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Bullying Over the Years

Bullying has been an ever present issue. Most are aware of it but pay no mind to it, until it reaches a point where one person, or many people, are hurt. Only when others are affected do people start to notice and feel the need to take action. So how has the public perception of bullying changed over the past couple of years? Cyberbullying, Instances of bullying cases,and even political campaigns have hightened the awareness of bullying and the severity of the issue.

Although a fairly new epidemic, the issue of cyberbullying is extremely challenging. Cyberbullying is [|defined] as the use of any electronic device, such as a phone or computer, to tease or harass another individual. It is also a more serious type of bullying, being that it is the hardest to avoid, and because often times the source is unknown. Cyberbullying can have [|permanent affects] on teenagers like anxiety, depression, and even as far as suicidal thoughts. Statistics even show that [|10% of students in grades 7-9] are targeted by bullying. Due to the increase and development of social media websites, parents are now making an effort to ensure the safety and security of their children when it comes to the internet.

High profile cases have also brought a fair amount of attention toward bullying. For instance, the 1999 shooting of [|Columbine Highschool]in Colorado was an attack planned by two seniors, Dylan Kleibold and Eric Harris, who were allegedly bullied throughout their younger school years. The massacre resulted in 13 killed, 21 injured, and the suicide of both boys. This major event caused an outbreak of anger, fear, and sympathy on a national level and to some extent started to become and example of what could happen if bullying continued. There is also the case of Jonah Mowry, who at the time was a seventh grader when he made a [|viral youtube video], that touched thousands of people. In his video, he told his story about his experience with bullying, how he was scared to start 8th grade and all of the scars he has from cutting. He even confessed that suicide was an option, many times. Then there is the most recent case of Tyler Clementi, an 18 year old student who attended Rutgers University, who had jumped to his death off of the George Washington Bridge on September 22, 2010. He had commited suicide becasue his roomate, Dharun Ravi, had secretly videotaped him having a sexual encounter with another male and then posted it on the internet to share with everyone. Dharun Ravi was sentenced to 30 days in county jail with 3 years probation and 300 hours of community service. Dharun Ravi was [|sentenced]to 30 days in county jail with 3 years probation and 300 hours of community service. This conviction has set a precedent for similar bullying/ invasion of privacy cases, especially in New Jersey a state that has the toughest anti-bullying laws.

A final way in which bullying awareness has been increased has been with the help of political campaigns, laws, and mandatory school programs. Under a [|new law] in New Jersey, propelled by the Tyler Clementi case, bullies can now be reported to police by their own classmates by calling a crimestoppers hotline. In Elizabeth, New Jersey, students are now obligated to spend 6 hours learning about the difference between telling and tattling. Each school even has to designate an anti bullying specialist. Campaigns such as [|Think Before You Speak] have been created to help and protect the victims of bullying. [|Cartoon Network] also has their own website dedicated to inform young children on how to prevent bullying.

In the past couple of years, the issue of bullying has become more intense with the increased use of social networking sites. However, more people are starting to notice and take action, trying to stop it even before it happens. The verdict of big cases that have made their way into court has had a major impact on how bullying is dealt with in the future. Having new laws and regulations being passed is the start to help end bullying.