Thursday, November 14, 2013

Cyberbullying Calls for New Weapons

Caveat: I send this not to endorse a particular view or solution but to share with you how important it is for educators to let students know that our system will consider taking action for cyberbullying if circumstances warrant doing so.

Last week, the sheriff in Polk County, Fla., filed felony charges against the girls, 14 and 12, who allegedly taunted Rebecca. On social media, one called her ugly and told her to drink bleach and die.
The sheriff took some flak for criminalizing behavior that is as old as schoolyards, but changing times call for changing tactics.
Today's cyberbullying is more extreme than the bullying anyone over 30 remembers. Before such abuse went digital, victims at least had escape routes — at home, in an activity, or when they changed schools.
Now, every Facebook post or cellphone ping can carry taunts. Rebecca's ordeal went on for months. She was home-schooled for a time, then transferred to another school. The bullies followed on her smartphone.
While bullies of previous generations had limited audiences, digital humiliation gets vast exposure. It can't be erased, and it can be harnessed in ways bullies of another era never imagined.
In 2010, Rutgers freshman Dharun Ravi used a webcam to spy on his roommate, Tyler Clementi, in a tryst with another gay man. Ravi streamed it to a room where a half-dozen students watched. Three days later, Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge. Last year, Ravi was convicted for invasion of privacy, bias intimidation and other charges.
Nearly one in four students say they have been victims of cyberbullying at some point. Thankfully, only a handful of cases have ended with suicide, and few rise to the level of criminality. But for those that do, prosecution is appropriate.
Parents remain the first line of defense against cyberbullying. Too many, however, ignore their children's online behavior, deny that their kids could be bullies, or are themselves models for this harmful behavior. The stepmother of the 14-year-old charged with bullying Rebecca was charged last week with child abuse over allegations that she punched two boys visiting her home.
Schools also retain a major role. Every state but Montana has an anti-bullying law or policy, but more than half fail to address cyberbullying. New Hampshire has one of the best: It covers bullying anywhere as long as it "interferes with a pupil's educational opportunities."
Students themselves can have the biggest impact with a largely untapped approach: using the bullies' digital tools to shame them and defend their victims. In Hillsborough, Calif., freshman goalie Daniel Cui was bullied on Facebook in 2011 after allowing the winning goal in a major soccer game. His teammates rallied behind him, posting a photo of Cui making a huge save in another game.
Fighting back against bullies and denying them peer approval are the best antidotes. But when the standard remedies fail someone like Rebecca Sedwick, the use of criminal laws against stalking and harassment is fully justified.

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