Could the INTERNET Be the Reason Behind the Recent Spate of Bully Deaths?

reply to post by hotbakedtater


NO NO NO

This kind of thing annoys me. People are so quick to blame objects, tv, movies and now the Internet for
what is clearly poor parenting skills.

Its the same as blaming Guns for the deaths of many innocent people.

The Guns are tools, it the idiots behind them that are the problem.

Bullying often stems to a problem at home and feeling of insecurity. This is then hidden behind a macho image and that of being superior to others all just a mask. A mask often ignored by Parents as they just an not be bothered and are too concerned with their own problems.

Originally posted by hotbakedtater
Does anyone else think the internet and how much kids today (some of whom have been born into households like mine where from birth a computer has been an integral part of their life) use it, has a correlation in the upswing in bully death news?


Not the computer itself, but maybe the acces of information that was previously unavailable might have a effect.

Are children today more violent than kids from yesterday?

Not necessarily, I think that this outlook comes from media coverage of events and information that was previously considered trivial.

Has the way children grow up interacting with their friends (texts, ims, facebook, myspace, etc) distanced them from developing a better rounded human component?

No, I do not think so. The ideologically of being anonymous on the internet might be a viable solution to those with social difficulties, but other then that, no.

Has the electronic age (compuetrs, internet, video games, smart phones, youtube etc) ultimately changd or influenced the way our new humans are going to grow on our earth?

Of course! If I didn't gain abundant access to the internet 2 years ago, I would probably sill be a Racist/Homophobic/etc redneck who is ignorant of worldly happenings.

Are humans just inherently violent, and what if anything can we do to stop this?

Yes, they are inherently violent. Why not remove the bad apple before it ruins the bunch? Anything we can do to stop this? Nope, not in the near future anyway.

Can anyone help me answer these questions?
I hope I provided you some of my outlooks on the matter.

I am going to ponder this for a while, but I am interested in hearing what other people, especially older people like me (im 41) who were not raised this way, and how different kids are now, more violent, more bullying, killing themselves off, etc.

Or have I become that old woman fuddy duddying on our youth today?

We have so many wonderful young posters on this board, I would love to hear your thoughts as well.

I am 14, I hope this has been helpful.

reply to post by hotbakedtater


I had thought some of the stories I saw on the news said the bully over the internet directly played a role...

reply to post by Human_Alien


While I agree with most of what you said like the gigantic blame game that relieves anyone from responsibility, some people really do have major problems.

Having said that, I am 50 years old. I can't help but notice this incredible blame-game going on. Children have ADD, parents are bi-polar, cousins have OCD, uncles suffer from PTSD and aunts are anorexic! Yeah? And so.................? I know, let's give them a pill and a label and call it a day!

I mean I have a friend who for the past 15 years "sees" a little girl following him around talking to him, if he doesn't take his medicines for schizophrenia. Surely you're not saying him and others like him should just "buck up"?

I see the difference in bullying today as being more verbal and yes, the internet makes it much less of a physical thing. I was bullied by boys mainly and responded physically, kicking 'em where it hurt. My stepdad and big brothers taught me that. Funny how when my boys have been bullied we told 'em punch 'em in the nose; we'll support you, you won't get in trouble at home, and they were like, "No, we'll get in trouble," "We can't do that at school." So, geez what do ya do? The kids are too scared to stand up for themselves. It's a different world I guess. I'm not advocating violence but sometimes it is really okay to stand up and defend yourself.

reply to post by hotbakedtater

Does anyone else think the internet and how much kids today (some of whom have been born into households like mine where from birth a computer has been an integral part of their life) use it, has a correlation in the upswing in bully death news?

OP, the bullying deaths we've been hearing about in the news have been Internet related, so isn't the answer to your question pretty obvious?

The Internet can be a very dangerous place. In my opinion, it's really not a place for kids unless a parent is extremely diligent in monitoring their kid's activities. Many parents claim they are diligent, but I don't believe they really are based upon what I see on Facebook alone.

Too many parents treat the Internet like it's simply a convenient tool for keeping their kids occupied. It is far more than that. Not only is it a place where predators lurk, it is a place where kids can easily talk and act however they like and many times get away with it. They can lie, curse, threaten, tease, and use fake identities as much as they like if they are not monitored. They can be more brazen as well because they are not dealing with someone face-to-face. Where most adults are presumably more able to handle situations where they are being harassed or bullied, many children don't have the ability to do so yet. Likewise, the ones doing the bullying are not mature enough to understand the implications of their actions. To them, it's just a good time.

I personally am opposed to all these new technological advancements. I'm seeing more nonsense being put out on the market than I do anything we can really use. All of this stuff is just teaching our kids to expect immediate responses to their needs and it's also doing away with the need for developing interpersonal communication skills. I think the powers that be wont be happy until we all are just a bunch of walking robots.