Editing Cyberbullying (section)

=== Research on preventive legislation ===
{{Original research section|date=May 2018}}

Researchers suggest that programs be put in place for prevention of cyberbullying. These programs would be incorporated into school curricula and would include online safety and instruction on how to use the Internet properly.<ref name= von>{{cite journal | last1 = Von Marees | first1 = N. | last2 = Petermann | first2 = F. | year = 2012 | title = Cyberbullying: An increasing challenge for schools | journal = School Psychology International | volume = 33 | issue = 5| page = 476 }}</ref> This could teach the victim proper methods of potentially avoiding the cyberbully, such as blocking messages or increasing the security of their computer.<ref name= von />

Even in a perfect world, no crime can be stopped fully. That is why it is suggested that within this prevention method, effective coping strategies should be introduced and adopted.<ref name=":11" /> People can adopt coping strategies to combat future cyberbullying. Coping strategies may include social support groups composed of victims of cyberbullying,<ref name= von /> which could allow students to share their stories, and remove the feeling of being alone.

Teachers should be involved in all prevention educational models, as they are essentially the "police" of the classroom.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|title=International Human and Private Rights Protection Association|url=http://ihprpa.org/bullying.php|website=ihprpa.org|access-date=May 28, 2020}}</ref> Most cyberbullying often goes unreported as the victim feels nothing can be done to help in their current situation.<ref name= von /> However, if given the proper tools with preventive measures and more power in the classroom, teachers can be of assistance; if the parent, teacher, and victim can work together, solutions may be found.<ref name= von />

There have been many legislative attempts to facilitate the control of bullying and cyberbullying. Some existing legislation is incorrectly thought to be tied to bullying and cyberbullying (including terms such as "[[libel]]" and "[[slander]]").<ref name=":11" /> The problem is that the existing legislation does not directly apply to bullying, nor define it as its own criminal behavior.<ref>Smyth, S. M. (2010). Cybercrime in Canadian criminal law. (pp. 105–122). Toronto, ON: Carswell.</ref> Anti-cyberbullying advocates have even expressed concern about the broad scope of some of the bills attempted to be passed.<ref name= walt>{{cite journal | last1 = Walther | first1 = B | year = 2012 | title = Cyberbullying: Holding grownups liable for negligent entrustment | journal = Houston Law Review | volume = 49 | issue = 2| pages = 531–562 }}</ref>

In the United States, attempts have been made to pass legislation against cyberbullying. Few states attempted to pass broad sanctions in an effort to prohibit cyberbullying. Problems include how to define cyberbullying and cyberstalking, and, if charges are pressed, whether this violates the bully's freedom of speech.<ref name= walt /> B. Walther said that "Illinois is the only state to criminalize 'electronic communication(s) sent for the purpose of harassing another person' when the activity takes place outside a public school setting." This was criticized for infringement on freedom of speech.<ref name= walt />

Preventing a child from being cyberbullied is hard, but now they are working to form programs and laws to help stop the issue from getting worse than it already is. They have created movies such as ''[[Cyberbully (2011 film)|Cyberbully]]'' by Charles Biname and ''[[The DUFF|The Duff]]'' by Ari Sandel for teenagers to watch and see how cyberbullying can affect an individual. Children that are victims of this problem feel they can not go to an adult for help because they may feel embarrassed by the situation.<ref name=":10" /> Bullying online will not only hurt the teenager emotionally, but there is also a risk of the child hurting themselves physically as well; in 2017, suicide was the tenth leading cause of death among persons in the United States.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml|title=NIMH » Suicide|website=www.nimh.nih.gov|access-date=February 24, 2020}}</ref>

Being able to tell if a child is being hurt from this issue can be tough, but there are certain things that a child will do that should give a red flag that they are being bullied.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Helping Kids Deal With Bullies (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth|url=https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/bullies.html|website=kidshealth.org|access-date=May 28, 2020}}</ref> A cyberbully could have said nasty words to that child and the victim could be looking for compliments. If the victim is always online wondering when the bully will strike next that could also be a sign. Being an active parent in their children's lives will make a difference on whether their child is experiencing online bullying or not.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Oostdam |first1=Ron |last2=Hooge |first2=Edith |title=Making the difference with active parenting; forming educational partnerships between parents and schools |journal=European Journal of Psychology of Education |date=June 2013 |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=337–351 |doi=10.1007/s10212-012-0117-6 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Also bringing police involved in the case will be a problem solver too.