Should bullying be Illegal?

[Connoronor]

It is a form of abuse, and it can lead to long term problems for the victims and suicide. Should it be illegal?

[Korashk]

It is a form of abuse, and it can lead to long term problems for the victims and suicide. Should it be illegal?
It already is under different names such as harassment and assault.

If you mean illegalizing bullying that fits neither of these descriptors then I will oppose you. That would essentially make being mean illegal.

[Amnesiac]

It already is under different names such as harassment and assault.

If you mean illegalizing bullying that fits neither of these descriptors then I will oppose you. That would essentially make being mean illegal.

Agreed, that's pretty much what I came here to say.

[Peace God]

No

a) "Bullying" is very broad term.
b) It would become an easy way of getting back at someone, and would lead to discrimination against people that fit the "bully" stereotype.

[Fiction]

I have been accused of bullying before. I was much younger and yeah i wasn't exactly being nice but...
Everyone is mean at some point. Bullying can often be solved easily without the use of the law.

[Death]

Punishment fits crime. However much of a twat you might think someone is, if you started making bullying illegal, there would probably be few people still walking the streets. Still, some bullying could still be dealt with better.

[The Joker]

Making bullying illegal never stopped bullying. It just made it illegal, and cooler for the bully to do it.

[Amnesiac]

Making bullying illegal never stopped bullying. It just made it illegal, and cooler for the bully to do it.

Just like drugs and sex. And we all know teenagers don't do those silly things!

[Fact]

Just like drugs and sex. And we all know teenagers don't do those silly things!

Haha, yeah, exactly. Although I'm not victim to this because I don't do either :P
Making something illegal just boosts the 'want' to do it, as a general rule.
e.g. Prohibition introduced, everyone starts drinking.

Also, bullying amongst children/teenagers can often be blown out of proportion or solved really easily, so I don't think they should start locking up kids and teens over playground squabbles.
When bullying does become more serious and moves on to be more like harassment - then it will be dealt with as harassment. Therefore, it's not a problem.

[Jess]

No, sometimes the bullying can be solved easily; how about elementary kids? my little brother got bullied a few times by his "friends". but that doesn't mean they should be locked up. my brother can be taught to stand up to them and ignore them.

mostly bullying that is verbal can be solved easier than physical...but that's my opinion...:S

[Art_dude]

The issue comes in defining 'bullying' since for many it is a broad term for mean spirited comments, for other's it's harassment. From my personal exeprience of having been bullied, harassed and traumatized I consider bullying to be defined as the harassment, emotionally and physically over an extended period of time by a specific group of people directed at a specific person(s) or group.

Even from this definition, the difficulty of prosecuting that would be extremely difficult because it would require multiple witnesses to corroborate MULTIPLE accounts of harassment.

[drake.con]

i beleive it depends on the form of bullying, i also think that the punishment if it where to elevate to illegal should only go up to jail time if the bullying can be proven to have directly lead to the death/and or suicide of the victim.

if the offense is some what minor like the repeative insult or pupblic humileation on and small scale then let schools handle it or asign short term probation, but if it is to the extent(like comonly with cyber bullying) where personal information or pictures, or videos involving that individue which could cause mass bullying should be dealt with in stronger mean. This or at least in my opinoin is an invation of the privicy to post such things.

The jift of it is bullying causes stress, which leads to both mental and physical health issues, and should be dealt with depending on what was done to a extent of how suver what they did is. Also bullying caused stress is the top cause of teen suicide in the world.

[Nata6580]

Most people got it right on. If u made this illegal realize nearly everyone would be in jail. Bullying is being mean to someone and I can guaranteed everyone at one point has said or done something a little hurtful.
But depending the severity of it their actually is laws against it.

[Kaius]

Don't bump old threads please :locked: