Another Tragedy Due to Cyberbullying

Another Tragedy due to Cyber Bullying

 

The recent case of a young Florida girl who committed suicide has received a lot of media attention. 12-year-old Rebecca Ann Sedwick ended her life last month in order to escape the cyber torment she received from a large group of girls – two in particular. Those two particular girls, of ages 12 and 14, were arrested last week for their involvement in the events leading to the suicide, failure to show remorse, and actions that suggested the cyber attacks would continue. This case has brought to light the many different anti-bullying programs in place in different states. It has also shed light on the fact that the amount of cyberbullying-related suicides of young people has risen significantly in the past several years. USA Today explains that they believe the most effective way to fight these bullies will actually not be through computer forensic investigations or legislation, but rather through peer disproval of the behavior. “Fighting back against bullies and denying them peer approval are the best antidotes.”

 

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Citation:

CBSNews.com. (October 15, 2013). Rebecca Ann Sedwick suicide: 2 arrests made in death of bullied Florida girl. In CBSNews.com. Retrieved October 23, 2013 from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57607530/rebecca-ann-sedwick-suicide-2-arrests-made-in-death-of-bullied-florida-girl/

 

Sanburn, J. (October 16, 2013). A Florida Tragedy Illustrates Rising Concern about Cyber-Bullying Suicides. In Time. Retrieved October 23, 2013 from http://nation.time.com/2013/10/16/a-florida-tragedy-illustrates-rising-concern-about-cyber-bullying-suicides/

 

The Editorial Board. (October 23, 2013). Cyberbullying calls for new weapons: Our view. In USAToday. Retrieved October 23, 2013 from http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/10/23/rebecca-sedwick-suicide-cyberbullying-criminal-editorials-debates/3173189/

 

[Abstract written by Alex Mitzel, ForensIQ Intern]