Cyberbullying is regarded as using digital devices and online communication to harm or harass others. As a result, there is a significant threat to the well-being of citizens. In addition, cyberbullying negatively influences individuals’ development and can create an inappropriate environment for the State to function normally. There is a Family Court Act in New York State, which ensures the legal measures to protect inhabitants of New York State from cyberbullying (New York State, n. d.).
Enhancing this legislation gives courts the necessary tools to address cyberbullying incidents and support the vulnerable population efficiently. In addition, this Act allows people to seek protection from harassment and illegal actions. Hence, cyberbullying poses a significant threat to the well-being of citizens, so the existing legislation should be considered to identify ways to address the issue.
Nevertheless, the Family Court Act addresses mainly family offenses, so some areas need improvements in cyberbullying. Firstly, the Family Court Act has little explanation of family offenses, so a small number of inhabitants are protected by this legislation (New York State, n. d.). In addition, this Act protects people from harassment and cyberbullying only from family members. Secondly, the protective and punishment mechanisms are not strong enough to ensure the safety of all citizens, which increases the vulnerability of the inhabitants of New York. The Act allows to file for order protection, but a precise punishment mechanism is not provided (New York State, n. d.). Thirdly, the legislation ensures a lack of supportive and educational services to illustrate the negative consequences of cyberbullying. Therefore, these three points from the legislation should be improved to increase the safety of the inhabitants of New York State.
The current definition of family offenses does not address cyberbullying incidents. The definition of family offenses should be expanded, so the courts could access more harassment or harmful behaviors conducted by non-family members and ensure measures to decrease cyberbullying rates. It has been researched that children are more vulnerable to cyberbullying (Aziz et al., 2020). That is why acts of digital harassment by family members should also be considered cyberbullying.
Amend the Family Court Act to regard cyberbullying as a potent family offense that should be legally punished. Cyberbullying should be explained as the illegal activity of violating a person’s privacy and using digital tools to harass a family member with the help of harmful posts, emails, messages, or any other form of digital content violations aimed at causing negative emotional influence. Regard such actions from family members as illegal and harmful to the victims, despite the motivation of doing them.
Protective orders should be strengthened, and punishment mechanisms should be developed. Protective orders are essential to provide citizens with safety and security. Developing a punishment mechanism will strengthen protective orders and allow people to protect their dignity from harassment from family members. In addition, these mechanisms ensure the efficient assessment of cyberbullying and related illegal actions from family members.
Amend the Family Court Act to improve the provisions of protective orders. Firstly, courts should be able to provide victims with temporary restraining orders immediately. Secondly, clear instructions should be provided for courts to define the duration of protective orders in cases of family cyberbullying. Thirdly, robust punishment mechanisms should be implemented to ensure the safety and protection of victims from cyberbullying, such as financial punishment and, in some cases, imprisonment.
Educational and supportive services should be provided at schools permanently to inform about the negative influence of cyberbullying on people’s well-being. Comprehensive education can ensure access to the necessary resources to prevent cyberbullying and increase awareness of its consequences. In addition, educational programs can be an efficient intervention to indicate the rise of different issues that can promote cyberbullying at home.
Amend the Family Court Act to implement educational programs to prevent cyberbullying among schools and promote responsible online behavior and digital citizenship. Secondly, supportive services for schools should be implemented to assist victims and their families, especially from cyberbullying cases at home and from family members. Schools should install counseling and relevant online sources for people to use to indicate the acts of cyberbullying and prevent them (Tozzo et al., 2022). Lastly, collaboration with community organizations should be established to create educational campaigns to raise awareness of cyberbullying and its impact on people’s lives.
These amendments can improve the efficiency of the Family Court Act in dealing with cyberbullying cases. Providing more explicit definitions, robust protective and punishment mechanisms, and ensuring educational programs can improve the cyberbullying legislation in New York State. Policy and legal experts should appropriately review these amendments to incorporate them into the current legislative acts. For New York State legislation, it is an opportunity to improve the awareness of cyberbullying and its consequences on citizens. The proposed amendments might ensure the legal framework to decrease the cases of cyberbullying. As a result, the legislation could adequately address the rights of New York State inhabitants and provide them with a safer online environment, including family members.
References
Aziz, N. A., & Amin, N. S. M. (2020). Cyberbullying among children: A cross jurisdictional perspective. IIUMLJ, 28, 325. Web.
New York State. (n. d.). Family Court Law. In Consolidated Laws of New York’s FCA code. Web.
Tozzo, P., Cuman, O., Moratto, E., & Caenazzo, L. (2022). Family and educational strategies for cyberbullying prevention: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(16). Web.