Cyberbullying: Teen Social Life in the 21st Century
April 29th, 2008 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Update
If you are the parent of a teen or have a teen in your life, then you are surely familiar with MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and countless other social networking sites where teens congregate. These sites have become a “virtual playground” where anonymous teens engage in vicious bullying without even leaving the house. The bullying isn’t limited to the internet though. Teens are being harassed by peers via cell phone text messages also. The internet offers anonymity and allows bullies to engage in behavior that would not be socially acceptable in a public forum. Sadly, the tragic story of Megan Meier, who committed suicide after enduring cyber-bullying, is an example of seriousness of this issue. Megan’s death brought to light the need for laws to hold cyber bullies responsible for their actions. In fact, this phenomenon has challenged many states (Texas, New Jersey, Oregon, California, Rhode Island, and New York) to establish laws to deal with cyber-bullying issues. There is even a non-profit foundation dedicated to educating young people about internet safety: i-SAFE Inc. Parents need to be encouraged to talk with their teens about cyber-bullying and monitor what their teen is doing online.
An equally disturbing trend is the physical attacks of peers teens are videotaping for broadcast on the internet. Not only does a victim suffer physical pain, he/she now must undergo endless humiliation as the beating is played over and over again on popular sites such as YouTube for thousands to see. There is a boomerang effect wherein the initial incident becomes fodder for hallway gossip at school, furthering the humiliation for the victim. In an interview with People magazine for a story about a video beating of a Florida teen, Dr. James Garbarino (author of several books on teen violence) stated, “Violence tends to become depersonalized when it’s on the Internet.”
The problems arising from cyber-bullying include teen suicide, school violence, and depression. Therapists who work with teens need to be educated about cyber-bullying and prepared to help teens work through these problems. Additionally, some focus is needed on identifying and treating the cyber bullies themselves.
By Lori Payne, LPC-S Click here to contact Lori and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile
©Copyright 2008 by GoodTherapy.org All Rights Reserved. Questions or concerns about the following article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment to this blog entry. Click here to contact Lori and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile
11 comments so far
I found this book that talks about cyberbullying and has good advice for teens if you’re interested. Very unique.
It’s funny that I found this today because I saw a program with John Walsh last night in person and he was talking about some of the ways we can protect our children from internet predators and cyber bullying. It is imperative that we stay involved in our kids’ lives, even when they just want us to go away, in order to keep them safe.
And it is not just the kids who can be cruel in these cases. Remember a few months back when a young girl maybe from Missouri committed suicide because she thought she had met a guy online who liked her and it was really the parents of a girl down the street who were making up things because they wanted to see if she wasaying ugly things about their daughter? This is truly a case of cyber bullying gone terribly wrong and it has to be stopped. Kids and adults have to know better!
I have never really understood what leads so many children to become bullies and why they unfairly zero in on their targets. What is going home at home or in their heads to cause this behavior?
Unfortuntaely for many of them I think that it is a desperate cry for attention. They may not be getting what they need from their parents, or may be belittled at home, and feel the need to gain power over what they see as wa much weaker opponent. Technology has made it so much easier for them to target others now too, so that bullying does not have to just be about physical prowess on the playground.
I worry so much about my own children and the things that they face that we as adults in a different generation never had to deal with. I try to keep tabs on the friends they have and am constantly watching for changes in behavior, grades, etc. This is just another realm in which we have to be even more diligent about protecting our children. We used to only worry about strangers luring them from the playground but now there is an invisible stranger lurking in chat rooms and other places waiting to steal your kids away. It is very scary.
There are so many horrible stories out there about kids who are being bullied in cyberspace. We cannot stand for this- kids do not even have the chance to stand up for themselves when people are abusing the web this way! At least on the playground you can hit back!
I am so dismayed that there are teens and younger kids as well who learn that tormenting others is OK. We have to do better than this and teach our kids that this kind of behavior is unacceptable and that it will not be tolerated at home, in school, or in society in general.
It seems that there are just no safe places for kids to go anymore! We once thought that bullies could not get to you through the computer screen and now it turns out that they are just as rampant there as they are in the hallways of schools all across America. I am so outraged at this! The computer is supposed to be safe and fun and instead it is filled with predators and other sickos who get a kick out of hurting others.
This might sound archaic but a kid is as good as his privacy. If a child prefers to spend more time behind a locked door, the chances are he is doing something that he doesnt anyone to know about. Parental supervision and privacy offered to a child/teen go hand in hand. A teen is not an adult and parents need to understand that before they give them endless supplies of money. If house rules have been negligent in the pre teen years it would be difficult to enforce more stringent ones in the teen years. Being a friend to your child is as important as being a parent.
The quality of the info is what keeps me on this site, thanks!