AfterDawn: News

Call for video sites to refuse cyber-bullying videos

Alan Arthur Johnson, a British Labour Party politician and the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, has called upon Internet websites to help tackle the growing problem of cyber-bullying against students and teachers. He said that video websites such as YouTube should ban malicious video clips of teachers and school students and filter them like already done with pornographic content.

Johnson spoke about the problem at the National Union of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) in Belfast. "Cyber-bullying is cruel and relentless, able to follow a child beyond the school gates and into their homes," he said. "The online harassment of teachers is causing some to consider leaving the profession because of the defamation and humiliation they are forced to suffer."



Teachers now have the right to confiscate mobile phones in the classroom to prevent bullies from recording footage of teachers or students for malicious intent. He believes however that online video sites have the power to make a huge difference, saying, "without the online approval which appeals to the innate insecurities of the bully, such sinister activities would have much less attraction".

Source:
Guardian

Written by: James Delahunty @ 15 Apr 2007 19:35

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• 10 comments

• ZippyDSM

  Ya thats all well and good but if they start taking down any vid that might slight someone else...where will the PCisim end...

  15.4.2007 23:08 #1

• bat395

  As an educator, I agree that bullying in schools is a serious problem. No longer is it strictly verbal harassment or physical violence that affects kids today, but with text messaging and the expansion and prevalence of the internet, this allows bullies a new and uncontrolled medium to socially and emotionally demolish their victims. This can lead, in the most unfortunate of circumstances, to suicide and in the rarest of cases (though you wouldn't believe it from the media) school shootings or other violence as retaliation. Victims lose power and control to the bullies and because of their youth and inexperience feel there is no means of resolving the situation. Schools, parents, the legal system and the society at large have a duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
  
  However, I do agree with you Zippy to a certain degree. We cannot go around and censor every single video. Humorous videos have their place, but we also have to understand that kids/teens haven't fully developed socially (i.e. understanding sarcasm, etc. Don't take this as an offense if you're young, people develop at different rates.) and some kids may take things as being malicious. So I guess my point is, anything malicious does need to be controlled when dealing with youth, it just happens to be a very fine line. It's hard to see the impact from a victims point of view, especially if you haven't been bullied yourself (I wasn't), but it's something that needs to be addressed.
  
  Sorry if that was too preachy...lol

  16.4.2007 14:40 #2

• ZippyDSM

  bat395
  as someone that was bullied the school system itself needs to completely rethink and redo its take on bullying I think that should come befor "feel good" measures that don't really do much, from what I have seen most sites will take down a vid if you annoy them enough so before starting a grass roots effort to harass video sites why not focus that energy on the "real" problem,if you halve the issues on school grounds then what remains is pissy people posting pissy vids and if they are esplisive(sorry after 10 tries FF cant decode zippy speak) enough they will get removed ASAP.
  
  all in all before you ban or block look at the core of the issue you want fixed and then look at the damage censoring brings.
  
  I am for protecting kids but our core freedoms come first.

  16.4.2007 14:55 #3

• bat395

  Very good points and I can see the situation from your perspective. We do need to protect our freedoms.
  
  My personal opinion is that a bully posting malicious videos is infringing upon the freedoms of the victim. They are in essence decreasing the control that the victim has over his/her life and I think that the victim's freedoms/rights supersede those of the bully's right to express hatred (too extreme a word perhaps).
  
  Here in Canada (I'm not to up to date on the US), they are many in-school initiatives to educate youth about bullying and trying to find constructive means to resolve issues through things like peer mediation. Zero-tolerance policies with punishment don't work and only transfer responsibility from the school to the parent in order to relegate legal responsibility away from the school.
  
  With the internet being instantaneous and widespread, a single video can multiply over any number of servers and sites. Even if on only one site, by the time it gets taken down, the damage has already been done. Prevention would be ideal, but in all reality bullying will probably never go away and true prevention is probably a pipe dream. And yes, greater support structures do need to be in place at the community level to provide victims support and educate bystanders to not tolerate or support bullying. In-school programs are absolutely the first place, but if it is possible to eliminate the cyber aspect, why not? I just hope that people's core rights are not infringed upon and I hope that an aura of fear is not used to solve bullying (i.e. armed school guards and metal detectors).
  
  I'm not sure if I'm agreeing or disagreeing with you now, but thanks for the dialogue.

