November 3rd, 2016

Dear Mr. or Madam President,

Cyber bullying/bullying seems to be a big problem in today’s society. With technology being so prevalent in today’s world, it makes it easier for bullies to bully. Kids don’t have the courage to confront people face to face, so instead they do it online. Students already have enough stress from school, relationships, friendships, etc. They shouldn’t have to worry about bullies too. But sometimes, the bullying even transfers to school. Therefore, I think schools should enact policies to help prevent, and hopefully end, cyberbullying. Although cyberbullying can happen outside of school, it can still affect the student in school. If the bully goes to the same school as the person being bullied, sometimes they will continue to bully the student in school as well. School officials should do everything in their power to prevent the bullying; however, it is the student’s job to report it. If a student reports bullying, there should be consequences for the bully. Students should be held accountable for their actions, especially when they are harmful to another student.

Bullying can happen in many different ways and for many different reasons. It can be physical, emotional, online, etc. It can be because of race, gender, relationships, religion, etc. Some kids think that bullying is funny or it’s a joke and that it doesn’t harm the other person, but most of the time they are wrong. For example, maybe a student’s parents are going through a divorce. Chances are the kid is already upset, and the last thing they need is to have to deal with being bullied. And maybe the bully doesn’t know that, but that is a perfect example of why you should be careful what you say and do. Cyber bullying/bullying has a lot of long-term and short-term effects. It can cause depression, low self-esteem, anger, failure in school, etc. Sometimes kids can get so depressed that it may lead to self-harm or even suicide. No student, kid, or person deserves to feel this way. That is why schools should create policies to help prevent bullying. One thing schools can do is to try to limit the amount of “Internet recess” allowed at school. Try teaching bell-to-bell and be very strict on students using their phones during class. Yes, you can’t keep kids off their phone all day, but it will at least limit the amount of time spent on them. Schools could also try blocking all forms of social media from the school wifi, such as Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc, and any social media that could be used for bullying, or that are in general a distraction from learning. If any type of bullying is reported, principals should actively use the “zero-tolerance” policy.

Although some people may say that if a kid is being bullied he should just stop using social media, that isn’t fair. Social media is a big part of our society, and everyone should have the right to use it, during non-school hours, without the fear of being bullied. Other people might also say they schools already have effective policies, but I don’t believe they are very effective. If they were really effective, then there wouldn’t be so much cyber bullying/bullying still going on.

I think that bullying/cyber bullying is a serious issue, and it should be ended. I know it is easier said than done, but I believe that it can be stopped if we all come together. The more policies created in schools and the stricter teachers, parents, and administrators become, the better chance we have of ending bullying.

Thank you,

Kendall D.

Works Cited

Willard, Nancy. "Schools Should Enact Cyberbullying Policies." School Policies. Ed. Jamuna Carroll. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. of "An Educator's Guide to Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress." N.p.: Center for Safe and Responsible Use of the Internet, 2007. N. pag. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 3 Nov. 2016.