Journal #5

"How to Fight the New Bullies" by Rosalind Wiseman

I read this article in yesterday's Parade magazine. It details the dangers of cyberbullying, which is basically social bullying that uses the internet and cell phones. You could say it's an old-fashioned "slam book" gone 21st century.

Is this type of behavior inevitable with all the technology kids have access to today? I think the anonymity of the web makes it easier for kids to violate boundaries they wouldn't otherwise. That's why values education, at home and at school, is so important. Parents especially need to teach their children empathy. Empathy is not a one-time lesson, it takes place in many conversations and in critical viewing of the media with your child. If children are just allowed to watch the really anti-social things on television (especially much of the MTV programming) they will develop a world view that says it's okay, and in fact normal, to treat other people meanly and without empathy or sympathy.

Is there anything we can do to stop cyberbullying? Just like we'll never stop all physical bullying, we'll never completely eliminate it. We can, however, decrease the incidence of cyberbullying. Monitoring our childrens' use of technology and listening to a child who says they have been bullied are starts. Accountability is a huge weapon. If a school, or parent, finds out a child has bullied another child the situation should be investigated and handled properly. For both parents and schools that means having to do the unpopular thing and teach a child that their behavior has consequences.

As with much of the brave, new world of technology we are often behind our kids in figuring out all the ways, both positive and negative, this technology can be used.