Cyberbullying Case Studies

Cyberbullying is a major problem in schools around the United States and the world. With the advent of technology and the eases of internet access via smartphones, students have found a new outlet to bully others. Below are some case studies from the Constitutional Rights Foundation and my reactions to them.

Case #2 - Marla is a new student at school. In the school computer lab, William sets up a page on MySpace called “Marla Go Home!” Several students post derogatory messages about Marla’s appearance, calling her a “slob” and a “loser.” Marla sees the page and leaves early. She stays at home for several days.
This instance that Marla has unfortunately had to deal with is, without a doubt, cyberbullying. William has created a web page in order to harm and harass Marla, and other students have joined in on the bullying. William has used a cyber outlet, the webpage MySpace, to intentionally hurt Marla. It is obvious that his actions and the following actions of others have harmed Marla since she leaves school early and does not come back for several days. This is also cyberbullying because students are continuously and repeatedly posting mean things about her. The school that these students attend should obviously take some sort of action to deal with the matter. First, they should make sure that the MySpace page is removed from the Internet. Second, they should make sure that William and all other students who posted on the page apologize to Marla for their harmful actions and words. In the least, William should be suspended from school in order to face the consequences of his actions. The school should also hold an assembly or student interaction day to discuss bullying and cyberbullying. Most states now have laws against this digital harassment. For example, if Marla lived in North Carolina, the harassers would be subject to N.C. Gen Stat. § 14-196.3, which "addresses cyberstalking by making it unlawful to use electronic mail or communication to inflict harm onto a person, electronically mail or communicate repeatedly for purposes of harassing or to make a false statement about another with intent to harass, knowingly allow this sort of electronic harassment happen" (NCSL).

Case #3 - One Saturday, Herman and Stevie create a Facebook page impersonating Alex, a student they dislike. At Herman’s home, the two use Alex’s name and a photo of Alex to set up the page. In Alex’s name, they post messages insulting other students. When Alex arrives at school on Monday, three students who believe they were insulted by Alex punch and kick him.
In the case of Herman, Stevie and Alex, Alex has also distinctly become a victim of Cyberbullying. Together, Herman and Stevie used Facebook, a digital resource, to harm Alex and his character. They repeatedly posted messages to other students pretending to be Alex in order to harm his reputation and likability in school. Because of this fake Facebook account, Alex becomes subject to harm when these students the fake account offended punch and kick Alex at school. Just as in Marla's case, the school that these boys attend needs to take action to deal with the matter. The Facebook account should be deleted immediately, as it is an impersonation of Alex and not actually him. Herman and Stevie should be punished with suspension or expulsion. The students who attacked Alex should be informed that it was not actually him but should also be suspended for their violent reactions. The school should also hold a conference among students and teachers to address the issue. If Alex lived in North Carolina, the actions of the perpetrators would be subject to Ch. SL 2009-551, which "adds a Cyberbullying penalty making it unlawful for any person with a computer to build a fake profile or website, pose as a minor in or follow a minor into a chat room, internet chat, etc, post sexual information pertaining to a minor, intimidate a minor or their guardian, or post any statement, whether true or false, with the intent to provoke a third party to harass a minor (NCSL). Herman and Stevie would be subject to the consequences of violating this state law.