“I think that we forget that it’s so easy to put a message out there, and I think often we don’t think through the potential repercussions,” said English teacher Katy Moore.
For years children, teenagers, and even adults have been bullied. Whether it was on the playground, in the hallways, or in the workplace, bullying is hard to deal with. With Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking’s sites, comments can be posted for the world to see. Harrassing phone calls and text messages allowing bullies to easily target their prey.
Cyberbullying, according to Wikipedia, is the “use of the Internet and related technologies to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner.”
According to A National Anti-Bullying and Cyberbullying Program For Kids and Teens, when it comes to cyberbullying, 47 percent of older youth (18-24) are cyberbullied. Being insulted over and over online for everyone to see can really take a toll on how one views himself.
The bully might not know that the person he/she is “joking around” with might be having a bad day and already thinking less about himself/herself when being teased.
“I was embarrassed because it was not true,” said sophomore Reagan Wraye. “But I can see how those words could hurt some people.”
An example of this would be twitter account, @The_Funny_Truth. Wraye was targeted in a tweet and instantly everyone in her class was talking about it. Wraye said that it was “pretty cowardly to say things like that rather than to your face.”
Even though Wraye was a target by @The_Funny_Truth, that same day “HBHS Compliment” twitter account sent her a compliment that kept her spirits high.
Wraye had some helpful advice for others that were being put down by cyberbullies.
“I would comfort them and know there’s a better side of them. You just have to uplift them,” she said.
Another example of cyberbullying could be the twitter account @prestonsthoughts.
While senior Preston Pianalto found some of the things funny, when they began to bring out his personal relationships, “it was a little too personal and I just wasn’t okay with it,” said Pianalto.
Eventually rumor of a lawsuit spread and the twitter account, which had over 300 followers in a week, was shut down by its creators.
The school has a strict policy, according to assistant principal Aaron Harris, and the policy can be found on the school website.
“The penalties for violation of the policy can include warning and notifying parents as a minimum and then expulsion from school as a maximum,” according to the policy.
Additionally, according to the Arkansas State Police, cyberbullying is now considered a misdemeanor in Arkansas.
“It’s like nails in a fence post. You can pull out those nails, but there will always be holes in there,” said Mr. Harris.