Bullying AGAIN.

Austin American-Statesman
Category: Bullying
Level: State
This article is concerning an issue that families/individuals face.

Why it is important:
Bullying and cyber-bullying is becoming more and more prevalent and bringing with it seemingly higher rates of suicide. Families and parents need to be aware of the online activities of their children as well as be knowledgable on the signs of depression that could lead to suicide.

My views:
I'm pretty sure I have already posted an article on bullying, but it seems to be in the news a lot lately. I was thinking about my experience in junior high and could only recall a brief moment in time where  I had an actual bully. I don't believe I suffered any long term negative effects from being bullied. However, at that time, bullies did not have the access to the internet that bullies have today. In my opinion, this make bullying much more intense. Before the phenomenon of cyber-bullying, victims of bullying could at least have some reprieve when they made it home from school. These days the bully goes home with them in their back pocket. I believe that we are seeing more reports of suicides in the news because bullying is so unavoidable these days. I think that parents should educate themselves on the websites their children visit on a regular basis as well as build the type of relationship with their children that allows them to be comfortable with talking to their parents about anything that is going on in their lives. This way parents are more likely to detect bullying without intruding on their child's privacy. I know it's easier said than done, but parents should not only monitor for bullies but teach their children about negative effects of bullying and how to intervene when they witness someone being bullied.