyberspacers." : Cyberbullying. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
Policinski, Gene. "First Amendment Center." First Amendment Center. N.p., 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 06
May 2014.
Wood, Daniel B. "Cyberbullying: Should Schools Police Students' Social Media Accounts?."
Christian Science Monitor. 17 Sep. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06 May. 2014.