Cyberbullying laws send a message

Re: “Harsh laws not solution: expert” (Gazette, Nov. 21)

Direct bullying, such as fighting a person or taunting someone face to face, has been replaced with indirect bullying: cyberbullying. Anyone can post an offensive comment and taunt you through the Internet. Putting a new law in place to punish cyberbullying may not be the only solution to this problem, but it is the best way to get the message across to people.

As a 14-year-old myself, I witness people talking behind others’ backs. No one wants to offend anyone face to face, but instead, teens offer their opinions, worthy and malicious, on the Internet. You may be thinking, “but what about educating children about what is truly acceptable in society and what is not?”

Teenagers have been talked to so many times about how to be cautious on the Web that most have grown immune to thinking before posting hateful comments.

There’s no perfect solution for an issue this vast. Everyone thinks differently and anyone can feel angry, usually resulting in an outburst of rage aimed at someone else. Teachers can teach all they want, but if the student won’t study, then there’s nothing that can be done. You can educate an adolescent about what to do on the Internet, but at the end of the day, people will do what they want to, which is why laws to punish cyberbullying are important.