Week 8 Post 1

As a part of this week's discussion post, I watched the PBS Frontline series, Growing Up Online.  The case of Ryan Halligan was eye-opening.  People don't understand the effect that cyberbullying has on other people.  They think what they say online doesn't have an effect on anyone.  In Ryan Halligan's case, his bullying experience began when children bullied him in the school.  Before technology and the internet was invented, children were able to come home to get away from the abuse they receive at school.  Now, social websites have allowed for bullies to keep antagonizing their victims when they go home from school.  People made fun of Ryan Halligan online every day for months.  After a few months of listening to people calling him a loser and other nicknames, Ryan committed suicide.  This was a shock to his parents because they thought the bullying at the school playground ended months ago.  They were completely unaware that he was suffering from cyberbullying from his classmates.  Parents need to be aware of what goes on in their children's lives, including what they do online.  When I first became a part of a social network, such as Facebook or Twitter, I didn't want my parents to have access to it at all.  I was young and naive and didn't want my parents to see what I was doing online.  It's not like I was doing anything wrong, I just wanted my privacy.  Now that I am older, I don't care if my parents look at my social accounts, my mom is even friends with me on Facebook.  Children need to realize that parents want the best for you and want to make sure you don't get hurt.  There needs to be a way that parents can access their children's social accounts to make sure they are not being bullied but so that they do not intrude on the child's privacy.