Is Cyberbullying Protected Free Speech? As U.S. citizens we are granted the right to free speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines freedom of speech as the, “freedom to express one’s opinions without censorship, legal penalty, or any other restraint, especially when regarded as a right.” The problem our courtrooms have run into is how to dictate freedom of speech cases when dealing with cyberbullying. The term “language” is no longer just referring to written or verbal speech, but speech that is electronically communicated as well. Freedom of speech is a broad and beautiful thing, but with a right that entails so much room for interpretation, a right so broad, there must be restrictions. …show more content…
If a woman believes that a comment someone made was rude, it is not to go assume that the right is now unprotected free speech on the action that the woman found it offensive. Daniel S. Harawa describes this by saying, “What is clear is that the First Amendment protects a wide array of distasteful, disturbing, defamatory or factually false, profane, ‘anti-American’ and hateful speech” (Harawa 377). A popular issue dealing with freedom of speech that is heavily concerned with adolescents is called cyberbullying. The Oxford English Dictionary defines cyberbullying as, “The use of information technology to bully a person by sending or posting text or images of an intimidating or threatening nature.” Generally, cyberbullying is done within a school setting, but is not limited to such circumstances. Though it is not virtuous or acceptable, cyberbullying, in most cases, is a means of protected free speech because it does not remain consistent with the exceptions to freedom of speech such as true …show more content…
This reveals the gray area when trying to prove that a case is a violation of free speech. Just because something it is written online does not mean that it will forever stand true. When discussing cyberbullying, though it is not stated in the dictionary definition, we are commonly referring to online bullying dealing with adolescents. Because of the gray area, and because in this topic specifically we are referencing today’s youth, it is hard to validate a child’s Facebook posts as truly threatening. This isn’t meaning to say that all children have the mental stability and good morals to not follow through on certain threats, or that these threats via cyberspace should not be taken without caution, but that they are, indeed, protected under the first amendment. Though cyberbullying refers to teens, adults can be ridiculed through technology as well. In Pennsylvania, a student made a site in spite of his math teacher and juvenilely titled it, “Teacher Sux.” The student posted many considerably threatening posts about the faculty member, which included a section desiring funds to hire a hit man to kill the teacher followed by a caption questioning, “Why Should She Die?” This case was reviewed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and shockingly was ruled not a true threat on the argument that while the
Now, in 2015, with new technology people can make fun of people and bully them online without having to look at them. They do this because they know that they have to right to speak
Should Schools Monitor Students Social Media!?!? Have you ever showed up at school and had a friend or classmate tell you about a rumor directed towards you? I think schools should monitor students social media posts but, only if there seems to be problems occurring and disrupting the class. Cyberbullying can lead to low self esteem and depression, causing worse things. Document E, document B and, document D all agree with limiting/monitoring students online speech.
Author and editor of two magazines, Lauren Tarshis in the essay, Is Facebook Making You Mean?, published on September 5, 2011 in a classroom magazine addresses the topic of online bullying through the popular social networking site, Facebook, and argues that these sites should be used responsibly to ensure the safety of all users. Tarshis supports her claim first by providing incidents and facts that prove the immense effects rude comments and thoughtless jokes have on the person receiving them. Second by, making an emotional appeal to her audience which creates a unity between the reader and writer. Finally by, establishing her credibility as a writer by providing an extensive amount of educated assertions supported by scientific studies.
Cyberbullying is becoming more typical, especially among teenagers, and this has raised questions about how to prevent bullying from occurring. The schools want to maintain a safe environment for learning, one of the questions being asked is “Should schools be allowed to limit students’ online speech?.” This is the wrong way to pursue the bullying crisis*. Limiting online speech violates our* constitutional rights, students are not the only ones being bullied/ being the bullies, and this is just a method of communication. Limiting online speech could take away what little voice teenagers have, your words are powerful.
