o
The
government has a vested interest in the
safety of its citizens, whereas the social media sites are
concerned solely
with profits and increasing the number of users, thus the
government should be
responsible for actions for decrease cyberbullying.
§
State and local lawmakers have taken
action to prevent
bullying and protect children. Through laws (in their state
education codes and
elsewhere) and model policies (that provide guidance to
districts and schools),
each state addresses bullying differently (Laws &
Policies). Through research of the current laws that are
set by the state, it becomes clear that they are not useful
and must be changed
to be fully effective. “Sources that
pertain to bullying case law are limited in number and in
comprehensiveness”
(Kueny, 24). It can be noted that there are various
shortcomings in laws that
are pertainng to bullying. This includes, “failing to specify
consequences for
non-compliance, not attending to the effect of bullying on
academic and
attendence” (Kueny, 9)
o
The school should monitor certain
social media
sites and have consequences in place for students that engage
in cyberbullying
acts.
§
The fact that technology puts a
screen where
young children are able to hide behind, they do not feel
accountable for their
actions. If a person cannot be identified with a particular
action, fear of
being caught and punished is diminished. Also, "because it does
not occur face-to-face, bullies are able to mete out pain
without witnessing the consequences and victimes often cannot
stand up for themselves, even if they are inclined" (Beale and
Hall, 9). “This phenomenon being referred to as,
disinhibition and requires administrators create a
comprehensive sunlight plan
for bringing cyberbullying out of the shadows and to the
attention of teachers,
parents students and staff (Beale and Hall, 8).
Beale,
Andrew V.,
and Kimberly R. Hall. “Cyberbullying: What School Administrators
(And Parents)
Can Do.” The Clearing House, vol. 81, no. 1, 2007, pp.
8–12. JSTOR,
JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/30189945.
Kueny,
Maryellen
T., and Perry A. Zirkel. “An Analysis of School Anti-Bullying Laws
in the
United States.” Middle School Journal, vol. 43, no. 4,
2012, pp.
22–31. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41432110.
“Laws
&
Policies.” StopBullying.gov,
www.stopbullying.gov/laws/index.html.