As another young girl takes her life because of alleged cyber-bullying, Transition Year student Alana Brennan, examines some of the issues surrounding this worrying trend.
AS a15-year-old girl attending school in Limerick, I fully understand the horror, hurt, panic and, ultimately, the loneliness that victims of bullying endure.
I was bullied during my first year in secondary school. I was just 12 years of age.
The outcome to this horrendous experience was that I was forced to move to another school. At a human level, I can empathise with what Donegal schoolgirl Erin Gallagher had been suffering in the run up to her suicide.
Home has now become less of a ‘safe haven’ for the victims of bullying. With the use of technology ,the terror of bullying is no longer confined to the playground-It has become a 24 hour insidious issue that even penetrates the victim’s home through mobile phones and social networking sites.
Cyber-bullying is more harmful than traditional bullying as it is making bullies more cold-hearted. When a bully posts a hurtful message on the internet, they can’t see the consequences of their action, as they cannot witness the hurt they caused that person they targeted. Cyber-bullying makes the young victim more isolated and vulnerable.
From my own experience of being a student of two local schools, I am aware that there is a difference in how they deal with the issue of bullying. One school was more aware of the need for a strict anti-bullying policy and as result had a lot less instances of the practice. The other school had a more lax approach to bullying, with cases much more prevalent.
In the light of what has happened to Erin Gallagher, I feel fortunate to have the had the strong support and understanding of my family and friends. Unfortunately, some young people don’t feel as if they have that kind of support and don’t have the same communication I had with my family.
Reading of the tragic events in relation to Erin and the other tragic cases of Amanda Todd, Ciara Pugsley and Phoebe Prince, it seems that they were unable to ignore the cruel and destructive comments targeted at them on a daily basis.
Even now, three years later, when I hear these girls’ stories I can still recall the emotional duress and fear that had become part of my daily life. Thankfully, I came through the experience stronger and with more understanding of what exactly is involved in the revolting practice of bullying. I’m proud that the experience of being bullied did not fundamentally change me as a person. I have my family and friends to thank for that.
Parents may also find it difficult to find the balance between making sure their child is safe and letting them have their right to privacy.
I would encourage anyone being targeted to call on people they can trust like parents,siblings and best friends. There are also a lot of very good services with people who understand and who are willing to listen to you and help.
The key is making someone aware to what’s going on and remembering that someone does care.
Help is on hand
Last year, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) had 11,000 children contact them through their technical services. Spokesperson, Margie Roe tells the Limerick Post that nearly all of those would be related to bullying, cyber or otherwise.
“I would try to encourage young people not to respond to a bully and save the evidence”.
According to Inspire Insight Ireland, three out of four of young people surveyed have experienced moderate or severe psychological distress.
The ISPCC has a unit in Limerick and its volunteers are trained to deal with cyber-bullying separately to all other forms of bullying as cyber-bullying is coming to the fore.
The ISPCC is also working with the Safer Internet Ireland project,which works to combat the misuse of the internet for illegal or predatory purposes.
ISPCC volunteers will try to remind young people of their rights and may tell them to try blocking the bully or reporting them to the service provider.
Young people may see going to an adult about their problems as “snitching” but the ISPCC says to “always tell”.
Contact details
The National Parents Helpline has a bullying line that can help answer questions parents may have. Contact them @ 1-855-427-2736
If a young person feels like they need someone to speak with that isn’t a parent, teacher or relative, free-phone Childline @ 1800 666 666 is a 24 hour service that is free and anonymous. They may also speak with someone live online with their “one-to-one” service on childline.ie or through text on 50 101.
