It’s the age old question and the answer is yes! Cyberbullying is the act of harassing someone or a group of people over social media, or attacking someone behind a screen. It should be considered a criminal offense for many reasons: Some states already have laws but others do not, the effects are far too serious, and suicide levels can increase. Cyberbullying should be considered a federal offense because certain states already have a law regarding the issue of internet harassment. According to Cyberbully.org, “Some states, like Wisconsin, have both a bullying law(which recently passed) and separate statutes regulating telephones and other forms of electronic communication.” If other states pass this law, cyberbullying and its effects could be prevented. …show more content…
On rasmussen.edu, author Brianna Flavin includes a quote from Dr. Jeff Nalin, a doctor from Hawaii, He states, “We have seen young people traumatized from a variety of events ranging from character assassination to revenge porn and taunts to engage in destructive behaviors, including suicide.” These effects are consequential, and cases of cyberbullying with these things can be looked into by investigators, or taken to the police, who have authority to take action. If a cyberbully has sent messages regarding topics such a suicide or self harm toward the victim, it could lead to the family of the victim pressing charges. Without laws to prevent cyberbullying, suicide rates could increase. In a 2016 study, it was found that a staggering 44,965 Americans each year to suicide, according to afsp.com. Without laws to prevent this, those numbers can only increase. A page on afsp.com also states that suicide is the tenth largest cause of death in the United States. This being said, the lack of laws regarding cyberbullying could potentially lead to suicide being the number one cause of death in the United