@Dominica said:
Actually, I completely disagree with that theory @dashrender . Bullying is worse, because children can't get away from it. Cyber-bullying makes it so that bullies are able to publicly attack a kid on facebook pages, via school email and message boards, etc. Instead of it being a "well, school sucks, but at least I don't have to deal with bullies at home", there is no escape.
Really? Cyber-bullying? That's the largest crock of [sh] I've ever heard.
One of the first things kids should have learned on the internet is to NEVER USE YOUR REAL NAME. I take it to a pretty high extreme, Facebook being the only place where I use my real name because I converse with real people in real life. My name as far as anyone on the internet is concerned is PSX_Defector, a long standing name of close to 20 years. I've used it in forums, emails, various chat medium, etc. etc. I never use my internet name in real life, save for the place that shall not be mentioned's convention, but that's because no one there knows me by my real name. I'm careful on revealing where I live, where I work, even my mannerisms. The internet is the internet and real life is real life and never the twain shall meet.
Kids get cyber-bullied because they don't know the technology. They hang out their [moderated] to allow people to find them, friend everyone and anyone on Facebook, never knowing that there is that little button called "Ignore" that easily gets rid of it. Kids are just not that sophisticated to know how to smurf it, nor do they know how to formulate a convincing alter ego. People may say stuff about you behind your back in some way, but that's no different than in any other situation. And if it's a real problem, libel is still a tort in this country. If some mean girls write you are a slut who [moderated] every boy in school and a service won't take it down, any law talking guy worth his salt would be able to screw them over six ways from Sunday.
You don't go screaming at the top of your lungs in real life all the minute details of your day, you shouldn't be doing it on the internet.