This paper examines cyberbullying and cyberstalking as serious and growing threats enabled by modern technology, including social media, email, and instant messaging. It presents both sides of the debate over how harshly these offenses should be punished, with one side citing significant psychological harm — including stress, trauma, and paranoia — suffered by hundreds of thousands of victims annually, and the other arguing that the absence of physical contact makes these crimes less severe. The paper ultimately argues that the anonymous, public nature of online harassment makes it especially dangerous, often more psychologically damaging than face-to-face bullying.
Cyberbullying is a growing threat to children in which they can be harassed through technology such as social media, instant messaging, or cell phone texting (Cyberbullying and Cyberstalking, 2012). Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet, email, or other electronic communications to stalk another person, and generally refers to a pattern of threatening or malicious behaviors (State Cyberstalking and Cyberharassment Laws, 2012). Cyberstalking may be considered the most dangerous of the three types of Internet harassment, based on its potential to pose a credible threat of physical harm. While cyberstalking is typically directed at an individual, it can also constitute harassment directed at a group of individuals or an organization (Cyberbullying and Cyberstalking, 2012).
There are people on one side of this debate who feel that cyberbullying and cyberstalking are serious crimes that should be punished severely. On the other side, there are those who feel that because the stalking takes place only in the virtual world, it is less harmful than physical bullying or actual stalking and therefore should not be punished as harshly.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, about 850,000 people are targets of cyberstalking every year, and approximately 20 percent of online stalkers use social networking sites to stalk their victims (Cyberstalking & Cyberbullying Have Lasting Effects, 2011). New research has shown that people who are stalked or harassed online experience higher levels of stress and trauma than those who are stalked or harassed in person. More and more stalkers are utilizing modern technology to watch and torment their victims.
Researchers report that reactions to the stress and trauma experienced by victims may include persistent stress, nervousness, terror, nightmares, shock and disbelief, feelings of helplessness, hyper-vigilance, changes in eating habits, and sleep disturbances. Research also shows that those who obsess over being cyberbullied are more likely to suffer severe stress. "Students who focus on more positive thoughts are able to recover more quickly and cope better. The research also shows that students who are cyberbullied by others are more likely to cyberbully themselves" (Cyberstalking & Cyberbullying Have Lasting Effects, 2011). It is for these reasons that many believe cyberbullying and cyberstalking are very serious crimes that should be punished accordingly.
The opposing side of this argument does not rest on the idea that cyberbullying and cyberstalking are harmless, but rather on the premise that because they occur only in cyberspace — and not face to face — the penalties for committing them should not be as harsh. It is argued that the anonymity of this type of crime makes it less personal and thus less serious. This argument is also grounded in the claim that since no physical confrontation takes place, there are no true physical injuries inflicted on the victim. Supporters of lighter punishments for cyberbullies further contend that the media exaggerates the severity of the crime.
"Anonymity and public exposure increase danger"
The consequences of being publicly humiliated in front of potentially thousands of people are, most of the time, more than a person can bear. Cyberbullying is an easy offense to conceal precisely because it is not face to face.
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