Worcester, Mass., High School Investigates Facebook Cyberbullying Page

Administrators at Worcester North High School in Massachusetts are now investigating claims that students had set up a Facebook page to cyberbully other students.

According to the mayor of Worcester and the school committee chair, the Facebook page mainly targeted one female student, but a few others as well. The Facebook page had spread cruel and inappropriate rumors.

The fact that this cyberbullying page has affected more than one student has caused the school committee the police to investigate. According to school committee chair Jeff Mulqueen (via WHDH-TV), "It has stirred up some animosity, some hostile feelings among students and I think based on that we can say that it probably wasn't one student that was targeted and we need to look a little deeper into that,"

Administrators were not able to see the actual Facebook page. Facebook had taken it down, making it very difficult to identify the students who were responsible.

We hear so many complaints about Facebook's lack of concern for users' privacy. We hear about people losing their jobs or getting in trouble at work because of leaked photos or status updates. Yet this is one time where it might actually be helpful for Facebook to reveal who has been administering this account.

On some level, it's tempting to blame social networking sites like Facebook for the growing number of students who have had to deal with cyberbullying. According to Connie White, director of technology and media at Lakeview Academy in Gainesville (via Gainesville Times), "Cyberbullying has become a bigger issue because we have more children online for much longer periods of time."

And the Cyberbullying Research Center found that 20 percent of students had experienced cyberbullying in their lifetime.

Yet while tools like Facebook, cell phones, IMing, and text messaging do make it easier for students to bully others 24/7, I would not blame Facebook for the advent of cyberbullying. Students have been able to torture each other en masse with or without social networking. I don't recall Regina George or any of the "Mean Girls" ever using their computers to bully other students.

When I was in high school, a few students anonymously published a detailed list directly attacking numerous members of the student body, spreading vitriolic rumors, outing their embarrassing escapades, and spewing below-the-belt insults. This list had circulated through the entire school.

The scandal led to a community-wide investigation, and the consequences were severe for the students who had written this list. One of the perpetrators had been a popular honor student, and getting caught had also ruined his plans to apply for Ivy League schools.

To this day I always wondered why someone who had so much going for him would jeopardize his future and his dreams just to hurt so many people. "Glee's" Will Schuester was right when he observed that the two things that messed you up in life most were your parents and high school.

Hopefully parents and schools will be able to kill two birds with one stone by encouraging kids to treat each other with respect, and to remind them that bullying (on or off the computer) is unacceptable.

Sources:

Facebook page allegedly made to bully students, WHDH-TV

Cyberbullying follows kids home, creating 24/7 problem, Gainesville Times