Say No to Cyberbullying
Today’s students frequently open their social media accounts to find jokes and/or photos circulating involving fellow classmates. In some cases, these posts may be harmless, but often they are damaging to another person’s character and bring mental anguish to the recipient. Even when a student seeks help, the digital bullying may be hard to let go of, and in extreme circumstances, the aftereffects may lead to depression or even suicide. With the increased number of teenagers carrying around devices, incidents such these are becoming more and more common, and the rise in harmful internet interactions has led to the coining of a relatively new term: cyberbullying. According to Hinduja and Patchin, cyberbullying is defined as, “willful and repeated harm inflicted by the use of computers, cell phones, and other devices” (2015). Since cyberbullying is becoming a nationwide epidemic, it is important for educators, parents, and communities to become educated about the issue, understand its many consequences, and learn how to help combat the devastating effects it can bring.
Though cyberbullying may originate among one or two students, it can quickly spread like wildfire and reach an entire student population in a short amount of time. The way other students react to the initial post will affect how far it goes and its implications. If many chime in and add fuel to the fire, it can continue for quite some time. The additional buy-in from other students will have an effect on how much pain is inflicted on the recipient. This is especially true if the digital bullying extends to face-to-face bullying when the student is on campus.
Even if the bullying is exclusively online, the student being targeted will begin to feel horrible about themselves and have the feeling that everyone knows what is going on even though it is probably a select group. Once the student begins to feel isolated and ostracized, he or she will become depressed, angry, and may eventually want to seek revenge on those who are involved in the bullying. This can lead to violence against others students, teachers, and administrators on the campus. School-related violence such as this has been seen in recent years in cases such as the one at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado back in 1999 (Hinduja and Patchin, 2015).
At that time, Columbine High School experienced an on-campus massacre that resulted in the injury and deaths of close to forty individuals due to the retaliation of two students who were being bullied. This incident was an unfortunate tragedy which might have been avoided had the school, parents, and community in general taken preventative measures to educate all stakeholders and combat the bullying before it got out of hand.
A district and community-wide initiative to introduce students and parents to the dangers of cyberbullying is the key to reducing the number of incidents and improving digital communication. A digital citizenship program is also necessary to expose students to proper methods of technology usage and should go hand-in-hand with an antibullying campaign. Along with these two components, there is also a need for accountability. Teachers and parents need to be on a united front and uphold a zero tolerance policy for bullying both on and off campus. By implementing educational measures, involving all stakeholders, and holding students responsible for their behavior, there is hope for improved outcomes and harmonious interactions between future internet users.
References
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2015). Bullying beyond the schoolyard: Preventing and responding to cyber bullying. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwinsh.
Swann, G., & Park, M. (2015, October 21). Get Your Students on the Road to Digital Citizenship with a Digital Driver's License. Retrieved March 25, 2017, from https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=582
