Bullying ‘an issue of behaviour, not tech’
Forensic psychologist Dr Maureen Griffin — who runs courses for children, parents, and teachers based on online behaviour — described as “desperately sad” the weekend suicide of 13-year-old Erin Gallagher, despite the huge outcry following Ciara Pugsley’s death a month ago.
Both deaths have been attributed to bullying on the ask.fm website where comments about individuals can be posted anonymously.
“During sessions up and down the country over the past month, I met many teenagers who had closed their ask.fm accounts in the aftermath of Ciara Pugsley’s death,” she said.
“It’s appalling to think those girls kept on bullying Erin even though the effects of ask.fm cyberbullying were so clear following Ciara’s death.”
Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children director of services, Caroline O’Sullivan, said she now believed that “no child under the age of 16 should have access to smartphones”.
“I know this is a terribly old-fashioned thing to say but it should be adults who are setting the boundaries around technology and not children.
“There are a great many parents out there who just don’t seem to say no to their children yet their children can’t cope with what they are seeing and being told online.
“I would also strongly agree with phones being banned in schools. Why do they need them in school? If a child needs to be contacted, the school phone can be rang.”
She said there was a need for “parents to pull back on the amount of technology they are allowing their children to be exposed to”.
As for allowing children under 16 to have smartphones, she said it was up to each individual parent to judge how mature their child was.
“There are a parents out there who aren’t parenting. I’ve met some first years that are more mature than some parents I’ve met. Some parents are quite proud that children as young as 13 can use these sites, yet their children are being robbed of their childhood by being exposed to far too much online.
“Sorry, but for many parents, the internet is their new babysitter. They thinks its fine to have a 15-year-old online upstairs for hours on end.
“It’s not fine. It’s like giving the keys to a car to a 14-year-old and then wondering why they’ve crashed into the gable end of the house”.
Dr Griffin, who runs Internet Safety for Schools courses, believes children under the age of 13 should not have access to the internet on phones. For 13-year-olds upwards, it’s “about managing risk online”.
“Online bullying is not an issue of technology, it’s an issue of behaviour and there’s an Irish attitude to immediately say ‘my Johnny or Mary wouldn’t be doing that’. Well your child might not be being bullied, but your child might be the bully or your child might be the bystander that sits there and allows this appalling behaviour to continue.”
Earlier this month the 15-year-old, from Vancouver, Canada, gained international attention after tragically dying by suicide in a case linked to cyberbullying.
Her problems started at 13 when she and her friends started using webcams. At one point she flashed topless for a stranger.
Once the man had that “danger shot”, he attempted to bully her into taking more pictures. She refused, but the single shot was widely circulated online.
Amanda soon felt she had little choice but to move school.
The man then set up a fake Facebook page for her using the same topless shot.
Amanda ended up self harming and suffering from anxiety, and was put on anti-depressants as the bully was following her everywhere.
She moved city but traditional bullying kicked off then and she attempted suicide. Eventually, she took her own life this month.
At the same time as Amanda was going through her personal hell, 15-year-old Ciara was facing a similar fate.
The Irish girl was found in a wooded area near her home at Dromahair, Co Leitrim, in September.
An outgoing, sporty teenager, her parents had no idea that she was being bullied on ask.fm.
Among the messages Ciara received were that she was acting like she was depressed just to attract attention, that she was fat, and that she had no respect for herself.
The pretty girl’s friends only became aware of what was happening after Ciara went missing last month.
Gardaí have confirmed they are investigating the online messages and cyberbullying allegedly connected to her death.
Her father Jonathan has urged parents to wake up to what their children are experiencing online.
The Irish teen felt like she was in a movie when she first arrived at her American high school.
But the Massachusetts adventure became a nightmare for the 15-year-old, who was tormented to death by bullies.
Some schoolgirls ostracised Phoebe after a brief romance with a school footballer.
The taunts about her Irish accent soon escalated.
When the relationship ended, the bullies launched a cyberspace campaign, taunting her with vile text messages and Facebook postings.
On Jan 14, 2010, Phoebe was walking home when a girl passing in a car threw a drink can at her.
Phoebe then took her life.
Her death garnered worldwide attention and led to hugely publicised court cases resulting in nine students at the school being charged with offences including civil rights violations, statutory rape, and stalking.
