Who Should Punish Cyberbullies?

Written by Pat's Papers | Monday, 28 June 2010 8:32 AM

Bullying has been a hot topic in the news recently, as schools and parent groups try to crack down on the problem. But when it comes to cyberbullying, it’s unclear who should do the punishing says the New York Times. Studies show that one in five middle schoolers has been subjected to teasing via text or computer but educators say they feel uncomfortable disciplining children for something that happens after school hours. Part of the problem is that laws in many states are hazy about whether the responsibility for policing cyberbullies falls on parents, the cops or school’s administrators. One teacher quoted in the article says she spends about 75 percent of her time mediating fights that began online. For their part, students say it’s easier to sent threats over the Internet: ““On Facebook, you can be as mean as you want.”

The Times pulls statistics from the Cyberbullying Research Center

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