Cyber-bullying is a problem that’s real, and for many, it’s a real problem
My dad always told me to be the bigger person. When an ex-best friends brother posted hateful things on his Instagram account about me, my dad told me not to give them a reaction because that’s what they want.
Before all of this happened, his sister edited all of the captions on the pictures of us to petty nonsense. Eventually this escalated, and I took it to the student resource officers of El Dorado High School. The student responsible was suspended for violating a rule in the handbook was suspended for violating a rule in the handbook that states, “
Many students think what I did was unnecessary but, if the situation was vice versa I know they’d go to a more extreme measure to get revenge. No, I wasn’t getting revenge, I was hoping this action would make this situation disappear. I choose to be the bigger person and not retaliate.
Cyberbullying is an issue due to the way people respond.
According to www.bullyingstatistics.org, over 25 percent of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly
through their cell phones or the Internet. Cyberbullying is happening all over the world right now. According to Student Resource Officer Latisha Ridgell bullying happens all the time, and cyber bullying is rampant. “It’s the easiest way for kids to do [bully]. Anybody can do it. You can hide who you really are to bully people on social media. It affects many people
and it’s easily accessed.”
Cyberbullying can be stopped if we all work together. Ridgell stated, “People need to be nicer. Once you stop bullying people you can encourage others to stop it. It might take awhile to get everyone to stop, but we have to spread the word.” Cyberbullying can be difficult to stop when we don't
have many rules against it.
“We don’t have a team or group of people together to stop it, but there are rules against it in the hand book. If we see that it’s something serious, we’ll address it,” said Ridgell. The handbook specifically states on page 31 under the
cell phone policies, “Students are not allowed to use the phone or communication device for any type of harassment, picking, joking or bullying at school. If a phone or communication device is used in this way a 9-day suspension will be assessed.”
It also states, “Creating, sending, sharing, viewing, receiving or possessing an indecent visual depiction of oneself or another person is not permitted and will be reported to authorities.”
One solution to this problem begins with parental advisory on their children’s social media accounts. Ridgell agrees.
“We don’t have enough parents monitoring their kids’ accounts. As parents, we have to be held accountable for them and responsible for their actions,” she said.
Parents should consider following their students on their accounts or even create it or monitor it. Parents should also keep an eye out for alternate or “secret” accounts that their children may have set up.
Cyber Bullying is rampant, but by taking these steps it might prevent students from bullying others or keep a student from being bullied themselves.
I wish someone would have monitored the accounts used in my case, so it would have never happened. Regardless, it did happen, and I took my dad’s advice. I was the bigger person.