Journal Post #5 Cyberbullying

Journal #5

Kids are using technology to hurt and humiliate each other.
How To Fight the New Bullies
By Rosalind Wiseman
Published: February 25, 2007

What is the attraction of cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying can often be done anonymously and is so simple that more and more students are falling victims to it. “What makes cyberbullying so easy—and tempting—is the mask of anonymity the Web provides, along with a potentially huge audience. As Parry Aftab, executive director of wiredsafety.org, explains: “ There’s a lack of social norms when children use technology to communicate. Because you can be anonymous, there’s no fear of detection. Even if you identify yourself, you don’t see people’s reactions and realize you have gone too far.”

Question: Should schools become involved in cyberbullying? Or is it not their place?

I think so, there is no real law that can be enforced by the police to say that you can’t be mean to people over the Internet. With old-fashioned bullies you could call the cops if it got physical or a threat seemed scary enough to break the law. “From Florida to Oregon, educators and state legislators are incorporating cyberbullying into their bullying policies or drafting new laws.” They justify this by saying that if the language affects the learning environment then the school must intervene even if it occurred away from school. However, Supreme Court will hear a case concerning whether public school officials can suppress student speech off-campus. The decision could determine whether students can be disciplined for off-campus communications that include online threats. This is obviously a very controversial issue and it is hard to place guidelines on what the school should enforce if it occurred after school hours or off of school campus. I think the most important thing we can do is teach students how to use technology responsibly and be kind to one another, and if cyberbullying is occurring then technology use should be limited and monitored.