As the world advances, so does its technology and every year thousands and thousands of hours are spent trying to make devices smarter, faster and more complex. As the technological worlds grows, so does the number of people joining it. Getting a hold of someone within seconds (via email/text) instead of days (via postal mail) has become to new norm. Privacy is becoming more and more limited as digital media takes the reigns. Any photo, video or post can be seen by millions within minutes. With such great power comes much responsibility and it is our social responsibility to use the digital world in a safe, ethical way. Unfortunately, it is too tempting for people (especially our youth) to use social media as a mask to do harm to other individuals or groups; this is known as cyberbullying.

Sending threatening messages, posting inappropriate or embarrassing photos without consent, or sharing personal information intended to publicly humiliate someone are all common methods of cyberbullying. Some even take it so far as to create fake social media accounts so that their victims may never even know their name. It is a cynical way to use technology, but bullies find it easier to hid behind a screen rather than do their dirty work face-to-face. The impact on a victim can be life-threatening as cyberbullying commonly leads to depression, poor grades, lack of social interaction, mental as well as physical health problems and can even lead to suicide.

More times than not, cyberbullying occurs between teens and their peers. So should schools be responsible for punishing students who cyberbully other students outside of school? I think that's a tough call because the school isn't really responsible for events that take place outside of school hours as well as if it is not on school property; but cyberbullying does have an impact on a student's performance. I think the school should defiantly intervene for the sake of the student's education but I don't know if they should punish a student for something that didn't happen at the school or with the school's devices. If anything, it should be the parents who punish their children for bullying. Parents also need to be teaching their children the negative affects of cyberbullying and what to do if someone is bullying them. The parents need to be the punishers and the school needs to just be the support system.

It is so easy for anyone to become a cyberbully because social media gives the freedom to be anonymous, but society has to mature in a way that they can resist that temptation for the sake of others well-being.