Cyber Bullying News

The Internet, social media networking (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), instant messaging, texting, etc. allows for people to be connected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. However, this connection is also the source of the evil that is present online. Tech users, especially children and teenagers, do things online that they would never do in person. They have the mask of a computer screen and an identity in an account. With the development of personalities and the brain, children must see different facial … Continue reading →

A new Twitter account has been created in Mobile, Alabama for the sole purpose of posting “confessions” anonymously delivered to this account via a Google Docs page. This confession page was created in during this month, and already has had 1,445 followers. This account was created in response to a Facebook phenomenon that appeared not too long ago. Most of the 281 tweets from this account are laced with “inappropriate language” and are about “sexual habits of middle and high schoolers.” If there is any one victim who is being … Continue reading →

On May 2, 2013, Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland signed a bill prohibiting electronic harassment of a minor based on sex, race, or sexual orientation. Violators of this newly enacted law would be fined $500, or would face a year in jail. This new law, Grace’s Law, was named after Grace McComas, of Howard County who killed herself on Easter of 2012. Her death was the result of vicious cyberbullying, which the state legislature feels could be further avoided by the new law passed. Check out the article: http://www.nbcwashington.com/blogs/first-read-dmv/Cyber-Bullying-Becomes-Illegal-in-Maryland-205861191.html

On any social networking site, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or another, cyberbullying can brew up easily and quickly. Howard County, MD, is going to launch a mobile app so that students can report instances of cyberbullying as quickly as they appear. In the past, reports of bullying usually resulted in “witch hunt” for the “snitch.” Students would be harassed, teased, and sometimes even hurt. Many believe that this new app, that allows for real-time reporting of bullying, could save lives. One 15-year-old, who committed suicide as a result … Continue reading →

This year’s Student Advisory Board meeting was held at Montana Wild. Ironically, Montana Wild is where volunteers work to rehabilitate animals and SAB now work to maintain graduation rates. Montana School Superintendent Denise Juneau stated that 32 students, representing 28 schools, had similar stories about cyberbullying. It didn’t matter “whether they are from a small school, a large school, from eastern Montana, or western Montana, just being a young person in a public school, they have common experiences (with cyber-bullying).” One of the most prominent cyberbullying problems, Facebook confession pages, … Continue reading →

The new Floridian bill discussed on April 25th has just cleared the Florida Senate today and is heading to Governor Rick Scott. The bill was passed in a 37-0 vote and it was passed in the House earlier. The new bill gives schools the authority to discipline students who cyberbully others in school, at sites of school-sanctioned events, and on school buses. It also helps to define cyberbullying as “harassment through the use of computers, technology, or electronic communications.” Check out the article: http://www.pnj.com/viewart/20130429/NEWS02/130429006/Bill-aimed-cyberbullying-clears-Senate

On May 9th, 2013, there will be a free workshop at the University of Arkansas at Monticello to educate parents on the dangers of cyberbullying. This workshop will be presented by Bryan Fendley, the director of academic computing at UAM, who claims that most people are unaware of the dangers of cyberbullying. Fendley says that over half of all teens will either be victims or perpetrators of online bullying during their adolescent years. Since 85% of kids won’t tell anyone about cyberbullying, Fendley believes it is important for parents to … Continue reading →

It was only three weeks after a Nova Scotian girl committed suicide as a result of cyberbullying did legislators begin implementing cyberbullying legislation. The new Cyber-Safety Act includes a new and unique investigative unit solely for pursuing and penalizing cyberbullies. It also holds parents of cyberbullies responsible for the actions of their children. Furthermore, if the cyberbullying cannot be resolved, preventative actions will be taken, where tablets, computers, cellphones, etc. will be confiscated. Failure to comply will result in a fine up to $5,000.00 and up to six months of … Continue reading →

After being adopted into an American family, a boy originally from Ethiopia and currently in eighth grade, has faced bullying and cyberbullying since his arrival here a few years ago in Williamson, Tennessee. His foster family decided, after appealing many times to school administrators to take action, to sue the school district for $1.1 million. The cyberbullying the boy has received included racial slurs and even death threats. “They simply want the schools to take action here and to treat this as the serious matter that it is,” attorney Larry … Continue reading →

An unwavering legal question resulting from New Jersey’s two-year old anti-bullying law is how to address incidents of bullying that occur online and off school grounds. This was the main focus of a conference at Rutgers University yesterday, where different professionals discussed the jurisdiction of the government on cyberbullying that occurs online (as stated in the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights of 2011). “Where do you go from a speech issue to where you crossed the line?” state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said. “Where is the line to where government has … Continue reading →