In a troubling twist on cyberbullying, an online “smut list” labeling about 100 high school girls from wealthy towns in New York and Connecticut as promiscuous is now under police investigation. According to news reports, the “Westchester SMUT List” was circulated via text messages to students in least seven school districts and was then posted as a Facebook group. Within a day, the list, which ranked girls as young as 14 according to their supposed sexual activities, using their full names, drew more than 7,000 fans on Facebook.
Angela Viccaro, of Westchester County, New York, told reporters that her 15-year-old daughter, Jen, was one of the viral victims. “How could someone do that?” says the outraged mom. “I don’t want my daughter’s life ruined over someone’s opinion.”
Bullying Stories: A Mom's Perspective
Cyberbullying—kids tormenting, threatening, harassing or humiliating each other using the Internet, cell phones and other electronics—is a growing threat. 42 percent of American kids have been bullied online, according to i-SAFE Foundation, an Internet safety group. About 14 percent of youths have been targeted within the previous two months, a National Institutes of Health study reported. Victims of cyberbullying have higher rates of depression than do victims of face-to-face bullying, the study found. That’s because online harassment can be inflicted anonymously, 24 hours a day, making kids feel isolated and powerless to do anything about the attack. Targets of cyberbullying are nearly twice as likely to attempt suicide than are kids who have not been subjected to electronic aggression, a Cyberbullying Research Center study reports.
Online aggression can take many forms. Weapons include social networks like Facebook, instant messaging, webcams, cellphones, and for younger kids, virtual worlds like Club Penguin, Webkinz and Stardolls. Attacks range from bombarding the victim’s cellphone with text messages to stealing passwords (to hijack a child’s social media accounts for malicious purposes), posing as the victim in hate group chat rooms, building websites with content designed to humiliate the victim, and emailing viruses or porn.
The On and Offline Battle Against Cyberbullying
Lies, rumors, and embarrassing photos can spread like wildfire on the Internet, reaching a vast audience within hours. About 60 percent of victims don’t tell their parents or another adult, research shows. The warning signs include long hours online, secrecy about Internet activities, lowered self-esteem, trouble sleeping, stomachaches and headaches, loss of interest in socializing with other kids, unexplained crying, and moodiness.
What’s the best way to protect kids from cyberbullying? The National Crime Prevention Council advises keeping children’s computers in a busy area of your home, knowing your kids’ screen names and passwords, checking their instant messenger buddy list—asking who each person is and how your child knows him—and discussing cyberbullying. Tell kids that you won’t take away their computer privileges if they are victimized since this concern is why many kids clam up about cyberbullying.
Confront the Face of Cyberbullying
Several initiatives have been launched to protect children. On March 10, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Bullying Prevention, which focused on both in-person and online bullying. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sponsors a website for children being bullied (defining the problem for them in simple terms: “when kids hurt or scare other kids on purpose”), and the International Bullying Prevention Association distributes information on how individuals can help stop bullying.
Legislation called the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act has been introduced in Congress, to require colleges to create policies banning cyberbullying or harassment based on race, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion or sexual orientation. The bill is named after the 18-year-old Rutgers University freshman who leapt to his death from the George Washington Bridge after his roommate secretly filmed him during a sexual encounter and live-streamed it online.
Earlier this month, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued new recommendations for parents: "Talking to Kids and Teens about Social Media and Sexting." With more than half of teens logging on to their favorite social media site two or more times a day (and 22 percent doing so 10 or more times daily), parents need to educate themselves about technologies their kids use—particularly social media—and set age-appropriate limits. The more time kids spend on online, the greater their risk for cyberbullying and sexting, warns the AAP, which offers more resources for parents on its SafetyNet website.
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