Stop Cyber Bullies

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is the government agency I am most interested in because it regulates the aspects of media communications that I have been involved with either through my work or through personal interests. I have primarily a two-fold interest in the FCC and it's role in Internet usage. First, I am an avid user of media technology, from home computers to mobile devices to wifi notebooks to HD video production tools and devices. I use the technology in my work, creating content both for clients and for my own personal satisfaction. Insofar as my finances permit, I try to keep abreast of the advances in media technology, acquiring when I can, products that will enhance my knowledge and which will help me navigate the current landscape. Secondly, I have a child who just became a teenager and who is already quite adept at using certain available technologies specifically digital video production.

My child has a laptop, a cell phone, an iPod; she uses the Internet for schoolwork, texts, engages in social media networking, produces her own MTV clips and has her own YouTube channel. I have tried to share whatever I know and have learned about new technologies and media with her and am very pleased that she is learning to adapt rapidly to the techno-digital revolution presently occurring. At the same time, I have serious concerns about the proliferation and availability of inappropriate content, especially on the Web. I have concerns about what is seen on TV sometimes, particularly in the commercials aimed at kids. I am deeply concerned about the presence of online predators who lurk behind 'socially friendly' facades on the social media sites. It is primarily for these reasons that I am interested in the FCC as a regulatory agency, as it would be the conduit through which rules governing multimedia content dissemination would be promulgated. As a parent, I want to keep my child "state-of-the-art" in her techno-media savvy. As a parent, I need to have my child protected from potential harm from unsavory media vultures.

The comment I would have submitted touches particularly on the harmful effects that social media networking may have on children and teenagers.

Electronic harassment and intimidation or ‘cyber-bullying’ is a clear and present danger to the youth of this country. Since the advent of the Internet and more recently social media networking sites, there has been a rise in teen suicides directly attributed to cyber-bullying. In this year alone, there have a number of these cases, one so cruel in that the online teasing and harassment continued even after the teen’s death. The perpetrators, or cyber- bullies, are emboldened by the anonymity the Web offers. In social media sites, they can hide behind aliases, usernames and fake biodata to pursue menacing, insidious activities and harassment of innocent victims.

I think there should be no delay in passing a law that makes this sort of cyber-bullying a felony or a federal crime. I believe there are already a number of states that have local laws prosecuting online harassment and intimidation.