HENDERSON, Nev. - Teens and children have suffered bullying for generations. But, the taunting and teasing are rising to new levels with the widespread use of the Internet and cell phones.
"A lot of people don't understand that bullying has kind of gone from the physical abuse to sitting behind a computer or a phone and actually saying something," said Green Valley High School student Taylor Ashton. "A lot of times, teens and students kind of get that courage when they're not actually (in a) face-to-face confrontation."
Some studies show one in five children are either victims of cyberbullying or are bullies themselves. On Wednesday night, a panel of experts on this growing problem met with parents and teachers. The main point the panel wants the community to take home is for parents and kids to communicate about online issues.
"They need to sit down with their kids, go online with their kids, talk about different safety issues that can arise," said Cyberbullying Research Center Co-Director Dr. Sameer Hinduja. "Also, talk about some of these high profile cases that have come across the wire, because they are very relevant to what kids are going through right now."
Social media are making it easier for kids to create nasty, hateful, and cruel posts or text messages. Experts are also seeing more reports of teens posting material about acts of harm against others or themselves. Some students at the panel say those reports sound accurate.
"Especially at high schools, we've got over 2,000 to 3,000 students. It's inevitable that you're going to know someone or at least hear about someone that has been cyberbullying," Ashton said. "Whether it's being tagged in a picture at a party they were tagged in over the weekend or as deep as posting some comments on forums such as Burnbook or Facebook."
The Anti-Defamation League sponsored Wednesday's discussion.
