The Internet has provided a new method of communication for young people from all over the world. For most, online social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are an opportunity to share feelings about music, movies, school and anything else that kids tend to talk about with one another when they congregate.

But as kids gain a greater mastery over the online tools at their disposal, more and more are using these technologically advanced sites, and major consumer software programs, for an insidious purpose – namely, cyberbullying.

What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying occurs when one or more individuals use the Internet to inflict psychological harm on another individual. This can occur in many forms, including: using social media techniques to spread hurtful or untrue information about another individual, creating fake identities and using them to manipulate others, posting unwanted photos of an individual, or doctoring photos of an individual using PhotoShop or other photo editing software programs.

The sad case of Megan Meier

Recently, cyberbullying made headlines when a 13-year old girl from Missouri named Megan Meier committed suicide in her bedroom inside her parent’s home. An investigation found that Megan’s death was likely caused due to stress over being the target of a cruel cyberbullying incident.

Megan developed a relationship on MySpace with an individual who she thought was a new boy in the area, but turned out to be a cabal of other individuals from the neighborhood, including adults such as Lori Drews (who’s 13-year old daughter was once friends with Megan, but had gotten into a fight with her) and an 18-year-old temporary office worker who worked for Drews.

The group created an elaborate hoax to make Megan believe that she had a burgeoning relationship with the boy. When the plot was revealed for all to see, Megan was unable to deal with the humiliation and took her own life.

The state of Missouri had no cyberbullying laws at the time of Megan’s suicide and was therefore unable to prosecute Lori Drews or any of the other parties involved. Federal prosecutors working in Los Angeles however, saw the case as a clear cut violation of the Consumer Fraud and Abuse Act and stepped in to bring Drews up on charges for violating the terms and conditions of her MySpace account. That case is currently pending.

Bullying and young girls

This sad case is unique in that it involved an adult at the helm who should have known better, but the act of bullying has been around as long as there have been children. And while many individuals associate bully-behavior with boys, some of the most devastating instances of bullying occur with girls. What makes girl-girl bullying so harmful is that the age in which it is most likely to occur, say twelve to eighteen years old, is the time in which young women-to-be are dealing with a number of challenging issues regarding their bodies and self-image. Exposing them to high levels of emotional stress, such as those coming from being the target of a cyberbullying incident, can yield unpredictable and often tragic results.

The ACLU gets involved

And this incident is far from over. Recently, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has become involved in the case, concerned that in their haste to bring someone to justice for Megan Meier’s tragic death, Federal prosecutors will be setting a bad precedent, and that the door will open to prosecute (or investigate) anyone who innocently violates the terms and conditions of the websites they use. Like the federal case against Lori Drews, this case is pending as well.

Cyber bullying in the News | Video Update