Teens Attend Cyber-Bullying Summit
New Definitions Help Define Online Issues
POSTED: 12:09 pm EDT March 13,
2008
UPDATED: 12:28 pm EDT March 13,
2008
Email
Print
BOSTON -- The digital age has opened up a world of resources for adults and children alike, but with the good comes the bad -- such as cyber-bullying.NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that more than 1,000 students gathered in Boston Thursday morning for a youth summit to address the issue.
Video: Youth Summit Addresses Cyber-Bullying"Computers and the Internet, no doubt today, are used very, very frequently for hate -- hate on the Internet," said Jim Rudolph, of the Anti Defamation League.The Anti Defamation League said that four in 10 teenagers have been victims of cyber-bullying in the past year. Students from schools across New England were invited to the summit."'Oh, I heard you got this grade at school or that grade. Is it true that you are going out with so and so?' That really can lead to fights at school," student Hanna Switlekowski said."Very often people will send nasty messages to each other, including videos, as well as photographs," said Phil Fogelman, of the Anti Defamation League. "We've seen that at a number of schools in Massachusetts where students have been beaten up by their peers and videotaped."Officials said that it's become such a problem that there are new definitions to describe cyber-bullying.Flaming is an online fight, harassment is sending offensive messages, cyber-stalking is threatening, denigration means posting cruel gossip or rumors, impersonation is breaking into someone else's account and posing as that person, outing and trickery is sharing someone's embarrassing information and exclusion is keeping someone from an online group."Because of the anonymity of it all, kids will say something or do something in a cyber space that they would never do face to face," said Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone.Some officials said that the state needs updated laws because technology has changed the way people bully.
Video: Youth Summit Addresses Cyber-Bullying"Computers and the Internet, no doubt today, are used very, very frequently for hate -- hate on the Internet," said Jim Rudolph, of the Anti Defamation League.The Anti Defamation League said that four in 10 teenagers have been victims of cyber-bullying in the past year. Students from schools across New England were invited to the summit."'Oh, I heard you got this grade at school or that grade. Is it true that you are going out with so and so?' That really can lead to fights at school," student Hanna Switlekowski said."Very often people will send nasty messages to each other, including videos, as well as photographs," said Phil Fogelman, of the Anti Defamation League. "We've seen that at a number of schools in Massachusetts where students have been beaten up by their peers and videotaped."Officials said that it's become such a problem that there are new definitions to describe cyber-bullying.Flaming is an online fight, harassment is sending offensive messages, cyber-stalking is threatening, denigration means posting cruel gossip or rumors, impersonation is breaking into someone else's account and posing as that person, outing and trickery is sharing someone's embarrassing information and exclusion is keeping someone from an online group."Because of the anonymity of it all, kids will say something or do something in a cyber space that they would never do face to face," said Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone.Some officials said that the state needs updated laws because technology has changed the way people bully. Copyright 2008 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
