Bullying affects everyone in some way, but cyberbullies think using a computer hides who they are. This was the message from RCMP Cst. Jaime Parsons to the Grade 7s at Raft River Elementary School recently. Cyberbullies post harmful messages about people on emails, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube or other on-line sites.
There are four groups of people involved in bullying: the bullies, their victims, those who know and do something, and those who know about it but do nothing. As he put it, “If you aren’t part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem.”
Parsons asked some hard questions during his presentation. Have you bullied or been bullied? Are you aware of bullying incidents? When did it become acceptable and why is it acceptable?
The honesty of the answers put forth from the students was surprising. About a third of the 40 students present had been involved in some way.
Clearwater RCMP receives about five calls per week related to cyberbullying; almost all of them are from kids aged 10 to 18.
In the past, police needed people who witnessed cyberbullies actually type and send those messages, but the rules are changing.
Anything put on the internet, as with texts on cell phones, is public and permanent - the 2 Ps. People with the right skills and computer tools can find those items. The police use computer experts to link the messages with specific computers and on-line accounts.
Police have the power to seize a computer and have the messages assessed. A variety of criminal charges are possible starting with criminal harassment. A 16-year-old Lower Mainland youth was recently charged with distribution of child pornography for posting inappropriate pictures.
The take home message: just because bullying occurs on line, it is no less of a threat than face to face. You can’t hide behind the computer. Many incidents are never reported because the victims believe there is no help.
If you feel you are being bullied, either on-line or personally - tell your parents, a teacher, a trusted friend, school principal or police. There is help available.