I remember back in elementary school when a couple of schoolmates kept getting dragged into the principal’s office for teasing a kid that lived just down the street from them. The kid was lower income and seemed a little bit slow (this was back before special education really took hold) so I guess these two were tired of torturing insects or maybe they just got more delight from picking on a weaker kid.

Point is that harassment and bullying seemed more straightforward 30 years ago. It was done face-to-face or through the friends connection. Either way it was easier to find the instigator, reprimand and correct the situation.

In the new millennium there’s now a multitude of ways to attack, harass and bully. Voice message, text message, sexting, Facebook, tweets, happy slapping are just a few of the ways kids can attack, harass and belittle others.

As educators, parents and just responsible adults we need to be aware of the new forms of harassment, bullying and cyber-intimidation in today’s digital age. If you’re not aware of the new forms of harassment I would strongly suggest researching quality posts such as http://www.ohio-forum.com/2014/02/privacy-and-sexual-harassment-in-the-digital-age-march-13/ to gain more information about what is out there and what can be done.

I would also like to hear about your new wave harassment bullying or cyber-intimidation stories. The more we share, stay informed and stay involved the better chance we have of minimizing these occurrences.