Moreover, there are many suicide cases that happened among teenagers related to cyberbullying and social media in recent years.
In February 2010, Phoebe Prince, the 15-year-old South Hadley, Mass., girl hung herself after alleged repeated bullying at her high school.
In September 2010, Tyler Clementi,18 years old, jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate and a friend allegedly streamed a Webcam video of his sexual encounter with another man.
A few weeks ago, 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer killed himself after being bullied online regarding his sexuality. Jamey used social networking sites to show that he was struggling with his sexuality, though he encouraged others on the It Gets Better project webYoutube to fight off the bullies. He took his own life after posting an online farewell.
Honestly, after reading these stories, the question which came up in my mind is that where the hell their parents and teachers were ..... why things like this happened to those teens...
What is Cyberbullying? “Cyberbullying is any harassment that occurs via the Internet. Vicious forum posts, name calling in chat rooms, posting fake profiles on web sites, and sending cruel email messages, are all ways of cyberbullying”. It is true that it is easier to bully in the online world than in the real life. Kids and teens these days have more opportunities to use new technologies including SMS, email, instant messages on MSN, Skype and Yahoo, blogs and other social networking sites. They became more freely to talk about themselves or voice their opinions regarding any issues, and if others dislike or disagree with them ==> it can lead to a Fight or even Cyberbullying
To prevent cyberbullying, parents need to understand how to use these new platforms and also be proactive in observing their children's activities. If you are a parent, you should read tips from Microsoft- Family Safety.
For example, parents should:
1. Understand how a new technology works. Learn how your child will use it, who he/she will communicate with and what information he/she could potentially share.
2. Always set up privacy settings on any new technology. My Mobile Watch Dog lets parents monitors the texts, emails and phone calls their kids’ cell phones are receiving. Net Nanny is a software that can be downloaded onto a computer and can schedule Internet access, block social networks, stop inappropriate chats, stop illegal file sharing and monitoring where children are going online.
3. Talk with your child about cyberbullying. Encourage your child to tell you immediately if he or she is being harassed online or contacted repeatedly via email or cell phone by an unwanted person. Also explain to your child that cyberbullying is harmful and unacceptable behavior.
If a child is being cyberbullied, you can look for certain signs - CLICK ME
If you suspect your child is being cyberbullied, there are some guidelines from Stop Bullying Now which you can have a look, briefly:
1. Encourage your child to stop communicating with the cyberbully.
2. Do not erase any photos, video or texts–you’ll want to keep all evidence. Take as many screenshots and print them out if possible. Cyber Bully Alert is an online software the lets children using computers automatically alert their parents when they are being harassed online. As soon as the child presses a button, the software takes a screenshot of the computer and immediately alerts the parents via email or text.
3. Try to identify the cyberbully if he or she is anonymous. Your Internet Service Provider (like Comcast or AOL) should be able to track them. However, if the cyberbulling is criminal–or you suspect it is–contact the police and ask them do the tracking.
Source: The Link Paper
What do you think about cyberbullying? It seems that Australia's current anti cyber bullying laws failed to deal with this issue... Please let me know your thoughts!
A very thorough post. Such a big issue for parents, bosses or anyone in a position of accountability and responsibility.
ReplyDeleteLife in the public domain, it is harder to deal with. WE used to go through a lot of life's issues privately.
13 years ago, I was bullied by a girl at my school. She threatened me,even there was a time she forced me to come to a classroom without people there. She said that she wanna teach me a lesson >.< I didn't keep silent and I told My Mom and older brother straight away... from that time, that girl stopped bullying me...
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to say to all parents that "please spend more time with your children" and talk to them about cyberbullying and encourage them to tell you immediately if they are bullied..
Let your children understand that there are so many people out there who are willing to help.
Parents, teachers, the police, friends, relatives..... There is always someone to help. There is no such a thing as alone
Well, i think the key to resolve cyberbullying is building self-awareness through education by parents or teachers. To block every "dangerous" source can not resolve the problem in an essential way. Once kids are stimulated by parents' monitoring, things may get worse.
ReplyDeleteThese are all things that call on parents and schools to really start educating kids on this. Why not have a SM class four times a term in school where not only do you teach kids how to behave and properly use SM, but you also teach them what to do in the event of them feeling that they are being bullied. I don't have kids so I am not sure how this works in households, but I do believe that parents also need guidelines on how to teach their kids. ISP's can offer a booklet or something that they can give to people who sign up to their internet services.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say SM has caused more suicides, I just think it has made it a lot more public.
Ross
Cyberbullying is a huge problem that has become more and more common in societies, particular among youngsters. It is getting harder to monitor children's interaction with each other because of the dizzying speed of developments in new technologies and social networking sites. I think education is necessary but not enough. There are many children who feel uneasy talking to their parents about these problems. I reckon an effective anti-cyberbullying law would definitely help.
ReplyDelete