Star comment: We must fight this profanity
The harm caused by malignant words does not diminish when they are delivered via the internet. Their capacity to hurt and damage is in no way reduced by their click-and-send nature.
Cyber bullies are as pernicious, destructive and hateful as those who mete out threats in the playground. Odious, self-centred and self-serving, their barbs are intended to damage and defame.
And yet while perpetrators might imagine their words are relatively harmless, they seldom are. The actions of keyboard warriors who dish out malice aforethought can have the most profound and damaging effects.
Education and stiff punishments for offenders are key. And as the ubiquity of the internet increases, so the resources devoted to both aspects must rise.
Steps are being taken – and the government is determined to make social networking companies more accountable. This is to be welcomed, but it can only be part of the answer. More must also be done at home and in schools to cut the abuse at source. And more must be done through our courtscriminal justice system to ensure that people can’t hide away from the consequences of their actions.
Of course, the issue of cyber bullying is relatively new.
Whereas once upon a time, bullying might happen in the schoolyard or on the way to and from school, in today’s world of all-pervasive technology, there is simply no escape.
Policing the internet is one of the great challenges facing politicians and society generally. Seen in that context, cyber bullying is incredibly difficult to control.
Yet it cannot be allowed to flourish. All too often parents feel powerless as they seek to protect their children. Removing access to technology is unrealistic in modern society and therefore educating both adults and children may be part of the solution. This would mean parents are better able to spot the signs of cyber bullying, while youngsters will be more aware of the risks – and what to do if they are a victim.
There have been too many tragedies and unsavoury episodes for the situation to go unchecked. We cannot allow youngsters to police the internet themselves. Nor can we allow youngsters to think there are no consequences to their actions.
If a youngster were to hit another or call a profane word in front of a teacher, he or she would be punished. The same should apply to slanderous, uncouth comments made via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or elsewhere.The internet has brought great opportunities. But it has also brought great challenges.
