"threats" on facebook turns into Supreme Court case

[Jenksismyhero]

It's the same, it isn't fake people, it is their friends at school. It's no different if someone threatened you over phone vs in front of you. One isn't made up because of the medium.

 

One can be ignored though, that's my point. You being on the internet is a choice. You being physically present at the same school as a bully is not.

[Jenksismyhero]

Edit: I'm not saying it doesn't happen. it obviously does. But why do kids let it happen? Why are they so attached to the internet and those mediums that bullies use? Get a different Twitter account, get a new email address. Block people. Ignore people. It literally takes effort to be a victim of a bully on the internet. It takes an action on the victim's part - to engage with the person on the internet. It's not the same as being confronted face to face with it.

Edited December 2, 2014 by Jenksismybitch

[bmags]

One can be ignored though, that's my point. You being on the internet is a choice. You being physically present at the same school as a bully is not.

 

It doesn't matter if only you are paying attention, others can see and hear about it going on.

[Jenksismyhero]

It doesn't matter if only you are paying attention, others can see and hear about it going on.

 

That's the same as bullying 50 years ago. It's not anything new or special.

[RockRaines]

They can't hit ignore? Block the email address? Close their facebook? I don't buy it.

Then you are off the grid and basically an exile in their social world, could be even worse.

 

Their wolds arent like ours, they literally think their small circles are IT.

[bmags]

That's the same as bullying 50 years ago. It's not anything new or special.

 

So, if it's worth cracking down on bullying in school why is not worth cracking down on bullying outside of it.

[RockRaines]

Edit: I'm not saying it doesn't happen. it obviously does. But why do kids let it happen? Why are they so attached to the internet and those mediums that bullies use? Get a different Twitter account, get a new email address. Block people. Ignore people. It literally takes effort to be a victim of a bully on the internet. It takes an action on the victim's part - to engage with the person on the internet. It's not the same as being confronted face to face with it.

Thats like telling a kid to get a whole new set of friends, they arent developed enough at that age to be able to do that sort of thing. Its the same reason they get so hung up on thing we see as petty as adults.

[StrangeSox]

You don't have to literally hear or read someone's insults directed at you for it to be damaging. Them spreading s***ty rumors or just collective bullying can still hurt someone.

[StrangeSox]

It doesn't matter if only you are paying attention, others can see and hear about it going on.

Why should we accept kids bullying other kids off of the internet and social media, anyway? I mean I'm right there with you on the difficulty of trying to do it through laws, if that even makes sense, but it doesn't seem like a non-issue that no one should care about. Online bullying has literally driven kids to suicide.

[Jenksismyhero]

I'm not saying we should ignore it. What i'm saying is the emphasis and importance placed on it is equally troubling to me, and I don't really think they're equal in the eyes of the law. Verbal speech is different from internet speech and the Court should say so, even if ultimately it's still left up to a "reasonable person" standard.

 

 

Edited December 2, 2014 by Jenksismybitch

[StrangeSox]

I'm not saying we should ignore it. What i'm saying is the emphasis and importance placed on it is equally troubling to me, and I don't really think they're equal in the eyes of the law. Verbal speech is different from internet speech and the Court should say so, even if ultimately it's still left up to a "reasonable person" standard.

Is verbal speech different than written speech? Honest question, I don't know how the same threats/harassment made in person versus in a letter versus over the phone would be handled.

[Jenksismyhero]

Both are covered under Free Speech, but you're going to analyze a reasonable person standard differently. And I assume (though I haven't really read up on it) that this SC case is going to look at that very question.

[illinilaw08]

I'm not saying we should ignore it. What i'm saying is the emphasis and importance placed on it is equally troubling to me, and I don't really think they're equal in the eyes of the law. Verbal speech is different from internet speech and the Court should say so, even if ultimately it's still left up to a "reasonable person" standard.

 

I think Rock is hitting the nail on the head here. When kids are in middle school/high school, their worlds are really, really small. And the smallest things can lead to being ostracized. I can see speech on social media having an even worse impact than regular speech because it just hangs out there, never going away.

 

Telling your kid to ignore it doesn't make the stuff disappear. And telling your kid to get off social media probably has a significant impact on their social life (and, consequently, their world).

 

The problem with kids at that age is that, by and large, they aren't going to be rational or reasonable.

[Texsox]

As a teacher of children who are growing up in a digital world, this is serious stuff. The choices when being bullied are to isolate yourself from the rest of your peers and society and stay offline, or face some terrible crap.

[greg775]

As a teacher of children who are growing up in a digital world, this is serious stuff. The choices when being bullied are to isolate yourself from the rest of your peers and society and stay offline, or face some terrible crap.

 

Amen, Tex. This is serious.

My take is if people are going to use "social media" as a forum to bully and act like irresponsible assholes, I hope they get the book thrown at them.

[Texsox]

I reread the thread and would like to add a factor that we seem to miss. There is a real world connection. These are classmates often times who are getting together to bully a kid. Friends of friends may be in the group and giving a blow by blow description of what people are saying about you. If you read that someone is going to jump your friend after school do you tell your friend? Or that a girl is pretending to like you then is going to mock you in front of the whole class? It's different than here where we're spread out and very few know anyone else in the real physical world.