A New Generation of Bullying

Bullying has never been in short supply. Transcending both spatial and temporal boundaries, it is one of those aspects of human social behavior that has been around as long as there have been humans to perpetuate it. As human interaction has evolved, so has bullying.
So, then, it is hardly surprising that the latest revolution in human communication has, in turn, brought about the latest revolution in bullying. I speak, of course, of the Internet, that great and terrible artifice that has irrevocably changed our society- and, more specifically, its usage in what has come to be known as cyber bullying.
Cyber bullying has much more potential for harm than standard bullying for a number of reasons. As it is usually conducted via textual media, it is much easier for the bully to distance themselves from the victims, and this subsequent loss of empathy leads to a corresponding rise in cruelty. Social media profiles offer access to both a victim and their personal information that greatly exceeds that available through traditional bullying. The upshot of this is that bullies can cut deeper and are willing to do so.
Furthermore, even ignoring the bully, the traditionally advocated approach, is difficult, due to the social nature of the net. A victim can block the bully from their Facebook page, but they can’t stop the bully from using their own to spread rumors or otherwise attack the victim. Through the Internet, the bully is free to agitate against them on a much larger scale than previously possible, again following the trend of amplification found in cyberbullying.
Fortunately, however, this potential can be dampened. In order to do so effectively, we can implement a number of measures. The first of these is a program educating the youth on internet safety, advising them to consider carefully what they post on the web- personal information cannot be used against a victim if they have not posted any. Even if it is later retracted, any copies or backups made of it will remain. Such a campaign will have the additional side benefit of preparing the child for a world where privacy is increasingly scarce, and schools and workplaces check social media profiles with increasing frequency.

Secondly, we can attempt to alert parents or guardians to the potential dangers of cyber bullying and to monitor their child, to ensure they are not involved in either side of a cyber bullying interaction. While the school, as a government institution, is limited in its ability to regulate student behavior beyond obvious threats or disruptions of the educational process, parents have much wider ranging authority, and thus have greater ability to deal with cyber bullying. We must, however, be sure to keep parents at a good balance of behavior- they should be trusted confidants and guardians, and not overbearing.
Thirdly, we can educate teachers on how to recognize the signs of cyber bullying, and what they can do to deal with the problem without overstepping their bounds, while building teacher-parent relationships so that they are able to bring the parents (and their aforementioned greater authority over the victim) in as needed.
Together, these three programs will, hopefully, go at least a little way towards battling cyber bullying.