These kinds of stories always make me so sad. It is just so unnecessary for people to pull others down, and yet our world is full of it. I found this particular story to be more senseless than usual. I couldn't believe that someone-- especially an adult, would tear a child down that way. Obviously if this person was a parent as well, they would understand the precious and unstable self-esteem that often accompanies teenagers. I am so confused as to why they would go to such lengths to bring this poor girl down.
As for the consequences and law enforcement, I think that it's an extremely difficult thing to judge. I definitely believe that the woman who set up the fraudulent account should face some repercussions. If our children see adults bullying others and not facing any sort of negative consequence, how can we expect them to learn that it is wrong? And yet I am not sure how law-enforcement could deal with this particular case because it's so common. Cyber-bullying happens all the time, and it's wrong. But it is a rare thing for it to result in suicide. So how do they distinguish the severity of punishment if two people do the exact same type of bullying, but one results in suicide and the other just a lowered self-esteem? I'm not sure how well I am making sense! I think that consequences should be along the same lines as a child would get. If it is a first time offense, they get a warning, second time- maybe a fine, and on until they are serving jail time. But how do you monitor things like that??
Could this situation have been prevented? Absolutely. I think that if Megan had been better educated about online bullying, or if her parents were more involved in what was going on, she might have been able to see the signs earlier. Education about the issues is huge! Also I guess harsher punishments for offenders? But that gets into the difficulties of tracking offenses and judging severity. I guess I just wish that our world could play nice with each other!! World peace anyone?
As for the consequences and law enforcement, I think that it's an extremely difficult thing to judge. I definitely believe that the woman who set up the fraudulent account should face some repercussions. If our children see adults bullying others and not facing any sort of negative consequence, how can we expect them to learn that it is wrong? And yet I am not sure how law-enforcement could deal with this particular case because it's so common. Cyber-bullying happens all the time, and it's wrong. But it is a rare thing for it to result in suicide. So how do they distinguish the severity of punishment if two people do the exact same type of bullying, but one results in suicide and the other just a lowered self-esteem? I'm not sure how well I am making sense! I think that consequences should be along the same lines as a child would get. If it is a first time offense, they get a warning, second time- maybe a fine, and on until they are serving jail time. But how do you monitor things like that??
Could this situation have been prevented? Absolutely. I think that if Megan had been better educated about online bullying, or if her parents were more involved in what was going on, she might have been able to see the signs earlier. Education about the issues is huge! Also I guess harsher punishments for offenders? But that gets into the difficulties of tracking offenses and judging severity. I guess I just wish that our world could play nice with each other!! World peace anyone?
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