6th Graders Post Video About Killing Classmate
What do you do when a group of sixth graders (11-12-year-olds) creates a video and posts it on YouTube showing six ways to kill one of their friends? The South Park-styled piece, set to the Miley Cyrus song, "True Friend" pictured fellow class member, Piper Smith, being hung, shot, pushed off a cliff, and more. This is wrong on so many levels that it’s hard to know where to begin. But here's a start: it’s hateful, bullying, and a total abuse of the privileges afforded by technology.
What do you do when a group of sixth graders (11-12-year-olds) creates a video and posts it on YouTube showing six ways to kill one of their friends? The South Park-styled piece, set to the Miley Cyrus song, "True Friend" pictured fellow class member, Piper Smith, being hung, shot, pushed off a cliff, and more. This is wrong on so many levels that it’s hard to know where to begin. But here's a start: it’s hateful, bullying, and a total abuse of the privileges afforded by technology.
Let’s start with the fact that kids can be cruel. Especially middle-school aged kids who are smack in the middle of figuring out where they fit in the social hierarchy, and who is “in” and who is “out.” But this is no longer a world where cruelty is confined to a passed note in class. The fact is that technology has given our kids superpowers that allow them to be both invisible and everywhere at once. Anything posted on YouTube can be seen by a vast, invisible audience.And not only that, this video was posted anonymously.
This is our kids’ reality. They have powers that outstrip their judgment. And they -- and we as their parents -- have a choice: They can use these powers for good or for ill. They have the right to free speech. But that right carries a responsibility. They have the privilege of powerful tools like the Internet. But tools can be used to create or destroy. Leaving that decision unattended in the hands of pre-adolescents results in what happened to Piper Smith.
Parents, in this age where kids create as much content as they consume, it’s up to us to make sure our children understand the consequences of their actions whether it’s face-to-face or through a Facebook wall-to-wall discussion. We have to help them use the wonders of technology (and they are wonders) with responsibility and care. Our kids are creating the society they will live in. We want that to be a civil, productive, ethical, responsible society. We want them to use common sense.
Talk to your kids today about their online and mobile lives. Tell them your values. Tell them that the Golden Rule applies everywhere and to everyone. We can’t hand our kids the keys to the kingdom without insuring that they will be good caretakers and creators of the world they are forming -- one text, one email, and one video at a time.
uhhhhhhhh that video was probaly a joke
Common Sense Media
Something similar happened to me. I created a trailer for a movie I never finished called "Gay Bongo" (I was more autistic at the time) and I posted it on the internet. Then, someone made this movie called "Kill Gay Bongo" in response to that, but the movie was unfinished and I never saw it. =P
I think Piper should ignore these bullies because now they are a criminal subject in the public and if they do another action like that, the police will take action.
Hearing about this video makes me sick. I'm a seventh grader and I cry at the thought of losing one of my friends. Where were the parents will the kids were making this video? Thsoe children need to have a serious discussion with parents and councilers. Overall, Hatred is a terrible thing and must be tooken care of.
I think this is really stupid and pathetic
That is simply disgusting, no two ways about it. However, there is no way to prevent any kids other than yours from doing that sort of thing. You can educate your child about the dangers and harm of doing something like that, but you have no control over the kid down the street.
This could be an opportunity to teach your kids that what others say doesn't matter. They need to be comfortable with themselves and who they are, and they can't let others dictate their opinions on anything, most importantly themselves. You can also talk about how all power isn't nessecarily good, and how there are consequences to everything you do.
Lastly, you can just take the easiest step and block your kids from posting things online, or even screen whatever they post. That might make them mad, but hey! If the parents of those 6th graders had done that, this wouldn't have happened.
I think this article is revelatory for many in one key respect: the real danger online is not predation but, rather, bullying. Online and offline behavior mirror one another, yet online (mis)behavior offers a veneer of protection since you need not meet your target face to face. That gives power to the bully in ways that in the past might have been afforded by sheer physical strength or the tyranny of the clique.
Casting blame is not helpful. Taking responsibility is. Parents, schools, faculty, administrators, in short- ADULTS need to educate themselves and then educate our kids. Schools play a role here and most of them shirk that role. Why is internet literacy any different from book literacy? There is a misguided assumption that kids understand all this "online stuff" and some of us go merrily on our way thinking that it's all just harmless texting, photo sharing, gossiping and general teenager behavior. And in probably about 98% of the cases, that is exactly what it is. But that does not excuse us from hiding behind our fears of technology, our "busy lives" or some other dodge to get out of learning what facebook is, what YouTube is, what twitter, texting and photobucket are.
Kids are kids and they always have been. This kind of behavior was not invented by the internet, but it is enabled by it. Of course it cannot be wiped out, no more than murder, war, famine or anything else. Being an active, engaged parent does not mean spying or snooping. It DOES mean learning the new language and being there to offer advice, counsel and, yes, maybe even punishment.
Here's more: http://bit.ly/tixv6
When are parents going to 'get' that this age is not capable of rational decisions and putting them unsupervised on the internet is just like putting a dangerous power tool in their hands? Children who were very responsible at age 10 (mine were) transform into those we don't even recognize at age 11-12 as they try to "fit in". Sadly, fitting in seems to require exclusion and, to the extreme in this case, elimination of others. Parents need to start (much earlier than middle school) instilling the idea that putting others down is NOT the way to feel good about ourselves - that's just not acceptable. But, back to internet issue...parents would not send their kids out to drive a car(we hope)at this age.... why would they let their children on the internet unsupervised? Both are dangerous, but necessary, tools in today's world. Unfortunately internet access is already required by school and there is a need for it's use. Computers should be kept where parents can easily monitor children's activities while they are logged on. It's more work for us but, just as we monitored them when they took their first steps, we need to closely monitor as they go out into the world via cyberspace. It's our job!
Because of their ages they aren't exactly afforded the same rights in full as adults. Simply because they aren't mature enough to not abuse them in extreme ways as mentioned in this article.
First I have to say that YouTube must also share some of the responsiblity for this type of thing. But far too many parents are so utterly clueless about what is going on with their own children. And when they do find out they desperately attempt to downplay how bad the situation really is. And this is very bad. They are putting out something dangerous and potentially lethal on the internet. Who's to say they weren't considering their actions. And since many have, we have to at least believe in the possibility. I see this as a threat. And it must be handled and never allowed. For the sake of the threatened child (if she's real) and those that made the video. It says a lot about the girls that made it. And as a parent I'd be horrified to learn if it were one of mine. We are missing something. Some parents are forgetting to teach the simplest of lessons. Empathy for one. And that's not just PC mumbo-jumbo. It's what humans do that other animals do not! However my dog is more empathetic than these girls. Very sad world we're in.