We keep seeing story after story about ‘Cyberbullying‘. My question is, is cyberbullying really that bad? I remember in the old days that if someone was pestering you, you would change your screen name/handle/alias and go on with your life. Has that youth lost that bit of common sense?
From Time.com:
As many as one in three U.S. children have been ridiculed or threatened through computer messages, according to one estimate of the emerging problem of cyberbullying.
Another new study found the problem is less common, with one in 10 kids reporting online harassment.
But health experts said even the lower estimate signals a growing and concerning public health issue.
Is Cyberbullying as Bad as They Say?
By tekrat - Posted on November 29th, 2007
but when a parent poses as a teenager to see if their neighbor is saying bad things about their daughter, then it goes too far.
Speaking of posing as kids, how do people still get caught in chat rooms trying to meet up to have sex only to find out it is MSNBC??
Talk about a nation of p*ssys. Ive even seen whining about this on this site and the toledo talk. Lord, anyone who worries about it needs to go get a hot pocket and back down into mommy's basement and play dungeons and dragons some more.
but the "cyberbullying" that takes place between kids is an extention of what happens in the school hallways, locker-rooms, and playgrounds and can be overly-malicious. Some kids, even high-schoolers, aren't equipped to handle these situations. There's a general lack of respect among today's youth for those outside each other's little 'group.' You don't need to be friends with everybody, but there's no excuse for bullying, cyberwise or otherwise...ever.
A grown woman who pretends to be a teenage boy for the purpose of hurting a 13 year old girl is as sick and twisted person as sexual predators who troll the internet to pick up children to rape.
Yes its a strong word but IMHO that woman emotionally raped that child.
Seriously, that woman had nothing better (and more mature) in her life to do then to pretend to be a teen boy just to mess with the little girl down the street?
What kind of adult tells a child that the "world would be a better place without you in it"?
If she had pulled that stunt with one of my kids she'd be wishing she was in jail where I couldn't get my hands on her.
I watched all kinds of things develop during the old BBS days, and the only thing that's changed are the players. Consider that the bullies are anonymous and that the venue tends to support that state rather than oppose it. The state of being anonymous to your target causes people to behave in ways that are completely opposite their usual public behavior. Since there is no fear of reprisal from the victim, bullying is encouraged. It's interesting to note that the same kind of behavior exists while driving an automobile - the driver tends to feel anonymous, and so cannot be held accountable for his bad behavior on the road.
In the bad old days I also had the chance to see the interaction between a class A troll and a somewhat irate participant. Nothing happened, despite all the online insults and threats.
I agree that there is no excuse for bullying behavior, but I also think that at some point the victim should confront reality and deal with the problem, instead of playing D&D in Mom's basement.
Here's what cyberbullying did to one poor 13 year-old girl and her family: http://stcharlesjournal.stltoday.com/news/sj2tn20071110-1111stc_pokin_1....
Thats the case I was talking about. Its disgusting that this was done to a child by an adult.
Since it doesn't look like criminal charges will be brought I hope Megan's family sues them into the stone age with a wrongful death suit.
Ever. It should not be tolerated by supervising adults - and it should never be done by adults. It's too bad they don't have a law to prosecute the woman from that story link.
In that article, they lumped into the 'bully' catagory, all name calling, kid stuff -so it wasn't all tecnically bullying. Kids have always name called, always will. No excuse for actual bullying - but I have to wonder where they learn it from? (the mom from Golden Corral or the parents who beat that woman up at that school?) Kids need to grow a thicker skin, and parents need to let their kids learn to handle this stuff on their own - unless of course, actual physical threats are involved. Kids today are wimps & don't seem to have as much tolerance for people (or respect). Online, there's no consequenses (or so they think) - they dont think they'll be found out, so anything can go.
Kids need to grow a thicker skin, and parents need to let their kids learn to handle this stuff on their own - unless of course, actual physical threats are involved. Kids today are wimps & don't seem to have as much tolerance for people (or respect).
They're in the process of growing a thicker skin, Starling, but it hasn't happened just yet. That's why they're called kids. I don't think the kids are any more or less tolerant than previous generations, but they certainly lack the control of previous generations. Here I'm talking about self-control as well as control by authorities.
Point taken mad. You're right on all counts.