- May 2, 2024
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Retweet this if you think Jane is chubby.
Charles should delete his Instagram because he is so ugly.
Cyberbullying like this isn’t some far-out concept. These are real-life scenarios, and they happen in Flagler County.
School Board member Colleen Conklin, who is also a mother of two boys, said the best weapon against cyberbullying is awareness.
Conklin will hold a virtual town hall meeting on cyberbullying at 8 p.m. Wednesday. This will be the second such town hall meeting. She had about 75 participants in the first one.
To join the town hall meeting, go to https://join.me/cyberbullyingcconklin. If you're using a phone or tablet, launch the join.me application and enter meeting code "cyberbullyingcconklin" (no quotation marks). Or, if you just want to listen to the audio, dial 1-415-464-6999 and enter conference ID 795-016-496#.
“There is a clashing of generations happening, and when we were kids, you could pass a note in between class and the worst that happened is it got intercepted by a teacher,” Conklin said. “Now, kids are not realizing that they have right at their disposal pretty powerful tools, and it can either be used in a very responsible way or a very irresponsible way.”
Not only do many tweens and teens have iPhones and Android devices with all the apps, but most have school-issued laptops now, too. The ability to bully on the Internet is easier than it ever has been.
“Parents need to know more, and the bullying can be done by anybody,” Conklin said. “Kids switch roles very quickly from victim to bully, from bully to victim. Much of it can be done anonymously.”
Katrina Townsend, the school district’s director of student services, said there have been several students who have made threats via Facebook.
“Social media definitely has an impact on the school environment,” she said. “School administration finds itself in a role of investigating cyber issues that occurred off campus but impact the school campus, as these issues follow students throughout their day.”
Conklin said she will continue to promote awareness.
According to Conklin's presentation, 68% of teenagers agree that cyberbullying is a serious problem, but only one in 10 victims will inform a parent or trusted adult of their abuse. About 75% have visited a website where they have seen another student being cyberbullied, and about 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than four out of 10 say it has happened more than once.
“It’s a lot easier to say things behind a screen than it is to say to somebody in person,” Conklin said. "It’s really about being socially responsible with (technology) because just pulling the plug isn’t necessarily the answer.”
