In the hands of mean teens, cell phones becoming WMDs

"Human communications have become increasingly superficial," sighs Yasuko Nakamura to Aera magazine's March issue, reports Mainichi Daily News.

"Nakamura, president of Boom Planning, has been tracking youth fads for over two decades. And she has noticed lately that among teens, use of ubiquitous cell phones has been shifting from voice conversations to mail messaging to posting of personal profiles on SMS sites.

Just a bunch of kids, enjoying some innocent fun, right? Er, no. The heady mixture of teen hormones and IT seems to be generating the high-tech versions of the lynch mob.

... In Japan, "gakko ura saito" (clandestine school sites), have created a new form of group bullying that's spurring a whole generation of anonymous slanderers who make old-fashioned bullies and meanies seem almost preferable by comparison.

After all, in old-style "ijime," at least you know who your tormentor is. The electronic version is just as vicious, if not more so, because electronic communications afford complete anonymity. And of course it's far more difficult for school authorities to intervene, let alone identify the instigators or implement disciplinary measures."

emily | 1:40 PM | Bullying by SMS |
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