When many of us were school-age children, we were able to see the schoolyard bully. They were easy to spot. Most of the bullies were male and they would physically or verbally attack their victims out in public, right there on the playground. We now live in a modern world of electronic media and the bully is changing right along with technology. With the advent of social media comes the advent of the modern bully known as the cyberbully. An article from www.kidshealth.org Cyberbullying defines cyberbullying as “the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass or target another person. By definition, it occurs among young people. When an adult is involved, it may meet the definition of cyber-harassment or cyber-stalking, a crime that can have legal consequences and involve jail time” (P.1.) What this simply means is that the bully may now follow your child into your home and continue harassing him.
How prevalent this new threat is really anyone’s guess as statistics are only now being gathered. The chart below from cyberbullying.us shows a large variation of results over time.
What is striking though is that each year, the sample size is increasing, indicating that the awareness of the problem is growing as are the efforts at tracking its growth.
Cyberbullying is a problem with no easy solutions. How does one fight a problem where the attacker’s identity may not even be known? The Internet by its very nature can be very good at hiding one’s identity. Even when the identity of the bully is known, what can actually be done? Many social web sites such as Facebook have “Community Standards” published which include bullying and harassment policies but even if they are followed, nothing stops the bully from obtaining another screen name and beginning the attacks anew. Some states have tried their hands at passing laws against cyberbullying but again there are roadblocks. One must be able to positively identify the perpetrator and there is also the problem of the legality quagmire of states trying to regulate a global network.
The solution to fighting the cyberbully likely lays where it was when the bully was right in front of the child – it’s parents and the local community. What this means is that the parent needs to have ongoing dialogue with their children about bullies and what is appropriate to do when being bullied. School involvement where appropriate is a good idea but this must be done carefully as bureaucracy can get in the way. A perfect example of this is the case is the recent story that appeared on www.wpix.com Parents Back Girl Suspended For Anti-Bullying Project. A student named Jessica Barba created an anti-bullying video and Facebook page with a fictitious character to demonstrate bullying. While it was made clear that the story was not real, one parent reported her and she was suspended from school for cyberbullying – um no…..
Cyberbullying is a new take on an old issue. The issue is as simple as the strong preying upon the weaker members of society. Although the medium of appearing on a social network is a new one, the best method of dealing with this is the same as it has always been. Parents must be alert at all times, communicate with their children ,and be aware of what is going on in their lives in order to be able to know how best to help them with the struggles that are inevitable throughout their lives.
References
The Nemours Foundation.
Cyberbullying. Retrieved from
Cyberbullying
Research Center. (2010). [Graph Illustration Cyberbullying Victimization Rates].
Lifetime Cyberbullying Victimization
Rates. Retrieved from
Choudhury, N. (2012, May, 23). Parents Back Girl Suspended For Anti-Bullying
Project.
Retrieved from http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-girl-suspended-after-making-anti-bullying-video,0,1087051.story
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