Daily Independent (Ashland, KY)

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July 20, 2012

Cyberbullying has a viral spread

Mike James The Independent

ASHLAND — The proliferation of social media has led to an escalation in the growth of cyberbullying, and fighting the phenomenon is more complex than ever, Ashland police told a gathering of educators and social service professionals Thursday.

Facebook, Twitter and the like, their use propelled by smartphones, have made it easier for cyberbullies to throw their weight around, and harder for authorities to stop them.

Police cyber-crime experts worked with Pathways, the northeast Kentucky behavioral health care organization, to develop the half-day seminar which brought together teachers, counselors, school administrators, health care professionals and others to learn about the latest cyberharassment issues.

“It takes people from different backgrounds coming together in a collaborative effort,” said Debra Wright, a Pathways spokeswoman.

“Everybody needs to come together and learn about cyberbullying and know the law, because it’s always changing,” she said. “Four or five years ago the rules were different.”

Cyberbullying refers to the use of computers, smartphones and other electronic devices to harass others.

The problem has been around since people started using the internet on home computers, and worsened with the introduction of social networking sites such as MySpace.

As cell phones added cameras, texting and other features, bullying intensified as social media users used their phones more.

Among the top cyberbullying issues among teenagers is sexting, the use of cell phones and computers to transmit nude or otherwise sexually charged photos of themselves to one another.

Teens typically don’t adequately understand the technology and its capability to harm them, said Ed Harrison, an Ashland police officer who currently is court liaison officer in the support services section.

That leaves them vulnerable because they don't understand that bullies or enemies can retrieve and use the images for harassment or extortion.

Teens often use apps to share questionable photos believing the images can't be preserved, but knowledgeable users can use screen captures or other techniques to do so, he said.

Parents and professionals have tools they can use to be aware of what children are using their computers and phones for, he said. There are text decoding apps that translate often used acronyms, for instance.

Facebook and Twitter both have privacy controls; children may not adequately know how to use them but they should, Harrison said.

Other social media that are seeing more use include LinkedIn and Google Plus.

Topix is something of a wild card in the social media arena; posters don’t have to use their own names and can post anything they want. “It doesn’t have to be true,” he said.

A survey found that about 58 percent of teens said they had been electronically bullied or harassed at some level, said Scott Menefee, an Ashland police officer who until recently was assigned to Ashland schools as the school resource officer.

Menefee said the first defense against bullying is to refrain from responding. Victims can contact the internet service provider or telephone company because harassment typically violates company terms of service, he said.

It is important not to delete any harassing messages, because they will be needed as evidence, he said. The victim should contact the school, and contact police in the event of threats of violence, extortion or other criminal acts.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or

(606) 326-2652.

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