Cyberbullying is the harmful application of technology by students wishing to extend the reach and impact of their bullying behavior during and beyond school hours. It is the use of information and communication technologies such as e-mail, cell phone and pager text messages, instant messaging, defamatory personal Web sites, defamatory online personal polling Web sites, and digital photography, to support repeated acts by an individual or group, that are intended to embarrass, humiliate or intimidate their victim.
“Cyberbullying is different from face-to-face bullying because the bully is removed from the immediate and tangible feedback of the victim. They don't "see" the harm they have caused or the consequences of their actions, which minimizes any feelings of remorse or empathy. This creates a situation where kids do and say things on the Internet that they would be much less likely to do in person.”
– The MindOH! Foundation
The following are the hard lessons we learned from our son's use of his computer. We feel his computer presented a very unhealthy outlet for his hurt feelings that ended up exacerbating his depression that led to his suicide. We hope this information helps you become more aware of the potential problems and encourages a broader discussion with your child about cyberbullying and the use of the family computer in your home.
There is one message we hope gets through on this page ... everything you type into a screen gets recorded electronically. You are leaving cyber foot prints all over the place when you get on-line. You may be able to fully erase everything on your computer along with history logs, IMs, Text Messages, etc. … but once you send something to someone else, you can never be absolutely sure it will never be read by some unintended audience at some point in time. If you have something highly personal and confidential to discuss with someone, pick up the phone or meet with them in person.
