CYBERBULLYING

I just read an article about a teen girl in Maryland who posted on an internet sight that she was going to commit suicide if the school did not address the cyberbullying issue. She described how a "popular guy" has been terrorizing her and others on facebook and twitter. Some of his copied posts were listed in which he was clearly verbally abusive and devaluing of the young girl. From what I understood, teens had made the school aware of the problem but nothing had changed. The girl stated she believed she would have to kill herself in order to get the school's attention. I think this girl's response to the bullying clearly helps us understand how powerless she felt about the situation. The internet has a lot of power especially over teenagers. Facebook provides a very public stage often for "1000" friends or more to see how y ou are treated. How can we help teens understand the ramifications of cyberbullying? Let your teen know that this is wrong and if they know of someone who is behaving like a cyberbully or someone who is the victim of a bully, they each need help. You might discuss with your teen how one goes about getting help from their school. And you can help your teen learn to deflect bullying behavior in the hopes that he will never feel like he has to commit suicide to deal with a bully. Dr. Debra