Expert: Bullying Law
Falls Short
Bullying has garnered plenty of attention across the U.S. during the past few years, enough to prompt a Wisconsin law requiring all school districts to adopt a bullying policy intended to curb the practice.But the law doesn't go far enough to ensure student safety, especially when it comes to bullying others via computer or cell phone, otherwise known as cyberbullying, said Justin Patchin, the co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, a website dedicated to providing up-to-date information about cyberbullying among adolescents.
Patchin, a UW-Eau Claire associate professor of criminal justice who has become a national expert on bullying, spoke at a Dunn County Partnership for Youth program Wednesday in Menomonie that focused on cyberbullying. He said the law does not include cyberbullying, providing bullies with a loophole.
The law also does not clarify responsibility in dealing with off-school-campus behaviors, said Patchin, who has studied cyberbullying for seven years. During that time, of the thousands of youth surveyed, between 10 and 40 percent report being victims of some type of cyberbullying. More girls than boys report having been victims of this type of bullying, which tends to increase when students are in middle school.
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"We are seeing kids 10 and younger with social networking sites," she said. "Kids are putting up things they are not aware will be up there the rest of their lives, whether it be pictures or comments they made to friends."
Dunn County Sheriff Dennis Smith said both cyberbullying and sexting, sending inappropriate photos via computer or cell phone, is occurring in Dunn County. So far most instances have been minor in nature, he said, but that can change as technology becomes more prevalent.
"It could be a click away before we have a big case," he said at Wednesday's program. "We want to educate the public and parents."
Technology is important to teens, so turning off cell phones and computers won't solve cyberbullying, Patchin said.
"You can't take away the technology," he said. "We know teens would be at a social disadvantage if they are not online, but all schools now integrate technology into their curriculum and expect students to have access to technological resources."
Cell phones, with picture and video capabilities, can be especially dangerous cyberbullying tools, Patchin said. They allow students to take photographs of others and send them to others or post them on various websites. Because of that, bullying can occur nearly instantaneously and be seen by large numbers of people.
With the growing use of social media such as Facebook, teens don't realize how much personal information they are sharing or with whom, Patchin noted.
He encouraged parents to know what websites their children are visiting and to be aware of signs their kids have been bullied.
"It doesn't cost you anything to be on Facebook except your privacy," he said. "They want to sell your information."
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