Cyber Bullying: The Web as a Weapon
Cyber bullying is 
something we’ve all been a victim of. TechnoBuffalo user Logan Cooke takes a closer look at the unfortunate evolution of school yard abuse.
“There is a lot of exciting things going on in the tech world lately and today I will not address any of it. Its time I step back from product reviews yet again to discuss something that for a long time has been a subject that has disturbed me. As the web becomes more and more an integral part of everyones life, the downsides become more and more apparent. This is especially true for children and teens. I have talked before about the subject of young peoples computer use, but today I want to address a specific issue; Cyber Bullying.
It is likely that almost everyone reading this has been bullied at one time. Whether it was name calling or pushing, it has been a part of school for as long as anyone can remember. It used to be that after a scuffle in the schoolyard, you went home to a safe haven where you could work out your issues with family. Those days seem to be over. Social Networking via the internet has allowed the bullying to happen when someone comes home to a computer to check there email or IM there friends. There seems to be a closing gap between school life and home life that is causing more and more bullying to escalate. Also, the web offers bullies of all shapes and sizes the ultimate defense; Anonymity. You can now terrorize a classmate without as much as telling them your name. All these things combined with the traditional bullying has created a molotov cocktail of social bullying.
All of this became apparent to me a few years ago when someone named John Halligan came to my high school to tell the school about his son’s story. Without giving to many details, his son at the age of 13 committed suicide because the torment of school came home to his computer. It was a story that had most of the school in tears. What made the story hit home the most was the fact that John and his family resided in Essex, VT (Very close to my home) at the time. I encourage you to read more about the Halligan’s story at http://www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org
I bring this up to all of you for one simple reason; prevention. There is something that can be done to prevent Cyber Bullying from escalating with your children, yourself or your friends. The first thing is; Don’t Bully! The next thing if for all your parents out there. You have to monitor what your children are doing. Believe it or not not every student needs a laptop or computer in there room. Put the computer in a public place in the house. This will allow you to better monitor your child’s actions. John Halligan said it best when he said “The biggest mistake I made was buying him [his son] that computer”. The next prevention step for parents is limit computer use as much as possible.
That is all the advice I can give. I am not a parent, but I am someone that has witnessed Cyber Bullying first hand and know how bad it can escalate if not stopped. Don’t let yourself, your child or your friend fall victim to the new weapon known as the world wide web.”
