A video of a 12-year-old boy getting beat up by another 13-year-old boy has circulated online. The video shows the younger boy lying on the ground while the latter tried to stomp him. The incident between the two boys was recorded by their other classmates as they stood by and watched the whole thing behind their smartphone cameras.
No one seemed to be stopping these two boys from fighting or even offering help to the younger child. And what's worse about this video is that it was filmed in an alley behind their school in Murphysboro Middle School. While videos like these no longer seem so surprising to see on Facebook, they still manage to cause quite a stir and controversy.
For Murphysboro Republican Representative Terri Bryant, this type of behavior needs to stop. Even though neither boy sustained serious injuries during the fight, Bryant was so disturbed by the behavior of those watching the fight that she has proposed a bill to make sharing these types of videos online. According to ABC News, the representative is proposing that it will be now a crime to record fights and share these videos in social media or any other form of website. The representative shares that because of these videos, people are getting more in trouble. Instead of providing help from the bystanders, they simply opened up their smartphones and record the fight. Bryant shares that she wants "to send a clear message" that this type of behavior is unacceptable.
Despite the good nature of Bryant's proposal, this bill however sparks some concern about infringing an individual's rights to freedom of speech as well as the unnecessary criminalizing of young people. Throughout the world, these similar concerns have acted as a block for lawmakers who have tried to track down cyberbullies in the past who make use of social media to harass other children. Additionally, intent may be difficult to prosecute.
The mother of the boy in the video who was on the ground shares that she wishes someone stepped in to help her child. The two boys were fighting in an alley located nearby their school, Murphysboro Middle School last month. Just days after the video was shared online, Bryant learned of the video and proposed the bill. If approved, it would lead to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct for individuals who post materials such as these if proven that they had an intent to condone or even promote violence.
While Bryant is not trying to infringe any individual's freedom of speech, she worries that the act of recording a fight instead of helping the victim has devalued people. By sharing these videos, people end up getting "a few minutes of fame at someone else's expense." Bryant shares that before smartphones and social media existed, "We would have never thought of getting a video camera instead of getting help."
Sad but true.
