Kristen Lowe
NewsWest 9
ODESSA- When we were kids, bullies pushed others down and took their lunch money, or made fun of them in class. But today, children as young as nine have cell phones and Facebook accounts and they seem to operate them better than most adults. That's bringing bullying from the playground into cyberspace.
Lt. Mark Rowden, with the ECISD Police, says they are seeing more and more bullying situations online, mostly on social networking sites like Facebook.
"We've dealt with situations where one person will get on and say hateful things," Rowden said. "We've also dealt with situations where other people have developed sites saying hateful things about others."
Cell phones are also causing a problem.
"They're texting 150 people if they're texting something negative about someone else," Noel Elementary Counselor, Rico Enriquez, said. "It's something that's rampant and widespread."
School administrators say the problem with cyber bullying is that it's almost impossible for kids to escape and it escalates faster.
Spencer Thompson, a developmental psychologist at UTPB, says there is thin line between teasing and bullying.
"A bully is someone who is persistent in labeling you and putting you down," Thompson said. "It's that persistence that can have a long term effect."
According to Thompson, the most common responses to cyber bullying are avoidance and withdrawal. Children stop participating in activities they like or they may think of revenge. In some cases, however, the consequences are much worse. National media outlets have been flooded over the past couple years with reports of teens who have committed suicide after being bullied. The children and teens who were responsible often face serious charges like harassment, intimidation or invasion of privacy.
It's a reality that is faced right here in the Permian Basin. In October, the FBI was called in to investigate an incident at Permian High. A group of students had set up a Facebook page, dedicated to gossiping about students, and it got out of control.
"Basically, anyone was fair game," Rowden said.
Parts of the investigation are still ongoing. However, no criminal charges were filed because there weren't any threats made.
"Basically this came down to name calling," Rowden said. "But things can escalate so quickly that they can become threats or harassment."
If that happens, it is bad news for those involved, even if they are underage. During the legislative session, lawmakers changed the wording on bullying laws, making it more detailed and easier to prosecute.
"We have a very close relationship with our prosecutors," Rowden said. "We give every case to them and they are able to prosecute things we may not be aware of."
For Rowden, it's a new way of policing. For school administrators, it's a new way of figuring out how to educate kids in a world where they are the experts.
That is why Enriquez has been meeting with students as young as fourth grade, helping them to understand cyber bullying, the way it affects others and the consequences.
Rowden says the most important thing is that parents check their kids' phones and Facebook accounts on a regular basis.
"We want our children to have their rights and freedoms," he said. "But they are still our children and we still have to protect them."
Ten years ago, it probably would have been uncommon for a fourth grader to know about "harassment" or "predators" but the times have changed.
"Today's conversations are not yesterday's conversations," Enriquez said.
School officials say they're ready to take on the issue, in order to protect our children.
