Online Speech DBQ
Over 3.2 billion people have access to the internet. Since the internet is so accessible, cyberbullying an easy way for those who want to evade punishment, while still harming and threatening others. Especially in school settings, cyberbullying has caused much controversy. School should limit students speech online, because cyberbullying is a widespread problem, it disrupts school environment, and school’s have a legal duty to protect their students.
For years, cyberbullying has been spreading fast. Instead of only a couple other people seeing the bullying, now online it is present to everyone and easily. In a study from the Cyberbullying Research center, they ask who had been cyberbullied in their lifetime to a total of 4,317 people. 41% of these people answered that they had been cyberbullied at some point (Document A). If that is applied to the total users on the internet, that implies that over 1.3 billion people have been cyberbullied. This shows how quickly cyberbullying can spread and how many people it is harming right now. Since cyberbullying can be done anonymously as well, this shows that it can be easily be done by anyone with access and they know that there is no way for them to be caught. This lethal action has to be stopped while it is possible.
Although many think that cyberbullying is not harmful, it has been proven that it has affected many victims’ self esteem and well-being. In a Survey of British School Teachers, it was shown that 62% of british teachers who have been cyberbullied have been greatly affected by it (Document D). Most had a hard time going back to work, showing the disruption in school environment. A small percentage had to even take a sick leave and became scared outside...
