"According to a U.K. study by children's charity group NCH, one in five young people have been bullied via wireless phones or the Internet. The study found 14% of 11 to 19 year-olds had been threatened or harassed using text messages. Bullies used images taken with cameraphones to intimidate or embarrass one in 10 young people. The findings follow reports of 'happy slapping' attacks where assaults are recorded on wireless phones and sent via video messaging. (Source: BBC News)"
The question is - who is to blame, the mobile phone or the tendency of children to bully each other? There is a confluence of technology that makes certain behavior easier and more effective and the goals of the users of such technology that actually do not change, just become easier to achieve. It may be instructive to consider that bullying has been around for as long as there have been children. Children can be really cruel to each other as they learn adult lessons that way. It is possible to use technology to counteract bullying though, just the same. It simply has to become the goal of the adults around, those who are willing to use technology to further this goal. Or maybe things aren't so simple?
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