One in three kids cyberbullied
Charities call for crackdown on online
abuse
Nearly one third of young people in the UK have been victims of
cyberbullying, a charity has said.
Beat Bullying said that 28% of 11-to-16 year-olds have been
harassed or abused through mobile phones or the internet.
And a lot of these children have suffered serious cyberbullying
over a long period of time.
The charity estimates that over 350,000 secondary-aged pupils in
the UK have been the victims of long-term abuse through
technology.
A spokeswoman for Beat Bullying said: "We need to treat
behaviour like this in the same way we would treat bullying
offline."
Many people think they are anonymous when they are online - that
nobody can tell who they are. But they are not.
Even if people use nicknames, websites can track them down.
Beat Bullying says that websites and phone companies need to do
more to stop cyberbullying. The charity recommends making it easier
to report abuse, having more checks on what young people are
typing, and providing better links to advice and support on the
problem.
Respectme, the Scottish anti-bullying charity, says 16% of
Scottish youngsters had been abused online.
A spokesman warned cyberbullies:
"Individuals must remember, if you write it down on a social
networking or messaging platform, it stays there and is
evidence."
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One in three kids cyberbullied
Cyberbullying and the law
Cyberbullies often feel untouchable, because they think they are
anonymous when they are online. But they are not and there are lots
of examples of people being caught and punished by their school,
the police and the law courts.
Harassing or threatening someone online, and using abusive or
insulting words are all against the law.
There are four UK laws and one Scottish law that apply to
cyberbullying:
Protection from Harassment Act 1997
This act says that it is unlawful to behave in any way
that amounts to harassment of another person.
Police have used this law in the past to prosecute people who
have sent offensive emails.
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
Under this law, a person is guilty of the crime of
intentional harassment if they:
- use threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or
disorderly behaviour; or
- display any writing, sign or other visible representation
which is threatening, abusive or insulting, thereby causing that or
another person harassment, alarm or distress
Malicious Communications Act 1998/Telecommunications Act
1984
This law makes it illegal to send indecent, offensive or
threatening letters or electronic messages to another person.
If someone is found guilty of breaking this law, they can be
sent to prison for up to six months.
The Communications Act 2003
Part of this act states that a person is breaking the law if he or
she:
- sends or posts an electronic message that is grossly offensive
or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character; or
- causes any such message or matter to be so
- sends or posts a message that he or she knows to be false, for
the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety
to another
- causes such a message to be sent
Breach of the peace
This is a Scottish law that covers all behaviour which is
likely to cause fear, alarm, upset or annoyance.
It applies when one or more persons conduct themselves in a
riotous, or disorderly manner, anywhere, which alarms, annoys or
disturbs other people
The offence can take place anywhere - a house, an office, a
school or a public street. A 15-year-old schoolboy from Paisley was
charged under this act after a video of a teacher being bullied by
one of her pupils appeared on YouTube.
The information in this story is based on respectme's webpage
on cyberbullying and the law
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here to get some useful tips and advice.
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