The Rise Of Cyber Bullying

After reading the article, I feel sorry for both Ryan and Gail, who were both victims of cyber bullying. Although their deaths, which were indirectly caused by cyber bullying, are considered extreme, I fear that if something is not done, these cases might not be uncommon in the near future. With the advancement of technology, computers are becoming relatively cheaper and easier to get hold of. In countries like Singapore, where almost every household have access to technology and the internet, cyber bullying is becoming more and more prevalent.

The problem of cyber bullying, I feel, comes from the online multiplayer games which children and more teenagers play all the time. They find themselves unable to work with one another, quarrel, and they sometimes go to the extent of sending vulgar messages to each other. This is a mild form of cyber bullying. They find that they are able to vent their anger on the people there and soon, they become more and more daring. They send offensive messages, often vulgar, to the people they dislike in school. They are now bullies. How do we solve the problem then? Parents try taking away computers, preventing them from playing these games. No quarrels, no cyber bullying. However, this might not work in the long run. Children, especially teenagers, cannot live without their gadgets and confiscating their computers does not ensure that they will stay away from computers a hundred percent. Therefore, I feel that the best solution is to educate the children about the dangers of cyber bullying and make sure that they put themselves in the victim's shoes. Maybe then, they would not have the idea of bullying someone through the internet.

Another point, which I agree with the author, is that cyber bullying is indeed relentless. School bullies stop as soon as the school day ends, but cyber bullying is never ending as the bullies are able to post offensive material through the internet. This internet never shuts down and the bullies are able to have excess to the internet almost 24/7. A bigger problem is that the identities of bullies are almost impossible to find out. The internet allows its users to remain anonymous and lets bullies get away easily. This can slow down investigations. Also, this leads the bullies to feel that cyber bullying is a "safe" way of bullying. This can also attract more people to go into cyber bullying.Therefore, more and more people are attracted to cyber bullying as they have the choice of being anonymous and hence feel they are safe.

In conclusion, the best way, I feel, to prevent cyber bullying and to stop the problem is to educate the children and teenagers engaged this act. Only by this way, the bullies are further discouraged from conducting in the act of cyber bullying.