Principal: Cyberbullying is never the victim’s fault

Cyberbullying has become a growing issue in society today.

Half of teens will be cyberbullied at least once in their life. Ten to 20 percent of teens experience cyberbullying on a regular basis.

Cyberbullying is defined as “the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.”

But, the definition is broader than that.

Cyberbullying includes:

• Sending mean messages or threats to a person’s email account or cell phone.
• Spreading rumors online or through texts.
• Posting hurtful or threatening messages on social networking sites or web pages.
• Stealing a person’s account information to break into their account and send damaging messages.
• Pretending to be someone else online to hurt another person.
• Taking unflattering pictures of a person and spreading them through cell phones or the Internet.
• Circulating sexually suggestive pictures or messages about a person.

STEM Academy Principal Dr. Jeff Flanigan said many infractions are considered bullying.

“Anybody who attempts to hinder anyone else’s progress, self-esteem, ostracize them or set someone apart in a negative light will fall under bullying,” Flanigan said.

Flanigan also said “bullying, in any form, is illegal and therefore treated like a crime.”

Whether you know who is bullying you or not, the best solution is to report it the moment it happens by showing your parents or sending screenshots in an email to your school principal or counselor.

Once you tell a trusted adult, you are able to open up a dialogue about the situation and bring it to an end.

Lori Poston, director of children’s services at Mid South Health Systems said, “students who experience cyberbullying are more likely to abuse drugs and/or alcohol, skip school, have lower grades, have low self-esteem and even attempt suicide.”

Flanigan stressed that “bullying is never the victim’s fault, and there is never a good or justifiable reason to bully someone.”

Poston also said children and youth who bully need to be taught relationship skills, conflict resolution and effective ways to cope with their own emotions.

Poston also emphasized the importance of assisting the victim.

“Assistance for victims may range from seeing the school counselor to seeking mental health services, whatever is needed to help the victim recover from the impact of bullying,” Poston said.

Caitlin Akers, a junior at Jonesboro High School, shared her experience of being cyberbullied.

“I was bullied both online and in person my freshman year because I had stopped being friends with someone, dyed my hair blue at the time and wasn’t the body type that society says is acceptable,” Akers said. “The people then started posting things about me on Snapchat and other social media websites. I eventually ended up moving schools.”

When asked about how technology played into the situation, Akers said social media sites are “how I found out about it.”

“I believe that cyberbullying is a major problem. It is a public kind of bullying,” Akers said. “Anyone can jump into the bullying because everyone has access to it. Social media has become a really negative thing, which isn’t what it was meant for.”

Flanigan said cyberbullying and technology misuse issues aren’t just at Jonesboro High School.

“It’s what we are in society,” Flanigan said. “Any entity that uses technology and communication has issues that stem from that.”