Students at Gulfport Central Get Lesson About Cyber Bullying

It’s no secret, middle school is where it all begins with gossip and rumors in the hallways, but now those negative comments are making their way to the pages of the internet for everyone to see. That’s why the Attorney General’s office is trying to inform students of the harmful consequences their words can have before it’s too late.

Aaliyah Daughtrey is a 7th grader at Gulfport Central Middle School. She says cyber bullies take rumors from school or someone’s personal life and puts them on social media for everyone to see. Daughtrey says, "They have a low self-esteem and they want other people to, they want to bring other people down to their level. I honestly think some may stop bullying, some may not."

Makia Triplett, another 7th grader, says, "Basically because they think it’s funny and they think it’s you know, cute."

Cyber bullying is the use of technology to repeatedly harm or harass others in a deliberate manner. Tuesday, the Attorney General’s cybercrime division taught the middle school students about the harmful effects of cyber bullying. Trai Moore, another 7th grader, says, "It could really affect someone’s future and it can make them feel bad, really bad."

The students also learned about the legal consequences of cyber bullying, which could lead to time behind bars and hefty fines. Even worse, their words could cause someone to harm themselves. Triplett also says, "I don’t want to go to jail, and I don’t want anyone to kill themselves. After that video we watched, I was about to cry. It’s sad, really sad."

The presentation tries to encourage students to stick up for one another. Trai says he tries to instill the Golden Rule in himself and his classmates. Moore also says, "Yeah, there is a lot of bullying, but see I don’t mess with nobody, and nobody messes with me, and if somebody messes with somebody else, I tell them not to do that because you don’t want someone to do that to you."

According to Daughtrey, the most important lesson the students learned Tuesday is that they can always go to a counselor or teacher about their at home or school problems. Daughtrey closes, "So that way, they know teachers and any other adult they trust will talk to you and give you options on how you can solve your problem."

The presentation also urges students not to share explicit information or photographs of themselves, because nothing is truly deleted in cyberspace.