Letters to the Editor for June 16, 2015
Online group a haven for cyberbullies
“The Beaches, Toronto” is a Facebook group dedicated to the Beach community. As of June 3, it had 7,969 members and growing.
The description for the group states that it is a “discussion group” and is not for the “faint of heart” and those who take online comments seriously.
Not a very welcoming message for someone who would just want to be more connected with their community.
Community Facebook groups are generally for small business promotion, spreading word of community events, buy/sell posts, and any other important information that members of the community need to know.
There’s no doubt this group was created with good intentions to bring the community closer together via social media.
Unfortunately, the group has turned into a battle royale with Beachers arguing and insulting each other daily, if not hourly.
We all know that the internet is full of arguments fought cowardly behind computer screens. The result? Cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying has become an epidemic and has caused serious trauma especially in young people. It is a new and deadly form of bullying that can cause extreme mental health issues that will follow a child for the rest of their lives.
The Beaches group is full of parents and other adults who likely have a relation to a child or teen in their lives.
Ninety per cent of parents are familiar with cyberbullying, Stop A Bully Canada reports. As a young person who recently graduated high school, cyber bullying is very real and affects more people than the average person would think. Stop A Bully Canada reports that nearly four in 10 social network users have been cyberbullied.
The comments made in the Beaches group are perfect examples of cyberbullying, setting an absolutely disgusting example for the younger generation.
Any level-headed person reading the most heated threads on the group would be shocked and appalled at some of the wildly offensive things that have been said. Insults about age, mental stability, parenting, intelligence, parking, dog leash laws …
The threads eventually turn into a personal argument between five to 10 people, completely steering away from the actual post itself. It’s concerning that these posts aren’t shut down immediately, as the arguments almost always spiral out of control.
The Beaches Facebook group has turned into a toxic adult cyber-bullying frenzy. It is hypocritical in the sense that adults are bullying each other – something that is considered an offence in their own children’s schools.
A discussion group not for the faint of heart. A discussion group not for people who take internet comments too seriously. How about telling that to parents who lost a child to suicide as a result of cyberbullying?
D.C.
