Cyberbullying: Cruel Intentions

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Ann Crewdson, Issaquah Library, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA -- School Library Journal, 12/20/2007

Cyberbullying: Cruel Intentions. video or DVD. 41 min. (closed captioned). Prod. by ABC News. Dist by Films Media Group. 2006, 2007 release. video: ISBN 978-1-4213-5930-4, DVD: ISBN 978-4213-5931-1. $129.95

Gr 9 Up–Cell phones, Web journals, My Space, and Zanga are all wonderful avenues for teen expression, but in the wrong hands, they can quickly turn to “weapons of mass destruction” in cyberspace. Internet hazing, text messaging, verbal lynchings, slanderous postings, and eavesdropping are only the tip of the iceberg. Vicious electronic ploys from stealing online screen names and phone records to blackmail by a cell phone camera are all too common. ABC’s Primetime explains how cyberbullying with technology can lead to an “electronic Lord of the Flies.” Both boys and girls are predisposed to the mean-spirit syndrome. But bullying by teenage girls is especially poignant, leading to depression, bulimia, and even suicide. An experimental lab set up by three developmental psychology professors from Brigham Young University studied the behavior of young Internet users. The findings revealed how easy it was to forget role play and how rapidly innocent chat could turn into sexual innuendo and foul play. Diane Sawyer debriefed these “nice kids” afterwards, and they expressed how surprised they were at their uncharacteristically mean behavior. In the case of Ryan Halligan, 13, realization and intervention came too late. Encouraged by a boy in a chat room, Ryan hung himself not long after the session. The film’s message to parents who have to cope with survivor guilt is to channel that anger into teaching others preventative measures and how to recognize signs of distress. Ryan’s father gives talks around the nation, urging parents to develop empathy in children by sharing the stories of the victims. An important addition to middle- and high-school library collections.