One of the most dangerous misuses of technology that has been getting a lot of attention recently is
cyberbullying. Among others, there are three factors that make it so difficult to handle. First, it is easy to cyber bully anonymously. Second, the internet never turns off, and so it can happen at any time. Third, cyber insults from bullies are near impossible to erase. There is more information on this sad topic online at http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html.
In addition to staying aware of young people’s activities online to help comfort victims of cyberbullying, I would suggest making it painfully aware of the consequences of cyberbullying. I saw a heart wrenching story once of a young person who committed suicide because he was bullied via technology. If stories like this were shared, perhaps bullies would think twice about choosing to abuse their victims.
Finally, there must be a deeper root cause of the problem and a way to combat it. It is a difficult task, but our culture and society needs to uphold and defend the inherent dignity of every life. It needs to be taught in our schools. Parents need to pass it on to their children. Without this most fundamental effort, there is little hope of stemming the tide of hateful bullying, for a problem cannot be solved by merely punishing wrongdoing: we need to change minds and hearts for the better.
