Like many parents, I live in fear of the day that my son or daughter comes home with a text message or Facebook slur along the lines of this, from a 17-year-old girl:
“I’d recently picked on a old friend of mine, for what I will not reveal because it was unusually cruel, however she had done something to me that was equally as wrong or if not worse. I was disappointed in her, and for that I decided not to be a friend any longer and spread her deepest secrets to everyone, which made her look like a complete fool. I felt somewhat guilty because I had known her for years, at the same time it was a pay back and I think she learned from it some when it comes to attempting to mess around with me.” (from the Cyberbullying Research Center)
Fortunately, my kids are only in preschool and Kindergarten. But with kids as young as fourth grade reporting cyberbullying, and schools and legislation struggling to address the issue, the problem is becoming more and more pervasive. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 93 percent of American teens between ages 12 and 17 were online as of September 2009. And according to the National Crime Prevention Council, 43 percent of teenagers say they have been victims of cyberbullying.
In Minnesota, a statute requires school boards to prohibit cyberbullying, but while the Minneapolis Public Schools web site has information on cyber bullying, only 21 of its 67 schools have a policy on any type of bullying. Complicating the issue, schools often refuse to get involved if the incident happens outside of school hours -- when most kids are online.
At worst are cases like last Thursday’s suicide of a 16-year-old girl from a town near Fargo: authorities believe cyberbullying led to her death.
So, what exactly is going on in the cyberworld of our tweens and teens here in Minnesota? And how is it affecting their social and academic lives ... and what are the consequences for their futures?
