Harsher Punishments
for Cyberbullies
By: Janeca Latore
Section 001
What is
Cyberbullying?
 Cyber bullying” is defined as the use of
electronic communication to bully a person,
typically by sending messages of an intimidating
or threatening nature.
 Flaming: Online fights usually through emails,
instant messaging or chat rooms where angry
and rude comments are exchanged.
Types of
Cyberbullying
 Denigration: Putting mean online messages
through email, instant messaging, chat rooms,
or websites set up to make fun of someone.
 Impersonation: Pretending to be someone else
when sending or posting mean or false messages
online.
Types of
Cyberbullying
 Harassment: Repeatedly sending malicious
messages to someone online.
 Cyberstalking: Continuously harassing and
denigration including threats of physical harm.
 Outing: Sharing secrets about someone online
including private information, pictures, and
videos.
Types of
Cyberbullying
 Trickery: Tricking someone into revealing
personal information then sharing it with
others.
 Exclusion: Intentionally leaving someone out of
a group such as instant messaging, friend sites,
or other online group activities.
Rebecca
Sedwick
Rebecca Sedwick, 12, jumped to her death after a dispute between
her and her former best friend over a boy they had both dated.
Rebecca was cyberbullied for a year and a half before she committed
suicide. The two girls responsible for Rebecca’s death were originally
being charged with felony aggravated stalking but the charges were
dropped. The defense attorney on the case said that the charges
were dropped because there was “zero evidence of any stalking in
this case”.
Harassment
Rebecca
Sedwick
 In the case of Rebecca Sedwick, her bullies were harassing and
cyberstalking her because, although not charged for it, her bullies
were sending her menacing messages on Facebook and calling her
ugly and telling her to drink bleach and die. Even after Rebecca’s
death one of her bullies said, “'Yes, I bullied Rebecca and she killed
herself but I don't give a f---.“.
Cyberstalking
Rebecca
Sedwick
 In a case like this one, there were no consequences for the bullies
because there are no strong anti-bullying laws in Florida, the state
the case occurred in. If there were tougher anti-bullying laws and
harsher punishments, more people would be aware of how serious
bullying is and how drastically it could affect your life and
especially your victims life.
Rebecca Sedwick Case "Tipping Point"
Stop
Cyberbullying
Consequences
of
Cyberbullying
 Each cyberbullying incident is dealt with on a
case by case basis and depends a lot on the
parents as well as the school the child is
attending.
 Each state also handles cyberbullying cases very
differently because they have different laws and
regulations towards cyberbullying.
State Cyberbullying Laws
60
50
49
49
48
44
State
Cyberbullying
Laws
40
30
22
20
14
14
10
0
States With bullying
Laws
States that Include
States that Include
States that Include
"Cyberbullying"
Electronic harrassment Criminal Sanctions
States that include
school sanctions
States that require
School Policy
States that include off
campus behaviors
 A civil law deals is filed by a private party and deals with the
disputes between individuals, organizations, or between the two,
in which compensation is awarded to the victim.
 The type of punishment for that is compensation (usually financial)
for injuries or damages, or an injunction in nuisance.
Civil Law vs.
Criminal Law
 A criminal law is filed by the government and deals with crime and
the legal punishment of criminal offenses.
 The type of punishment for that is a guilty defendant is subject to
Custodial (imprisonment) or Non-custodial punishment (fines or
community service). In exceptional cases, the death penalty.
What the
consequences
for
cyberbullying
should be
 Cyberbullying should be considered a criminal offense. It should be
considered criminal because it does not only harm the victims, it
also affects the people that are around the victim, thus to an
extent making the bully’s acts a disruption and harmful act to a
community.
Cyberbullying
 The laws about cyberbullying are usually grouped together with
the laws for bullying in general. However, cyberbullying should
have a law on it’s own which results in criminal offenses. If the
consequences were greater for cyberbullying then bullies would
think twice before they torment people.
References
 "5 Different Types of Cyberbullying." End to Cyber Bullying
Organization ETCB. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.endcyberbullying.org/5-different-types-ofcyberbullying/>.
 "Cyberbullying Laws - Cyberbullying Research
Center." Cyberbullying Research Center Information About
Cyberbullying Laws Comments. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
<http://cyberbullying.us/cyberbullying-laws/>.
 "Charges Dropped in Rebecca Sedwick Bullying Case CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 Apr.
2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/20/us/rebecca-sedwickbullying-death/>.
 Newcomb, Alyssa. "Teen Charged in Fatal Cyberbullying Case of
Rebecca Sedwick to Remain in Jail."ABC News. ABC News Network,
15 Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
<http://abcnews.go.com/US/teen-charged-fatal-cyberbullyingcase-rebecca-sedwick-remain/story?id=20580689>.