Cyber Brats: Bullies Who Taunt Their Peers with the Click of a Mouse

Electronic threats, menacing messages. It’s bullying taken to a new level and kids as young as 10 are using the Internet to make life miserable for their schoolmates.

These tech-savvy imps remain elusive by signing on with alias screen names or using computers in public places. They invade chat rooms or instant message their targets with such warnings as "Watch your back."


Some bullies spread rumors that are sexual in nature about kids they don’t like.




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They post them on Web sites designed as virtual "slam books." Adding insult to injury, these sites link to dozens of schools, where thousands of other kids can log on, read the rumors and then add their own remarks about the subject or their own chosen target. Parents and educators representing nearly 100 middle and high schools in Southern California recently fought to have one such Web site, Schoolscandals.com, shut down. According to the Los Angeles Times, parents described the content as "libelous and harmful" and as having a "painful effect on youngsters."


Although bullying face-to-face still seems to be the preferred method of intimidation, experts say that Internet bullying is on the rise everywhere, and that includes Long Island.


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