• VERY! Although bullying and teasing has been going on forever, cyperbullying developed into a public forum with the use of smartphone cameras and social media.
• Very! Even if there was only one case of it that resulted in a suicide, it would still be a VERY serious issue. Bullying has always been a bad business, but now with the internet, it becomes viral. In the least serious case, bullying can ruin self-esteem, which can result in life-long problems. There is no excuse for it.
• Very serious. Adults who do not take these kind of actions seriously are deluding themselves – especially if their own children tell them about it and they ignore them or give some pat advice. This is not old fashioned school yard bullying – it is sneaky, pervasive, damaging on many levels and the very nature of teenagers makes it difficult to believe that some of the most popular, and/or well-liked teens sometimes are the most prolific instigators of this type of bullying. It is a scary, virtual world that teens can navigate with ease, and terrorize through many online venues. Adults need to inform themselves and be aware of behaviors that change in both the bully and the bullied in order to help prevent or stop this damaging and dangerous activity.
• Very.
• Very. I believe it is teasing gone mad and although kids need to learn how to deal with “teasing” cyber bullying is way out of control.
• Very serious and far too easy pull off, sadly.
• Very. Young teens are at a vulnerable, sensitive, emotional age. Matters that seem trivial to more mature adults are a major trauma for adolescents. Just like physical and verbal abuse, cyber bullying is a catastrophe for the targets of this cruel practice. It causes severe embarrassment, fear and shame. For some, it results in suicide. Such a sad recourse for innocent young people who might have had successful lives in their future and may have forgotten about those who caused them such pain as children. Parents beware.
• When people end up committing suicide, I think it’s a very serious problem. I hope that the attention to the phenomenon will help parents, friends, classmates, and school staff know how to recognize the symptoms and, inturn, help the victims and perpetrators take care of the situation in a healthy way.
• Schools should develop no-tolerance policies and outline specific behaviors that could result in expulsion. Without those guidelines what’s happening with students will continue to spiral out of control. Parents need to be keenly aware of what their children are experiencing online and talk openly with their children about pitfalls and respectful behavior.
• Very. It is clearly not harmless when we have students committing suicide over these situations. The leadership in our schools need to step up and take action by educating our students and teachers on the significant, life-altering consequences of this behavior.
