Harassment extends to technological medium

By Cassie Smith

Facebook and other social networking sites are becoming more and more prominent in high school and so are the problems that accompany them.

Students have been personally affected by one major problem, cyber-bullying. Cyber-Bullying is the sending of threats or lewd comments via any electronic device. These days cyber-bullying is becoming more common.
“I see it through Facebook on peoples’ walls, all over stupid things that should not have been started,” sophomore Matt Jones said.

Cases are popping up in the news of high school students committing suicide and other acts of violence due to today’s social networks. Social networks such as Facebook were created for people to share things about themselves, however, some students have been directly victimized by others or have witnessed it happening to their peers.

For example, Megan Meier committed suicide by hanging in 2006. Megan was 13 years old when she was sent lewd and harassing voice messages from a 21-year-old woman.

“My best friend was bullied by her ex-boyfriend through text messages, Facebook, and Myspace. Finally she told her parents. It turned into something bigger than a break up,” sophomore Katelynn Moody said.

What people these days do not realize is how serious these acts really are and how they can affect the rest of their lives. A threat to do bodily harm through electronic devices is a felony. Harassment, such as name-calling and cursing is identified as a misdemeanor.

“People start rumors that are not true and say rude things that they would not say in person,” junior Anthony Jackson said.

“More teens are so used to the texting and social networking that they can not solve problems or find it hard to talk face to face. They get the confidence of being behind a computer and do not understand that once you send something electronically, you can not take it back. These matters end up leading to fights,” sophomore Taylor Chiasson said.

The Code of Virginia states that harassment by computer is when any person with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass any person by use of a computer or computer network to communicate obscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language, or make any suggestion or proposal of an obscene nature or threaten any illegal or immoral act shall be guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.
The punishment associated with a class 1 misdemeanor is up to a $2500 fine and/or up to 12 months in jail.

The Code of Virginia also states that threats to do bodily harm in a writing, which includes electronically, transmitted communication producing a visual or electronic message is a class 6 felony.

The punishment for a class 6 felony is 1 to 5 years in jail and/or a $2500 fine. Most students are not aware that when applying for a job or college, they are required to make them aware of any arrests.

“If you do not like a certain person do not add them to your friends, or talk to them. Do not do anything on these sites that could cause problems,” Chiasson said.

There have been cases in the past of cyber-bullying which have transformed into something far worse than it seemed. Bullying used to be a simple name-call. Individuals now must face threats, fights, and more tragically, suicide.