High Tech Bullying

As long as there have been children, there has been bullying. Children are told to either ignore it or confront it, which usually means either more teasing or a bloody nose. It's a part of growing up, a rite of passage and while it's definitely not right, it happens in every school playground, on every school bus and even on the walk home.

Now, however, technology is taking an unwitting hand in helping to promote bullying. As it things weren't bad enough, now there are computers and cell phones to help spread the hurt. It's so easy, too. Just a few clicks of the mouse or a few manipulations with a photo retouching program and a bully can exceed his or her wildest expectations.

There are also the many different sites that offer a community where kids can gather in cyber space and chat, or spread vicious rumors. Photos can be posted for all the world to see, secrets can be told and hateful messages posted. Worst of all, this can be done anonymously, which gives the poster a sense of freedom. If nobody knows who you are, you're free to be mean, nasty and threatening. Personal information can be given out, such as phone numbers, addresses and names. It used to be someone would scrawl the old 'for a good time call' on the bathroom wall, but not anymore. Technology has given a modern twist to this age-old favorite.

Cyber bulletin boards and chat rooms are rife with gossip and are capable of ruining a reputation faster than ever. The intention, of course, for the chat rooms and community spaces was not for this kind of behavior, and there are generally rules against such thing, but bullies are bullies and they will always try to build up their own low self-esteem by destroying that of others. Now, however, it's just easier.

Then there are cell phones. It seems like every child who can walk and talk have their own cell phone these days. Most parents decide to give their child a cell phone for safety reasons. One can't be too careful in this age of pedophiles and date rape, but, give a child a cell phone and you'll have them chatting and texting every spare minute. It's equally easy for a bully to send a text message about someone else or even threaten someone via messaging. There doesn't seem to be an easy solution to the problem of bullying. In fact, little has changed about the bully. All that's changed is that the bully has moved into the 21st century. Perhaps with education and self-esteem building exercises, bullies may one day become a thing of the past, but it doesn't seem likely that'll it happen any time soon.