The Growing Problem of Cyberbullying

By State Representative Bill Adolph

Jeff Johnston was a 7th grade honors student with a wide circle of friends when the bullying began.  He endured two years of cyberbullying, including online posts from a class bully falsely accusing him of being gay and saying “he needs to die.”  Despite efforts by his mother to halt the cyberbullying and comfort her son, Jeffrey committed suicide at just 15 years of age. 

A note on his computer to his friends found after his death offers a glimpse into Jeff’s painful ordeal: "I'm just writing to tell you I won't be in school anymore. I decided to commit suicide because my life is too hard to live with." He was, for lack of a better explanation, bullied to death. 

Unfortunately, this tragedy is no isolated incident.  In Missouri, 13 year-old Megan Meier took her own life after a hateful internet campaign through the social website Myspace.com got out of hand.  In Vermont, 8th grader Ryan Halligan also committed suicide after being cyberbullied online.    

With the rise of the internet, instant messaging, cell phones, social websites, and chat rooms have become the new domain of the school yard bully.  And the consequences have been devastating.  According to a recent report released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, fully one-third of online teens reported that they were the victims of online harassment.  Another survey founded that incidences of cyberbullying increased more than 50 percent from 2000 to 2005.  While some of these incidents may be benign, others lead to depression, significant drops in school grades, and a feeling of isolation among victims. 

Cyberbulling can often be more severe for victims than traditional bullying due to a number of factors.  As the National Crime Prevention Council notes, cyber-bullying often takes place in a child’s home, robbing him or her of the one place or safe haven that they once had from traditional bullying.  Because it even takes place at a child’s home, the cyberbullying may seem inescapable.  Using the internet, bullies can now send rumors and attacks to the entire class or school with just a few clicks on the computer, making it much more far-reaching.  Cyberbulling also tends to be much harsher than traditional bullying, because it provides the bully with anonymity and because the bully does not see the personal reaction of their target. 

To combat this problem, 36 states have passed anti-bullying legislation, according to the watchdog organization Bully Police.  Pennsylvania is one of just 14 states that received a failing grade from the organization due to its lack of any law to combat bullying. 

While some school districts in Pennsylvania have attempted to address this issue on their own, it is a legally murky area.  Some schools that have attempted to discipline students for cyber-bullying off-campus have been sued for exceeding their authority and violating the free-speech of students.  Many other school districts have simply taken no action to combat this problem due to legal concerns.

In response to this growing problem, I have introduced legislation to combat cyberbullying in Pennsylvania.  Despite growing national attention to the problem, my bill is surprisingly the only anti-cyberbullying legislation currently before the Pennsylvania legislature.

Recognizing the challenges facing school districts and the need to provide some way to address this issue, my legislation will task the Department of Education with developing a model policy that can be implemented by school districts to deal with the rising trend of cyberbullying.  The model policy will also address the problem of traditional bullying based on nationally accepted best practices to deter and prevent such behavior. 

This legislation, House Bill 2657, is a first-step toward addressing this growing and troubling trend.  With laws in 36 other states already in place to combat this problem, Pennsylvania is woefully behind in taking action. 

Our schools should be welcoming places for our children, places where they should feel safe to learn, grow, and explore themselves.  Our schools should be places that are free of intimidation and harassment.  Sadly, that is not always the case.  It is my hope that this legislation will help us to achieve that goal.  

Representative Bill Adolph represents the 165th Legislative District, which includes portions of Marple, Radnor, Springfield, and Morton.