Bullying words in cyberspace hurt worse than sticks and stones | Borderzine

Bullying words in cyberspace hurt worse than sticks and stones | Borderzine
Stopcyberbullying.org says cyberbullying occurs “when one child targets another child using interactive technologies such as cell phones, or instant messages.” The website says that the effects of cyberbullying are longer lasting than physical bullying because a person’s mental wellbeing is attacked.
Bullying does not stop at the elementary and high school levels. It has spread to colleges and universities. Because of the vastness of the Internet, cyberbullying has targeted more victims of all ages, races, religions and sexual orientations.
“What should the punishment be for acts like cyberbullying and online humiliation? That question is as difficult to answer as how to integrate our values with all the things in our lives made of bits, balancing a right to privacy with the urge to text, tweet, stream and post,” says John Schwartz in his article “Bullying, Suicide, Punishment” in The New York Times.
According to a Facebook blog page devoted to online safety, “We believe that educating people about the lasting and damaging impact of hateful remarks is a shared responsibility and that’s why we routinely call upon top Internet safety experts – like members of our Safety Advisory Board – for advice and resources for our Safety Center and Safety Page.”
“We as a society are made up of individuals and it truly is our individual responsibility to maintain ourselves in a responsible manner when we are online,” said Vincent.