Cyber-Bullying

Cyber-bullying is a scary thing. It was bad enough when bullies overtly taunted and teased other students in person. Now they have the veil of anonymity to hide behind, which means they have license to run wild and terrorize their peers with little worry of punishment. I have heard countless horror stories about children being so tormented by cyber-bullies that they end their own lives. It's just awful that this is what we've come to. Obviously we need to remedy the situation and enforce mandates to punish cyber-bullies. We can't allow this to continue; intervention is necessary.

I haven't personally know anyone who has been affected by cyber-bullying, but I saw a powerful TV show in which the situation was addressed. The show's guest was the mother of a young man who was cyber-bullied. A once quirky and outgoing kid who loved to act and sing, he became the target of several cyber-bullies from his school. They began calling him hateful words and making fun of his sexuality. He tried to ignore them and then he tried to engage them, but nothing worked. This fun-loving kid became withdrawn and depressed. He felt that he had no way out, so he hanged himself in his closet.

I realize that many people feel schools should not be involved in dealing with cyber-bullying since it takes place off school grounds. But I believe there needs to be external intervention on behalf of these tormented kids who are being bullied online. Yes, it starts with parents. They need to be aware of what their children are doing online. However, schools also should be involved. They need to regulate what students are doing to each other in order to protect the meek students who are the focus of this abuse. There should be punishment for students who cyber-bully; it's the only way to prevent this toxic behavior from escalating.

It's also a matter of prevention, though. If we can preempt the behavior by educating our students about the tragic effects of cyber-bullying, and hopefully get them to understand the ramifications of cyber-bullying, then maybe we can prevent bullied kids from feeling hopeless and from feeling that they have no option apart from suicide. I plan to address this problem with my students. If there are kids I suspect might be experiencing cyber-bullying, then I will talk to them about their options. I will encourage them to talk to a counselor and to ignore the taunts. Usually bullies get tired of teasing people if they aren't getting the desired response, so I will ask the bullied student not to engage the bully. 

Similarly, if I learn (or even suspect) that one of my students is a cyber-bully, I will head it off immediately. I will alert that student's parents and make sure the student is fully aware of the consequences of his/her negative actions. I will definitely be proactive about handling the situation. I simply won't take the chance of something horrific happening because I didn't intervene.