Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Who is responsible for Cyberbulling?

For as long as there have been kids going to school together, bullying has existed. I remember watching Little House on the Prairie when I was a kid and thinking how mean Nellie was to everyone. I didn't know the term for what she was doing back then, but looking back on it as an adult, it was clear that she was a bully. My Mom always told me to never be like her, that I didn't have to like everyone but I did have to be kind to them. I think more kids need to hear that message. In today's world, when even 5 and 6 year olds are getting smart phones, it is entirely to easy to hurt others without ever seeing the effects of those words on that person. Children's brains are not mature, they are impulsive and reckless, they don't always make good choices because they are still growing and maturing. That is normal! But we give those same children access to incredible power when we allow them to have access to constant communication with others. I had to ask my parent's permission to use the phone when I was growing up. Now kids can reach out to others without anyone's consent and they do-without oversight. So who is responsible for Cyberbullying? I think it is unreasonable to ask schools to monitor what kids are doing away from school. Most schools are underfunded, are short-staffed, and have teachers that have to buy their own classroom supplies because there is not budget for those things. Yet some are asking schools to do even more with their limited resources.  Children are a parent's responsibility. Why are parents allowing their children to send messages, watch videos, and who knows what else without paying attention to what they are doing. My guess is because those same parents are too involved on their own phones to even notice what their kids are doing. Somewhere along the way, all of this great technology has taken the place of quality family time and until parent's are once again involved in their children's lives, we will continue to have more and more bullying and more devastating consequences because of it.