Regulation of the Internet
The Internet has been gradually integrated into people’s life. It is based on communication technology as the basic tool, through the network to carry on the information hunting. The Internet is also a collection of global information resources. Its main purpose is to exchange information resources. The Internet is the medium of interaction between humans and computers. With the rapid development of the Internet, social media such as Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, TikTok, and YouTube have come into being. With that comes a lot of issues such as bullying, harassment, violent content, hate, pornography, and other problematic content on social platforms. These problems undermine a healthy Internet environment. It takes many different groups to solve these problems. Specifically, governments or law enforcement agencies can regulate the Internet and make effective Internet-related laws. Social platforms can intervene, and censor the content posted on their platforms. Internet users can monitor and try to avoid these problems.
Cyberbullying includes name-calling, threats, and rumors. Often through social media, text messages, emails, etc. Others send harassing texts or make harassing phone calls through social media messages just for fun. Some even send or spread violent content on social platforms. This greatly affects the growing children to establish correct values. Hate and pornography have also taken their toll. When people use a search engine like Google, advertisings often appear. Some hackers use hacking techniques to make computers appear as pornographic ads or spread hate. The spread of terrorism, for example, will bring panic to society and is not good for the physical and mental health of young people. People who are subjected to cyberbullying can suffer from mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem and, in severe cases, may be suicidal. According to the survey, victims of student cyberbullying may fear issues such as school attendance and lack of concentration. Therefore, the environment of the Internet needs the cooperation of multiple organizations to maintain.
Governments and law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to prevent the spread of such content. They can use regulation and legislation to stop problems such as cyberbullying, violent content, and the spread of pornography. For example, in 2011, more than 35 states in the United States enacted anti-bullying laws. Missouri and California have passed some of the toughest laws to protect victims of cyberbullying. In China, there are laws governing the Internet. Anyone and organization, for instance, may not use the network, honor, and interests, endangering state security shall not be an incitement to subvert state power and divide the country, and shall not promote terrorism, extremism and promote ethnic hatred, ethnic discrimination, violence, pornography, shall not fabricate statements and spreading false information, reputation, privacy, and other legitimate rights and interests will be infringed. This has significantly reduced content on issues such as cyberbullying, violent content, hate, and pornography. Governments can also do this by strengthening the combination of technology and regulatory operations. Make full use of information network technology, and improve the ability of supervision and law enforcement. In addition, the search for pornographic, violent, and other illegal advertisements should be strengthened to crack down on illegal activities according to the law. The government should also actively respond to the public’s demands on issues such as cyberbullying and conduct investigations. Governments and law enforcement agencies play an important role in keeping the Internet healthy and preventing such problems from damaging it.
Social media platforms are also powerful tools for preventing cyberbullying. Because social platforms can manage and punish those who post suspicious content. In 2019, Chinese women’s basketball player Li Meng was the victim of online bullying. Some netizens made malicious attacks and made extreme statements. The incident was eventually punished by Weibo, which banned 29 users. With the rapid development of the Internet, modern social platforms basically have moderators. They censor videos, articles, and images that Internet users want to share to prevent pornography, hate, and some very violent content. Due to the diversity of social media, the line between media and audience is blurred. The public can generate and disseminate information quickly and easily. For example, in China, there are social media such as Weibo, WeChat, and TikTok, and the ferment of public opinion will have a great impact. As a result, some of the more mainstream social media platforms have strong connectivity and can monitor multiple platforms simultaneously. In addition, many social media platforms have models specifically targeted at seniors and teens. A lot of content that cannot be known by teenagers will be blocked, which also reduces the harm of violent content and pornographic content on minors to a certain extent. Therefore, increasing audit requirements through social platforms and human intervention can prevent problems caused by the rapid development of the Internet.
Internet users can also play a part in preventing cyberbullying, and sexual and violent content. As the video says, there may be no motive for cyberbullying, and those who do it may be acting out of interest. So, people should learn to avoid these problems as much as possible. The first step is prevention by making sure your privacy settings are sealed. People can try Googling their name and see what comes up. Make sure your social media Settings don’t show your email or phone number. Secondly, people can ignore bullies when they stop responding. Then, the victim can try shutting down their social media platforms. Finally, people can save the information and tell others or call the police. Because cyberbullying is illegal on many websites. In addition, there are organizations that can educate students, parents, and teachers to prevent cyberbullying. Problems with sexual and violent content can be reduced through reporting and complaints. Many social media platforms now have the option to report or call the police so that public security and law enforcement agencies can intervene to prevent these problems. As people, it is our duty to actively cooperate and maintain the health of the Internet. This not only maintains the online environment, but also protects younger people from problematic online content such as bullying, harassment, violent content, and pornography.
In conclusion, bullying, harassment, violent content, hatred, pornography and other problematic content on the Internet do great harm to people’s mental health. This not only violates the rights and interests of the bullied but also causes harm to the physical and mental health of others. In addition, network violence also confused the true and false, especially since the network is a virtual society, true and false are more difficult to distinguish. The dissemination of such problematic content on the Internet also affects the values of netizens, which in turn affects the behavior of individuals. Therefore, it is the common obligation of netizens, social media platforms, governments, and law enforcement agencies to prevent this problematic content from spreading on the Internet. Establish a healthy Internet environment through government and law enforcement, social media platform intervention, and netizen supervision.
Abbate, J., (2017). What and where is the Internet? (Re)defining Internet histories. Internet Histories, 1(1-2), pp.8-14.
Proquest.com. 2020. How to stop bullying on the Internet? – ProQuest. [online] Available at: <https://www.proquest.com/docview/2353938630?parentSessionId=6gPaL1B%2Bb4RerBkjg5DM6pk7K7b0dYkqweRLx%2FN08%2BU%3D&pq-origsite=primo&accountid=14757> [Accessed 14 October 2022].
Watchwellcast, (2013). How to Beat Cyberbullies [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwu_7IqWh8Y