Cyberbullying and the First Amendment Matthew Trotti Grand Canyon University: POS 500 2/23/16 Cyberbullying and the First Amendment In todays world and the 21st century technology is everywhere and access to that technology is at everyone’s fingertips. Due to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter things like cyberbullying have become a new way of bullying. The definition of cyberbullying is “bullying that takes place using electronic technology” (What is Cyberbullying). This paper will talk about the topic of cyberbullying and the steps that I am required to take if I hear from a student that they are being bullied on Facebook.
Prabhakar Pillai, author or “Pros and Cons of Censorship”, states “It [censorship] prevents the public display of disrespect to any particular individual or community.” Racism, sexism, and other forms of hates towards a group of people wouldn’t be all over the internet. Cyberbullying could be diminished. Geoff Yang then goes on to say, “We need censorship to keep the dimly lit corners of cyberspace safe.” Nowadays, simply voicing your opinion, or even not owning up to society’s idea of “perfect”, can result in cyberbullying.
McClatchy writes for a national newspaper in Minnesota and is currently drawing attention to cyber bullying. She explores new methods to combat this new type of bullying, which is derived from the internet. This article provides examples on several solutions that have been employed by different states to resolve the issue. Many state governments have come up with new laws requiring schools to construct policies to counter cyber bullying. The article also quotes a professor from John Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public health; he states that the increased usage and reliance on the Internet and smartphones will have a big impact towards cyber bullying.
Is hate speech free speech and should it be protected under the First Amendment? Hate speech is speech that is used to verbally assault a single individual or a group of people based on their race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, or gender. While some countries such as France, Canada, Chile, Germany, etc. have passed laws in an attempt to combat or minimize hate speech, the United States guarantees full protection of hate speech under the First Amendment. The First Amendment, which was ratified in 1789 and adopted in 1791, essentially forbids Congress to create any laws curtailing the freedom of speech, freedom of press, or the right of citizens to peaceably assemble and seek assistance from the Government for a redress of grievances. Since the adoption of the First Amendment, Americans have consciously, continuously, and contentedly exercised their right.
After posting hateful words to Rebecca Sedwick, the student who was being cyber bullied, a girl admitted that not only was she saying these words online but also bullying her outside of the internet
We can’t misuse the freedom of speech, saying words that can cause serious harm (bullying). This form of speech will cause depression, suicide, and stunted social development. When freedom of speech hurts others, then it is not just an opinion anymore; it is a form of hate
Online it is so easy to bully someone without getting into trouble for doing it, this is why more bullying happens online than in person. This issue affects everyone being bullied, and it can happen to anyone. Cyberbullying is a big problem and needs to be solved, online speech should be limited because cyberbullying happens to so many people, it could help stop harassment, and it could help more people get involved. Cyberbullying happens more than we recognize. 25% of people say they have been cyberbullied within their lifetimes (Doc A).
Annotated Bibliography Brody, N., & Vangelisti, A. L. (2017). Cyberbullying: Topics strategies, and sex differences. Computers in Human Behaviors, 75, 739-748. Doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.06.020 There are multiple strategies to cyberbullying, the most common strategies include public and private comments, photographs, and status updates. Cyberbullies use these strategies to make someone feel less than what they are.
Fast innovations, such as the Internet, are constantly changing how people interact. Although this development has been approved human beings to make great progress in many areas, they have also allowed the form of violation to become more widespread. This is evident when looking at how traditional bullying has grown became today's issue known as cyberbullying. Although bullying and cyberbullying are often similar in shape and their technique also has a lot of difference. Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying allows offenders to close his identity behind the computer.
Since the expansion and headways in technology, cyberbullying has been on the rise. The use of the Internet and technology to purposely harm another person in a hostile way. The viral idea of online life makes sending embarrassing or humiliating messages, pictures, or recordings straightforward and prompt and mysterious. Screen names effortlessly camouflage spooks ' characters. Frequently they
According to Indah Setyawati,Cyberbullying is an act intended to humiliate,intimidate,spread hatred and resentment in cybermedia. Currently cyberbullying occurs especialy among the teenagers. It obviously