Funny vs Cruel

 It's all fun and games til someone gets hurt

When I was at school, not everyone had smart phones. People didn't have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube etc, on them all day long, at their disposal.
I finished school 3 years ago - and the jump in the accessibility of these items and programs is unbelievable. My phone is now attached to my hand, and I am thankful that I no longer have school teachers to hide it from.

I am so easily able to take photos of my friends, people around me, things I find interesting, things I find funny. The camera phone, and the quality that now exists in everyone's palm is exciting!

However, with the good, comes the bad. Here I am, sitting in the library - and the reality is that if someone felt the need, that could photograph me without me knowing. Two days down the track, I could be minding my own business on the bus, heading home from work, when I discover a photo that is 'shared' or 'liked' of me, posted on some group that I never consented to. Instantly, I would feel embarrassed and my confidence would take a punch.

ReachOut.com describes cyberbullying as "any kind of bullying or harassment done using technology. It really sucks because it can be public, hard to take down, or affect you at home."

As mentioned above, cyber bullying is hard to take down. Whether you're the offended or the offender - the slander that is posted on the internet can have harsh consequences. It usually starts as a bit of fun, but fun at someone else's expense shouldn't be accepted. Honestly, when there are hotlines and help available to those people suffering - that should be an eye opener and a defining moment when deciphering between right and wrong.

ninemsn.com reported that by 2009, a quater of Australian children (aged between 10 - 18) reported that they have been subjected to cyber-bullying.
Parents have the responsibility to monitor the internet use of their child. Although, as I mentioned earlier, with smart phones attached to every teenager's hand, this is becoming impossible.

I ask that people are more conscious and think twice before they press 'post', 'share' or 'send'.



http://au.reachout.com/Cyberbullying

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://blog.tickcontent.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/3114527.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blog.tickcontent.com/features/how-social-media-is-helping-beat-cyber-bullying/&h=303&w=336&sz=27&tbnid=j9YxpHZbSV2AdM:&tbnh=108&tbnw=120&zoom=1&usg=__krz_ZWGAWJl0G6nm03gQvfqkFuE=&docid=TG3OrFbBCJndmM&sa=X&ei=WgALUdnoEeajigffqIHwAg&ved=0CH8Q9QEwCg&dur=5

http://today.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/840251/cyber-bullying