Facebook Comment Prompts Arrests In Cyberbullying Suicide Case

An anonymous reader writes "The NY Times reports on the arrests of two girls, ages 12 and 14, who allegedly harassed another 12-year-old girl who committed suicide. The girls are facing third-degree felony charges, and the police involvement was spurred by a comment on Facebook by the older of the two. 'In Internet shorthand it began "Yes, ik" — I know — "I bullied Rebecca nd she killed herself." The writer concluded that she didn't care, using an obscenity to make the point and a heart as a perverse flourish. Five weeks ago, Rebecca Ann Sedwick, a seventh grader in Lakeland in central Florida, jumped to her death from an abandoned cement factory silo after enduring a year, on and off, of face-to-face and online bullying. ... Brimming with outrage and incredulity, the sheriff said in a news conference on Tuesday that he was stunned by the older girl's Saturday Facebook posting. But he reserved his harshest words for the girl's parents for failing to monitor her behavior, after she had been questioned by the police, and for allowing her to keep her cellphone.'"

Comments

This

[barlevg]

But he reserved his harshest words for the girl's parents for failing to monitor her behavior

Children are sociopaths until they learn better / their frontal lobes finish developing. It's the parents who are at fault here.

Re:This

[ClassicASP]

I agree with the frontal lobe thing. I remember being bullied in Junior High. Some of my worst years in life were spent there. I don't like going back there because it brings back bad memories. I feel bad for kids going through the same thing because I'm sure technology has made the experience much worse today than it was back in my day. The truth is that kids have their own little privately-run societies in school (on a social plane) that the adults are quite powerless to have any real control over. And by granting them access to the internet, they wield a weapon that can be used to cause great harm to one another on that plane. Perhaps the internet should be regulated like Alcohol and Tobacco, where access is permitted only once a certain age of maturity has been reached. Not that I condone smoking or claim that setting an age limit has prevented drunk driving, but think of where we would be today had we legalized those kinds of things for minors. We've let them use the internet, and this "bullying" epidemic is what it has led up to. Perhaps change is in order and this is one of those lessons that should go in the history textbooks.

Re:This

[msauve]

Or instead, maybe simply expect parents to be responsible parents, instead of dual-income welfare providers.

Re: This

[goose-incarnated]

Kill yourself. Drink some bleach and die. Now. Do it now. Now. Now. Now. Uh. Did I just commit a felony?

It's interesting that in this age of near-universal anonymity that people take pride in being arseholes. Do you take similar pride in being stupid? Do you proudly walk around saying "Hey, if I'm unable to perform simple arithmetic that's your fault"? Hmm? But here you (and others) are, proudly going around saying "I'm unable to fit into society and live by its rules, and anyone who faces the fallout... well, it's their fault for being thin-skinned and not my fault for being stupid..

Re:And I blame my parents

[nospam007]

"Yes, lets rant about how prissy the 12 year old girl was for taking her own life. Because we all know 12 year olds (girl or boy) are capable of handling things like an adult should, in your perfect world."

I thought 12 year olds weren't allowed on FB, I'd sue FB, they have more money.