Community Corner

Social Media: A Breeding Ground for Violence or a Mirror on Society?

Should social media websites be held more responsible for cyberbullying?

Two teenage girls were arrested last year in Florida and charged with cyberstalking, after creating a fake Facebook page impersonating another student and using it to bully her.

Earlier this year, students at an Indianapolis high school set up fake Twitter accounts under the names of some of the school's teachers and principal - and tweeted offensive messages those faculty members would not have wanted sent out under their names.

More and more we hear of teens using social media pages, such as Facebook and Twitter to threaten, offend, embarrass and bully.

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“I would estimate that about 80 to 90 percent of the fights that break out in my school are because of what one student said about another student on Facebook,” said one Bed-Stuy resident and high school principal for a school in East New York.

According to the Kings County District Attorney’s office: “Bullying has increasingly become a growing problem in schools and the online community. Bullying has a serious effect on its victims, often leading to depression, and in some cases, it may even lead to suicide.”

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Last Friday, the D.A.’s office announced an open call for second annual Legal Lives Anti-Bullying Video Contest. Videos, PSAs, informational campaigns all have been released to the public to address the growing problem.

And, most recently, a movie, Bully, has opened in theatres to critical acclaim, offering an intimate glimpse into homesmore », classrooms, cafeterias and principals' offices, of five children and their families-- insight into the cruel world of the lives of bullied children.

Who's responsible for this growing eggregious behavior? The children, the parents, the websites? Have social media websites become a breeding ground for violence, or are they simply a mirror on society.

Should social media websites that encourage participation by young people do things such as institute higher age requirements, (for example, in order to be eligible to sign up for Facebook, people must be 13 years of age or older. Maybe the minimum age should be 21), or require the registration of parents and proof of their identity before allowing minors to sign on?

Or would this be an infringement on a person's freedom of speech?

Should social media websites be federally regulated and held more responsible for its role in the pernicious online discourse and violent behavior of its users, or should we continue to make society as a whole responsible for the outcomes of harmful, destructive cyber chatter?

Take our poll, and let us know what you think in the comments.


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