How To Stop the Bullies: Reflection 

I chose this particular article because it is personal to me.  I grow up poor and didn't know it because my mom always made sure we had enough however the kids at school recognized we were poor and were relentless in bothering me about it.  I got into more fights defending my mom's honor, and was suspended from school for not having proper clothes and had to endure the taunts of bullies from kindergarten to highschool.

Bullying is something that has gone on throughout history but now in the age of social media it has taken on a new form.  Because of the internet the problem may get out of hand before it is even noticeable by others.

" When it became clear which contestant was losing, that girl wrote that she didn’t care: “nt even tryinqq to b funny or smart.” The rival who beat her answered, “juss mad you losss ok ppl voted me ! If you really loooked better they wouldve said you but THEY DIDNT sooo sucks for you.” This exchange nearly led to blows outside of school, other students told me. And they said a fight didbreak out between two boys who were featured on Let’s Start Drama, in dueling photos, above the caption “Who would win in a fight?” They reportedly ended up pummeling each other off school grounds one day after classes."

What surprises me the most about this article is the fact that, even though there is a concentration on the actions of teenagers, there is no true acknowledgement that adults are just as guilty and the youth are, in some way, imitating what they have learned by watching the adults.  Identifying the problem is one thing but identifying the "root problem" would be more beneficial.

This following portion of the article was the best:

"In a better online world, it wouldn’t be up to Anonymous hackers to swoop in on behalf of vulnerable teenagers. But social networks still present tricky terrain for young people, with traps that other kids spring for them. My own view is that, as parents, we should demand more from these sites, by holding them accountable for enforcing their own rules. After all, collectively, we have consumer power here—along with our kids, we’re the site’s customers. And as Henry Lieberman’s work at MIT demonstrates, it is feasible to take stronger action against cyberbullying. If Facebook and Twitter don’t like his solution, surely they have the resources to come up with a few more of their own."

I personally feel that FB and Twitter are taking steps to ensure the safety of their programs but there is always more work to be done. Writing this article is a good step in making these websites accountable as well as making more adults aware of what their youth are involved with.  Awareness is an important key to preventing danger.

The following link highlights the importance of parental responsibility:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-fiorella/cyber-bullying-social-media-and-parental-responsibility_b_4112802.html