  16.4.2007 15:33 #4

• ZippyDSM

  bat395
  good points to, I wouldnt worry abotu agreeing or not make your points well and let fools worry over the pins in them ^_~
  
  Much like life if a kid can not handle consuling and other intervention means to stop the kid from growing into a criminal the criminal system will take them in,the bullies need help and this maddness needs to stop if parents wont own up to helping their kids then the school system can not let them near other kids its a mess but can be dealt with and in the end probably keep kids out of the "system" but tis better than ignore it and saying there is nothing that can be done because its to complicated.
  
  In the US there is a rush to scapegoat and place blame on anything but the core of the issue the school system cant do much to bullies because they are children and children will be children, while thats true why are the adults acting like nothing happens and wonders why a kid comes to school guns a blazing to put a end to his pain and suffering by sharing it before he dies.
  
  edit
  it would be interesting to know if any modern school system has tried dealing with bullies in a counseling/intervention manner if these fail the kid would then be forced to another school district if it fails again home or private schooling is in order it might sux for the system and parents but bullies need to be removed if they can not behave havign the goverment pay or assist in their education is better than the damage they would inflict on others and if by chance they out grow it int he long run that will save on incarceration.
  reality can be harsh but tis better than corrupting ignorance.
  

  
  
  FIGHT THE M.A.F.I.A.A.
  

  16.4.2007 15:51 #5

• bat395

  From what I've read, counseling/intervention methods and peer mediation, which is along those lines, are quite successful. Unfortunately, they are very time consuming to set-up and need devoted people to maintain them year to year. Most teachers already have their plates full by acting as social worker, educator, conflict resolver etc on a day to day basis and as such are getting burnt out too quickly. I would think that most teachers would agree that they find it difficult to fulfill all of these roles to a satisfactory level especially as family dynamics have changed over the years. I think the government needs to step in to financially support more personnel to be specifically devoted to conflict resolution.
  
  I think I've said my peace. Take 'er easy.
  bat395

  16.4.2007 16:21 #6

• borhan9

  Schools banning youtube access at schools and taking away their phones in class will still not stop the bullying because it does not only occur at school it happens wherever the bully gets a chance.
  
  Tougher consequences have to be put in place.

  16.4.2007 21:00 #7

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by bat395:From what I've read, counseling/intervention methods and peer mediation, which is along those lines, are quite successful. Unfortunately, they are very time consuming to set-up and need devoted people to maintain them year to year. Most teachers already have their plates full by acting as social worker, educator, conflict resolver etc on a day to day basis and as such are getting burnt out too quickly. I would think that most teachers would agree that they find it difficult to fulfill all of these roles to a satisfactory level especially as family dynamics have changed over the years. I think the government needs to step in to financially support more personnel to be specifically devoted to conflict resolution.
  
  I think I've said my peace. Take 'er easy.
  bat395--------------------------------------------------------------------
  yeppers it works yet its hard and takes time scapegoating media and baning it is easier and it gives polis the ability to pander for votes...its almost basic human psychology 0-o
  
  (ack sorry for my incoherence I am learning disabled)

  17.4.2007 00:21 #8

• tarabeara

  In my opinion, this is a problem that is going to grow as quickly as the technology that's fueling it. Sites like Broadcaster.com provide free, real time chat services. What happens when children can anonymously bully each other in real time? Social sites like myspace or youtube have created a whole new avenue for people to communicate - but I'm worried to see what other sites, ones that take socializing online further (like Broadcaster.com) will mean for our children.

  20.4.2007 10:21 #9

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by tarabeara:In my opinion, this is a problem that is going to grow as quickly as the technology that's fueling it. Sites like Broadcaster.com provide free, real time chat services. What happens when children can anonymously bully each other in real time? Social sites like myspace or youtube have created a whole new avenue for people to communicate - but I'm worried to see what other sites, ones that take socializing online further (like Broadcaster.com) will mean for our children.
  ==================================================================
  you've said it right there "anonymously bully each" this happens every day its called life you cant worry over every little thing you can manage content on the site to a point,like I said above offensive posts will be dealt with everythign else is jsut another part of life you either get use to it or hide in a cave...
  
  
  I is lucky my cave has AC 0-o
  the shcool system has failed me(gave answer books and bullies) people have failed me the goverment has failed me(gave use a house yet the builder made it wrong thus we lost it because we could not fix it) all thats left is for me to fail myself and I am working on that >>

  20.4.2007 10:35 #10