Cyberbullying Gets Supreme Court Approval

Last week the US Supreme Court made a huge mistake. The Court turned down two appeals from Pennsylvanian schools that were successfully sued by students who were suspended for derogatory social media activity. Apparently the Court decided it was okay for students to post fake profiles of their principals as sex addicts and drug users on MySpace. What is the Supreme Court thinking? Is it really condoning this form of cyberbullying? According to an article posted on ZDNet by Charlie Osborne, “The appeals court saw the cases as “vulgar, juvenile and nonsensical that no reasonable person could take its content seriously.” In addition, the activities did not take place on school grounds, and were outside of school hours.”


Social Media sites are now considered off campus and exempt from school punishment. This form of cyberbullying is frightening. With the Supreme Court turning down these appeals it is essentially approving the cyberbullying behavior. Okay, so it wasn’t done on campus or during school hours. That doesn’t make it acceptable. Perhaps the targeted parties need to sue the authors of the slander. For sure the suspended students’ parents need to reassess their children’s behavior rather than sue the schools. I have a hard time believing that society condones this behavior. I think there should be consequences for the bullies. The Supreme Court has failed us, basing decisions on a ruling from 1969 — which says schools cannot punish ‘non-disruptive’ speech. The laws need to be updated.

Cyberbullying has become epidemic. Between texting and sending private photos via cell phones and of course on Social Media sites, it is far too easy to damage someone’s reputation. Lives can be ruined or at the very least terribly disrupted. Do you think it is alright to gossip and slander someone online or via texting? This is not about 1st Amendment rights. This is about decency. Has society fallen so far from grace as to allow this kind of damaging behavior? If so, then shame on all of us.

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