Cyberbullying is a huge problem in today's day and age. With so much access to social media it is easy to bully in and out of school. I do not think many people actually believe you can bully someone over the internet. It is harder for an adult to witness because, chances are, they have no idea or clue their children are even involved with social media outlets. It is hard for schools to monitor due to the students' privacy rights. I think everyone needs to say "the hell with it" and start supervising more. There are potential lives at stake.
Nobody should ever take this subject lightly. Teen are nasty and mean to each other.They do not realize the effect it has on their peers and they definitely do not see any consequences for their actions. These teens have an attitude of being untouchable; others are weaker and bruise easier. These power hungry teens do not believe what they are doing is wrong. They believe they are just helping those they view as weak links. When their victims kill themselves it is for their own god. This is what is really happening in our world.
Victims do nothing to their bullies to make them get picked on. They may just look wierd, talk funny, have different interests, are smarter, are too fat or too skinny, or were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is a really, really sad thought. Unfortunately, this is real life. Think back to your teenage years. Were you a victim? Were your friends victimized? Did you witness an act of bullying? This is an age old act. Bullying has been around for as long as humans have.
Nobody has a true definition for cyberbullying. It is obviously very hard to define, unlike traditional bullying. Traditional bullying is repeated abuse by a person of power over someone who is much weaker. Cyberbullying is not always considered harassment or abuse. Context, used online, is sometimes hard to understand or interpret. In fact, there are a lot of false accusations due to this. These are big messes that are hard to clean up. When you do find a highly protective parent, all hell breaks loose over trivial things. Accusations are blown our of context. This can turn into a very dangerous situation. Examples like the one mentioned proves how hard defining cyberbullying really is.
There are ways to fight cyberbullying. There are techniques you can use when you feel someone is being bullied. The number one thing you need to look for are little signs. Victims do not always shout out that they are being hurt. They give little hints. They act with drawn. Talk to them. Be there for them. All they may need is a friend right now. Always take everything seriously. You may be the one thing that saves them. Do not believe what is being said about them.
Cyberbullying is just as hurtful, if not more, as traditional bullying. Even though there is no true definition it is there. It is dangerous and needs to be watched out for
- Mashable Article: "Cyberbullying: Are Teens Really in Danger?" by Sandy Fitzgerald
This has become a very debated and touchy subject in my household over the last few weeks. At one point prior to this class I was big on the cyber bullying and how much we needed to monitor and ensure that it is not happening. Now I am mixed as you have stated bullying has been around for along time and regardless at some point a large group of us had or have now must learn how to stand up for themselves. It seems we get into patterns of trying to make all things right rather than teaching how to overcome adversity. It is horrible that some have committed suicide but I honestly think that cyber bulling was only a small percentage of this or some would say that the "straw that broke the camels back." I still find it hard to believe that there were zero problems prior to either mentally or emotionally of these teenagers that committed suicide based on bullying alone. I believe many of these families scream bullying caused it, rather than looking at some of the things they ignored or may have caused themselves.
ReplyDeleteCyber bullying is such a huge topic right now. WVU Extension has a program that they conduct in the school system here and it has gotten a very positive response. Education is the key. By educating children on what there options are and what exactly cyber bullying is, just maybe the student can help themselves before it goes too far. Great blog post!!
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