Comment on “Teen Suicide puts Spotlight on High-tech Bullying”

Bullying is a kind of behaviour characterised by intentionality and hurtfulness. Bullying can include a very wide range of behaviours, some direct as in physical hitting, some verbal as in name-calling and ridicule; some indirect as in deliberate and unfair exclusion and rumour spreading; some mild, some severe. People who are bullied are not just hurt physically, but also psychologically.


Although there is no consistent evidence that bullying overall is increasing, one area of growing concern among children is high-tech bullying, especially among older students. High-tech bullying is the use of technology such as electronic mails, blogs and messages to bully one. Although some say that bullying did them good as they face challenge and became tougher for the experience, others feel bothered and angry about it.


The stress from being bullied can create problems for children at school. Students may be fearful of attending school, riding the bus, using the bathroom or being alone in the hallway. This fear and anxiety makes it difficult for the child to focus and engage in the classroom, making learning much more difficult. Bullying can cause children to experience fear, depression, loneliness, anxiety, low self-esteem, physical illness, and in some cases, even suicidal thoughts.


The problem of cyber-bullying is compounded by the very nature of its existence in the electronic world, where words can have a shelf life of months, years, and even decades.
The tradition of home as a refuge from bullies on the school playground is over. The Internet is a new playground, and there are no off hours.
-Adrianna Sgarlata, Director, Bully Police Virginia – Miss Virginia 2006-


One example of a tragedy is Eric Mohat, 17, who was harassed so mercilessly in high school that when one bully said publicly in class, "Why don't you go home and shoot yourself, no one will miss you," he did. His parents have filed a lawsuit in federal court, saying that their son endured name-calling, teasing, constant pushing and shoving and hitting in front of school officials who should have protected him. Eric was a quiet but likable boy, who was involved in theater and music. He was called "gay," "fag," "queer" and "homo" and often in front of his teachers. Most of the harassment took place in math class and the teacher -- an athletic coach -- was accused of failing to protect the boy.


Although no parent can ‘bully-proof’ a child, the risk of being bullied can be reduced by parents who are responsive to a child’s needs, employ an authoritative style of parenting and help their child to develop into a friendly and cooperative individual. If bullying occurs, it is best to be tackled by parents and teachers working together. It's important for parents to keep the lines of communication open and express their concern, support, and love to their child.


A fight with a friend might not seem like a big deal to parents in the larger scheme of things, but for a teen it can feel immense and consuming. It's important that parents do not minimize what their child is going through, as this can increase his or her sense of hopelessness. Therefore, parents should be aware of their child’s school life so that they can prevent any tragedy from happening.


Commented By: Kwek Wan Ling
Admin Number: 103503L


Credits to:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide.html
http://www.kenrigby.net/
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7228335