The movie Cyberbully is about a teen girl named Taylor who
is given new freedom on the Internet when she is given a laptop for her
birthday. She goes online and joins a social site much like Facebook and soon
starts to learn what it is to be bullied online and that once it’s online you
can’t take it back. Things go from bad to worse when her best friends drop her
to safe their own reputations and she breaks. Her mother has to watch has her
daughter spirals out of control and almost loses her. When she goes to the
school and local police station she learns there are no laws to against cyber
bullying. This movie is very realistic and at the ends tells of the results of
a real parents’ efforts to get laws passed to convict cyberbullies against
minors.
Positives:
+ The movie is very realistic and helps the viewers relate
with the victims and other characters in the movie.
+ Viewers see and in some ways experience the effects
cyberbullying causes its victims. They learn the hard way as they watch that
the phrase ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me’
is so far from the truth.
+ The issues in this movie led a mother and father to fight
for the victims of cyberbullying after the death of their daughter. When this
movie aired there were laws in 34 states against cyberbullies.
+ People can grasp that cyberbullying is real and it affects
so many people. They are now aware that there are support groups and websites
cyberbullies can be reported to and accounts can be deleted. They also learn
that they aren’t alone in their battle against their bullies, there is help
they just need to speak up.
Negatives:
- As viewers watch the movie they learn that the three key
players in the starting of the cyberbullying that occurs against Taylor. The
first is her younger brother who, with the help of a friend, hacks her account
and changes her status to a dirty one so people start to post nasty comments on
Taylor’s page. The second is a mysterious guy named James who starts off nice
only to start posting lies that he slept with Taylor and got an STD from her.
The third is a school bully named Lindsay. She eggs on anything insulting and
adds her own comments to add fuel to the fire.
- As viewers watch they learn that the mysterious James is
actually a false account created by one of Taylor’s best friends Samantha. She
created the account with the intent to protect Taylor from a guy she thought
was bad for her and instead she sends Taylor on a downward spiral as she starts
nasty rumors about Taylor.
- This movie shows the lack of protection people; mainly
minors have on the Internet. Anyone could be bullying them and for a while
nothing was being done.
- Viewers learn that the most common cyberbullies for minors
are other minors. They also learn that often times the bully’s own parents
won’t do anything to punish their child as they see them having done nothing
wrong.
Thoughts
~ Some Parents and some of the older generation still have
problems understanding the depths and dangers that cyberbullying presents. Most
times these cyberbullies are also attacking the victims at school, work, clubs
etc. If it’s something a person is being told constantly then eventually they
are going to start believing it.
~ Adults get in on the bullying of minors as well but often
times its with their child who was associated with the victim at one time as
occurred in the Megan Meier story that fought for the Cyberbully prevention
laws. Adults, better than kids, know right from wrong and what is good graces
and what isn’t so why do they get in on the bullying of children? Some children
fight back yes but only in defense of self.
~ Why is it bullies keep saying they didn’t cause the dead
of a victim that committed suicide? No they didn’t hand them the rope, knife,
pills etc but they used words that would trigger a break in the victim. Yet at
the same time why don’t victims ask for help? Someone will be there to help
them they just have to seek it out.
~ Sometimes parents are too trusting of their kids activates
online. While they don’t need to hover or stalk their kids actions they need to
be aware of what they are up too, especially on social sites. In the movie it
too Taylor’s friend’s dad calling her mom before she new what was happening and
to what extent.
Would Like:
* Better laws against Cyberbullying and them to actually be
enforced.
* People to stop saying you can’t prove who was on the
Cyberbully account. Only partly true, all events and clicks are tracked with a
computer IP address and time stamp leading right to the user’s home. The bully
is the user that was on during that time.
* Better awareness on cyberbullying. Not enough is being
done in the schools, libraries or open Internet areas to raise awareness and
warn people of the laws and punishment if they partake in cyberbullying.
* The older generation to realize this is the technology age;
everything is done through the Internet. Avoiding bullies isn’t as simple as
ignoring them or turning off the computer or phone. It follows victims everywhere.
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