Pandora’s Blog

Big news on the west coast this week, as legislators are close to passing a law that would see students suspended (at the very least) or expelled (at the very worst) if they are caught bullying through text messages or the Internet.

A lot of people agree that legislation like this is needed, but it’ll be hard to near impossible to control what kids do on their cell phones and on the internet.

Here’s my retort: That may be true, but I challenge any student to stand up during an assembly or go over the loudspeaker during morning announcements and say “Hey everyone, Kenny sucks d*cks and is a flaming a**hole,” and not get in trouble. If you can’t do it in person, why are kids allowed to do it through electronic means with no repercussions?

You may not be able to control what kids are going to do, but if someone is being bullied and is maliciously hurt, they should have the backing of the law and the school on their side to get the offender in trouble. As of now there is no legal means to do so and cases are handled ad-hoc by individual administrations.

The bottom line is that, yes, I am aware kids have always picked on each other since the dawn of time, and will continue to do so. Hell, even I was pushed around on the schoolyard. But the Internet has afforded kids the opportunity to make the offense 100x worse, reaching 100x as many people and doing so from the confines of their bedroom and in some cases with total anonymity. This isn’t your dad’s schoolyard fight. This situation is out of hand and needs to be delt with.

To those that say this is drastic and over zealous, to you I say: well, maybe you should have controlled your kids and told them how to behave in a society and respect one another. The kids have brought them upon themselves, and now, if we adults have to step in and tell them how to act and threaten with punishment – so be it.

Cyberbullying is yet another reason why parents need parental control and monitoring software programs like PC Pandora on their home machines. You need to know if your child is a victim so you can help them beat the problem… and, now, you really need to know if your child is an instigator - or they will face severe punishment… not to mention it’s just WRONG!

There are two good stories on the issue with video clips. Please visit the sites and watch; I have pasted headlines and the first few paragraphs of each here…

State bill outlaws ‘cyber-bullying’
By Jovana Lara, KABC 7

SUN VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) — California lawmakers are close to passing a bill aimed at protecting students from “cyber-bullying.”

Gossip is an age-old problem at middle schools and high schools everywhere. But with the popularity of electronic devices like cell phones and computers and pagers, some believe that gossip has grown potentially harmful, even dangerous. Now a local lawmaker is proposing a new law that would make it illegal to “cyber-bullly.”

Cell phones, pagers, BlackBerry devices and computers all make the task of communicating so much faster and easier. However, that same technology in the wrong hands can be destructive.

“To the point where kids just start doing drugs or just kill themselves,” said student Edward Esparza. “That’s it. It just gets out of hand sometimes.”

Santa Maria educators and students react to cyberbullying legislation
By Melissa Mecija, KSBY 6

In a bill aimed at stopping “cyberbullying,” California State Assemblyman Ted Lieu from Torrance proposed legislation that would suspend or expel students if they are caught bullying through text messages or the Internet.

Some educators in Santa Maria said legislation like this is needed. But whether or not they can control students’ cell phones or the Internet is another story.