UK Schools Will Fight Cyberbullying

Plutonite writes "The BBC is running a story on UK schools being told by the education minister to fight cyberbullying, by which they mean bullying with the aid of (network-based) technology. Schools have been told to confiscate mobile phones, and, more controversially, to investigate and get material removed from personal social-networking sites. Are schools supposed to be doing this as an extension of their duty to prevent physical bullying in school, or is this is yet another example of governmental intervention where it is not due? Should kids be brought up knowing that their life on the web is being documented and controlled by people other than their parents?"

Comments

Remember: This is the UK, not the US.

[Ungrounded Lightning]

... is this is yet another example of governmental intervention where it is not due?

When considering government interference with free speech and balancing this with libel and other criminal written speech, please remember that the schools and government in question are in the UK.

The UK government does NOT have a constitutional guarantee of a right to free speech and freedom of the press. Its libel laws are quite different from those of the US as well. (It's one of the major differences between the legal systems of the two - in the US truth is an absolute defense aganst claims of defamation, and "public figures" have an extra burden of proving deliberate malace when bringing a charge.)

Now the question was about whether such intervention was PROPER. IMHO that doesn't vary as you cross The Pond - though others may disagree. But what's LEGAL, what's standard governmental practice, and the theoretical underpinnings behind decisions and reasoning about them DO differ drastically. So what the courts will let the government get away with, and how to go about getting them to force the government to back off, will also differ greatly.

Re:Personal experience in the UK

[Arthur B.]

Community service? The kid didn't harm "the community" he harmed you, any damage he owes he owes to you, not to the community. You should also have the option to punch him in the nose, if he believes its ok to do it, then it must be ok to receive it.