Cyber bullying has become a worldwide problem especial among children and teens. It seems that it is easier for cowardly bullying to take place behind the safety of one’s computer and is occurring alarmingly more than face to face bullying events and with more severity. If anything positive can come from the recent suicide of 14 year old Hannah Smith as a result of cyber bullying, it can be tougher laws, increased social responsibility, and more efforts to put a stop to this type of nonsense. Since cyber bullying produces written evidence that could be used as evidence against the instigators, one would think it should be less prevalent that face to face interactions, which could be deemed as hearsay.
Parents and Teens Should Boycott Irresponsible Sites
British Prime Minister David Cameron called for more social responsibility from social media websites and encouraged parents and teens to boycott sites that do not self-police the activity like bullying that goes on. The site that caused the problems for young Hannah Smith is Ask.fm and one of the issues there is that they, along with other social sites, allow for anonymous answering of questions. Prohibiting this type of anonymous activity would ensure that the site is being responsible and hold others accountable for what they write to others. After the prime minister’s warning to “clean up their act”, several advertisers have pulled their advertising from Ask.fm and other similar sites that allow anonymity among users.
Family-Friendly Filters
Furthermore, the prime minister announced plans for “family-friendly” filers to be automatically selected for all new broadband customers by the end of the year. He also noted how important it is for parents to communicate with their children and talk to them while closely monitoring their activities online. There is an online petition calling for the government to take action against sites that have so much negativity towards other users.
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