Virtual-world actions, real-life consequences

The Nassau County district attorney’s office has created a new program to deal with the growing number and severity of cyber-bullying incidents, and presented the program to Hewlett High School ninth- and 10th-graders on Dec. 9.

Called S.T.O.P., Then Send, the program produced by the office’s Technology Crimes Unit seeks to explain to both children and adults the dangers of posting inappropriate material in emails or on social networking sites, such as suggestive, sexual texts — known as “sexting” — or explicit photographs.

STOP stands for “study” the message, “think” of others, “only” send if appropriate and “photographs” are forever. The program is a multimedia presentation that uses real-life incidents to bring its message home.

“What we saw was an increase of calls to my office by concerned parents about the bullying of their children,” said D.A. Kathleen Rice, who noted that unlike the schoolyard bullying of years past, when an adult was usually standing by to moderate a dispute, electronic actions are unseen by parents and other authority figures.

“There is an alarming lack of accountability,” Rice said, contrasting cyber-bullying, where inappropriate material can be sent to many people very quickly, with what was once a first-hand, face-to-face problem.

According to figures presented by Assistant D.A. Brian Heid in a nearly 90-minute presentation at Hewlett High, four out of five teenagers have been bullied, and one out of 10 have done some electronic bullying.

The program was presented to the school’s juniors and seniors the following day.

Surveys also show that at least four out of five teens carry some type of wireless device, and that these devices are second in importance only to clothing among teens, Heid noted. Two out of five teenagers have sent suggestive texts, and one out of five have sent photos of themselves naked or semi-naked, which, Heid added, is possession of child pornography.

The program appeared to have an immediate impact on sophomore Destiny Jones, an iPhone owner and laptop user, who said she was running home to delete information from her Facebook page. “The little information I have up there, [people] can find out a lot about me,” said Jones, who added that she has argued with friends about committing cyber-bullying. “He told us stuff we never knew,” she said of Heid’s presentation.

Explaining that people can hide their real identity when emailing, texting or communicating in a chat room, Heid said, “Anyone who contacts you on the Internet may not be who they say they are.”

To prove that point, one of the presentation’s three examples of cyber-bullying focused on a woman who impersonated a 15-year-old boy to communicate with a 13-year-old girl the woman thought had gossiped about her daughter. The chat messages grew increasingly insulting, and the 13-year-old ultimately committed suicide.

“Cyber-bullying leads to depression and suicide,” Heid said. “Nobody ever deserves it.”

Anthony Iannuci, a freshman who uses a computer, sends texts and has a Facebook page, said he was amazed by the power of negative posts. “Yes, I will realize they affect others and how people have to be responsible for saying those things,” he said.

Sophomore Simon Greebel, who uses a laptop, sends texts and has a Facebook page, said he was cyber-bullied but was able to put a stop to it. “[The program] definitely affected me,” Greebel said, adding that he learned about how material remains on the computer’s hard drive and can still be used against you.

The State Legislature is beginning to address cyber-bullying, but Rice said that the legal remedies for these acts are lacking. “We could charge, if the facts support it, harassment or aggravated harassment,” she said.

Though it does not spell out specific penalties for cyber-bullying, the Dignity for All Students Act, which was signed into law by Gov. David Paterson in September and goes into effect on July 1, 2012, aims to help ensure that educators have the tools and resources to provide all students, especially those targeted by bullies, an educational environment where they can succeed.