Cyberbullying: Who is Responsible?
March 31, 2010 | Written by Ruth Shannon
Here at RFI, we believe that social media is a wonderful thing. It connects us, entertains us, mobilizes us, educates us, sells products to us, gets us into college, and opens up new worlds and opportunities to us. The other side of the social media coin, however, can be extremely dark. We’ve long known that criminals can make use of the web’s broad reach to break into bank accounts, prey on young children, and otherwise perpetrate crimes from behind the anonymity of the internet. But in recent years, as the web gets more and more social, and as young students have fewer and fewer restrictions online, cyberbullying is proving to be a new and insidious danger.
The most recent example is the tragic case of Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old high school freshman from South Hadley, Massachusetts, who committed suicide in January after months of verbal and physical abuse from a group of schoolmates. An attractive “new girl” who had recently moved with her mother and sister from Ireland, Phoebe is said to have aroused the ire of other students by briefly dating a popular senior football player, thus presumably stepping out of her prescribed social position. Some of the bullying took classic forms: Phoebe’s classmates shunned her, called her names, and, during the last hours of her life, threw a Red Bull can at her from the window of a moving car. Other forms of abuse took a more modern twist: Phoebe was allegedly subjected to expletive-laden text and Facebook messages insulting her and threatening her with physical harm on a several-times-daily basis.
Phoebe Prince
Are tragedies like Phoebe’s unavoidable byproducts of a culture in which all of us have unbridled access to one another via digital media 24-hours a day? Is this just what happens when the universally cutthroat, high-drama, hormone-addled high school social scene stays open on Facebook and Twitter and MySpace long after the school doors have been locked for the night or the weekend? And who, when the administrators of social networks do everything they can to maintain the privacy of their users, is responsible for monitoring the digital hallways in which Phoebe took so much abuse?
This case may turn out to set an important precedent with respect to future anti-bullying legislation, both online and otherwise. On Monday, nine South Hadley High School students (two boys and seven girls, ages 16 to 18), were officially charged with a package of accusations, ranging from statutory rape to disrupting a school assembly, in connection to the death of Phoebe Prince. School administrators, who were reportedly aware of severe bullying in the school and had some knowledge of Phoebe’s situation, have not been criminally charged. This suggests that this early example may lead future cyberbullying cases to be considered lapses in personal responsibility, rather than lapses in adult oversight.
Obviously, instilling principles of kindness and humanity in young people should be our society’s first priority, and this should be the front line in the fight against bullying. But should it be the totality of this fight? What protections, if any, should be put in place to prevent abuse of the privilege of un-moderated, non-stop communication that social media offers us?
What do you think?
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Tags: Cyberbullying, Phoebe Prince, social media
Comments (2)
March 31st, 2010 at 2:14 pm Posted by KenS
When it comes to public insults and harassment there is supposed to be no freedom of speech. Unfortunately, right now, Cyberbullying is a big loophole; it needs to be classified as slander and libel. The problem is that the Internet is a safe haven for bullies because of the anonymity. There is not a more cowardly way to bully someone then from behind a curtain. But parents are the key. Parents need to get involved in helping solve the cyberbullying problem. If parents cared enough about their child being the bully or passing along the material as much as they care when their child is a victim, it would be a huge step forward. But then, of course, how do you know if your child is involved in cyberbullying? You need to monitor their Internet activity. Monitoring software like our PC Pandora records everything that happens on the PC. If your child is a victim, you will know; if they are a bully, you will know. Whatever the case may be with your child (victim or bully), you need to intervene and teach them how to be a Responsible CyberCitizen. Check us out at http://www.pcpandora.com to see how you can be a part of the solution instead of a passive part of the problem.
April 3rd, 2010 at 3:30 pm Posted by Marian Casey
Ruth,
Thank you for writing this important article. Although, there have been some articles on the dark side of social networking, the consequences of cyberbullying has not been given enough attention.
My daughter was a victim of cyberbullying in 7th grade and as a result was affected both emotionally and physically (daily stomach aches,anxiety). When I brought this to the attention of the school (private elementary school), they told me it was not their responsibility since the cyberbullying took place off of school grounds. Of course, this was not accurate since the students doing the cyberbullying told each other to not speak to my daughter at school; thereby moving the cyberbullying to school grounds.
I encouraged the administration to take responsibility for these incidents and encouraged them to host an informational night on Cyberbullying for parents and middle school students (although it’s also occurring in earlier grades now). I found a great speaker who happened to be a therapist for students addicted to the internet as well as predators that stalked these children.. She laid it all out for parents including other stories about children who had committed suicide as a result of cyberbullying.
The parents were shocked to learn that their children were so active on the internet (most of the girls were 12 but had myspace pages) and the possible issues that could occur including cyberbullying. Many parents said they trusted their children and did not feel it necessary to monitor their children’s internet use.
This is naive and irresponsible behavior on the part of the parents. I installed monitoring software on our home computer and frequently checked on my teens texting and facebook posts. Although they balked at this infringement on their privacy, I informed them they must learn to use the internet in a responsible way that would not harm others. Isn’t this what we do for other social situations they are involved in?
I feel this is the responsibility of all parents and that the parents of these teens who participated in the cyberbullying should also be held criminally responsible (those under 18) for the tragic death of Phoebe. Parents are now held liable in many areas for serving liquor to minors – why not here.
My heart aches for the mother and family of Phoebe. I encourage educators, communities and parents to teach their children about these dangers and prevent future deaths of our children.
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