Cyber Bullying: The Evolution of Bullying

Passing notes under desks during class and calling one another names during recess have been the traditional ways of bullying for the past few decades. Cyber bullying has proven itself to be the modern means of harassment for many young people.

With access to various type of networking communities like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, some young people are easily becoming victims of malicious behavior from their peers through the internet.

“Certainly in this generation, children are very busy online, or with their cell phones. A lot of times, the kids are staying up late, engaged in communication with friends or other people, so you want to have an eye on what’s going on. That’s part of the parent’s responsibility,” says Child Psychiatrist, Dr. Cornelia Gallo of Westport, Conn.

Text messages, photo comments, and wall posts are all ways in which numerous young people are communicating with one another.  All it takes is a few taps of the keys on the keyboard, or a couple clicks on a cell phone, and a mean message can be transmitted to its receiver.  Bullying no longer has to be done face-to-face.

Julia Romaniello, a student at Dolan Middle School in Stamford, Conn. says she’s heard of fellow classmates being victims of bullying.

“I don’t know their names, but I know they’ve been talked about and made fun of,” Romaniello said. “It must make them feel bad and emotional.”

Romaniello has not been a victim of cyber bullying, but she is aware that it happens and that it doesn’t help the young person’s state of mind.

According to Romaniello’s mother, Linda Romaniello, the middle school staff frequently reminds students that if they need to talk to someone, their school psychiatrist is on the premises during school hours.

“When you’re upset, you can go during class or anytime you want to talk to her,” said Romaniello.

With the recent attention that cyber bullying has received, schools have jumped on the band wagon in hopes to prevent bullying of any sort in their schools. Linda Romaniello says that Dolan Middle School was planning on implementing a parent information night.

“It was postponed due to inclement weather, but I believe they’ll have it again. It was all about bullying and cyber bullying.  With what you hear about teen suicide, I think we can never do enough,” Linda Romaniello said.

Bullying has been related to several teen suicide cases. On April 21, 2011, MSNBC reported a double teen suicide in rural Minnesota, where two eighth-graders, Haylee Fentress and Paige Moravetz, allegedly felt isolated and estranged from their classmates.

After a sleepover at one of the victim’s houses, the two girls hanged themselves in what family members and authorities believe was a suicide pact.

According to MSNBC, officials at the school where the two girls attended (Marshall Middle School) declined to comment on any bullying allegations. MSNBC reported that evidence proves there was friction between the girls and their classmates. Just weeks before their deaths, family members say, one of the girl’s was expelled from school after getting into a fight to defend her friend when other students allegedly harassed her.

“Maybe we should have paid closer attention,” Haylee’s cousin, Hillary Settle, told Today’s, Meredith Vieira. “Maybe everyone should have paid closer attention.”

Suicide is the third leading cause of death between the ages of ten and 24, according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness. Cyber bullying can be harmful and in some cases deadly. Dr. Cornelia Gallo suggests for parents to monitor changes in their children’s behavior.

“Observe your child’s behavior, whether they are avoiding certain activities or situations, or if there are any changes in their sleep patterns and socialization. If their having issues with their school work, or their peers, these are all a warning signs,” said Dr. Gallo.

Dr. Gallo stated that studies are showing up to 50% of children are being bullied and that it can be as benign as one child making rude or offensive comments, to where children are actually being stalked and are worried about their physical safety.

“I have had many patients who described different levels of bullying and I think it really depends on the child and how resilient they are to that type of behavior. Some are able to brush it off, some advocate for themselves or go to their parents and others suffer in silence,” said Dr. Gallo.

The combination of parent involvement and school prevention techniques are essential in lowering the threat of bullying and cyber bullying.

“It’s about self esteem and instilling the right values in them so that they know not to accept it and not to do it to others,” said Linda Romaniella. “I think the message should be it’s okay to tell somebody if you’re being bullied or see it. You have to get involved.”