As technology continues to expand and progress, it opens up more opportunities for dangerous behavior. Cyberbullying is an evolving form of bullying which has crept into social media. This conduct is something that more than 1 in 3 adolescents have been the victim of. Half of adolescents and teens have either cyberbullied others or suffered from its repercussions.
What Does Cyberbullying Look Like?
Becoming a trend in the 21st century, cyberbullying takes place on many forms of digital communication. These platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and many more. It will involve one person (possibly protecting their identity by posting anonymously) delivering hateful, negative messages to another person or bad-mouthing them to others. Depending on the level of harassment occurring, the cyberbully may exert effort to hide their identity by using a fake account or a false name. But even though the profile may be fake, the cyberbullying is painfully real. Kids Health from Nemours has reported that those affected by bullying acts are at a higher risk of suffering from suicidal thoughts, attempts, as well as completed suicides.
Cyberbullying and Cyberharassment Laws in Oregon
In Oregon, for the past several years, each school district has been required to adopt a policy forbidding harassment, intimidation, and bullying. The Oregon Safe Schools Act of 2009 prohibits any form of harassment or cyberbullying. School employees are instructed to report any of the aforementioned actions immediately. Information regarding how to properly deal with cyberbullying offenses have become worked into existing training programs both for students as well as school staff across the state.
Anti-Bullying Laws in Oregon
The Legislative Assembly of Oregon encourages school administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers to continue exhibiting appropriate behavior. They must maintain treating others with civility and respect, refusing to tolerate any form of harassment, intimidation, bullying or cyberbullying. In April 2012, the Oregon legislature passed Senate Bill 1555. This updated Oregon’s laws relevant to bullying and harassment in Oregon’s public schools. This law requires school district policies to prohibit bullying, require bullying incidents to be reported, as well as allow reports to be anonymous. It also includes various procedures and corrective actions if the incidents were found to have breached the law.
Bullying or Cyberbullying Criminal Charges in Oregon
A bully charged with criminal offense may face hefty fines, lengthy imprisonment, or both. For example, telephonic harassment is a Class B misdemeanor. This offense could accrue a fine of up to $2,500, up to six months in jail, or both. If the bully charged has been involved in distributing sexual or nude images of someone underage, these crimes are classified as Class A misdemeanors. The consequences include a fine of up to $6,250, up to a year in jail, or both. The felony charge of Coercion could be charged in some cyber bullying cases. Coercion is a Class C felony in Oregon.
If you’ve been charged with a cyberbullying crime, you should call an experienced criminal defense attorney.