CYBER-BULLYING
Chicago Tribune News
September 26th, 2011; Dawn Turner
Trice
dtrice@tribune.com
Tiffany Witkowski, 17, is a rarity
in her school — maybe in the universe — because she doesn't have a Facebook
account.
A senior at Von Steuben Metropolitan
Science High School in Chicago, Witkowski quit Facebook after growing tired of
classmates posting comments on her wall such as, "You're a suck-up,"
and, "You think you're better than everybody else."
The overwhelming majority of the
students polled said they had dealt with such consequences as fights, broken
relationships and emotional or psychological distress.
Witkowski said first-person accounts
weren't hard to find. The video includes stories about a girl who was called
"fat" and a "whore" on her Facebook page, a young man who
was berated on social media after he defended a friend and a principal who
learned her student was a gang member by the incendiary comments she read on
his Facebook page after he was killed.
There was also an account by a young
woman who won several scholarships to college and then wrote about her
excitement on her Facebook page. One of her "friends," pretending to
be the young woman, created a fake email account and sent messages to the
scholarship boards rejecting the money. The young woman had to contact the agencies
to tell them she was the victim of identity theft.
The video project began last year as
part of a broader study the Mikva students undertook called "Bringing
Chicago Public High Schools into the 21st Century."
In addition to suggesting that a
video on cyberbullying be made, the students offered five other recommendations
in their 53-page report, including that CPS provide a way for students to take
courses from other schools via videoconferencing and that teachers be required
to participate in workshops on integrating technology into the classroom.
Witkowski said the goal is to
understand how to use technology and social media in ways that are positive,
fun and constructive. (She and her peers used Facebook to help conduct
research.)
She said that when she first
screened the video in May for her fellow students at Von Steuben, many didn't
care about what they posted on social media sites. But, she said, that has
changed.
She would like students across the
city and beyond to see the video.
"There are still kids who don't
know that this is a big deal," she said. "I have a younger brother,
and I'm constantly telling him not to add anybody on Facebook he doesn't know
or put anything up there that he doesn't want people to see. It lasts forever
and it can either hurt you or come back to haunt you."
Own Opinion;
Cyber-bullying is different than the face to face bullied, as it runs 24/7 and it is hard to remove and delete such harassment, be it harsh calling names, or such inappropriate video. Hence would definitely damage the bullied.
Cyber tips (CyberSAFE Youths, Retrieve from;http://www.cybersafe.my/cyberyouths-tips-cyberbullying.html)
Tips for parents:
- it is important to have an open and honest discussion between child and the parent on this issue. Children should be informed of steps to take if they are cyber bullied just like in real life.
- if your child is being cyber bullied, listen to them and take necessary action
- Make sure that your child feels that they are protected.
- if your child has been cyber bullied at school, inform the school or their teacher.
Tips for Kids:
- if you receive messages that make you feel uncomfortable or feel threatened via the internet or your mobile phone, inform your parents or school teachers
- ignore any kind of bad statements or remarks which are not serious. But if you feel that you are in danger or threatened, report to your parents.
- Save all the information or messages related to Cyberbullying so it can be used a proof to prosecute the bully.
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