Florida Teens Charged With Bullying Fellow Student On Facebook

ESTERO, Fla. — Two teenage girls have been charged under Florida's law against cyberbullying after authorities say they created a Facebook account in a classmate's name and posted a faked nude photograph of her.

The 16- and 15-year-old high school students were charged Wednesday after a lengthy investigation into two Facebook accounts created in April. They each face a felony charge of aggravated stalking under a 2008 law passed after a student suicide blamed on bullying.

Officials say the accounts included a photo of a nude female doctored to add the victim's head.

Authorities say the victim was ridiculed by classmates after the pages became active.

The teens have been ordered to serve 21 days of home confinement and will be arraigned on the charges Feb. 8.

___

Information from: Naples Daily News, http://www.naplesnews.com

Comments

[Kiska Lucas]

01:39 PM on 01/21/2011

A couple of quick questions...

Why are these 'students' not charged with child pornography since the picture had a transposed head of a minor?

Has Social Services invested the time to investigate the families of the alleged bully's? Sometimes, bullying behavior is indicative of a home life that is less than kosher.

Depending on the nature of the bullying it may have been at school as well and bled over onto the internet. If so, the school is responsible for reprimanding the behavior.

[carnitine]

04:01 AM on 01/19/2011

and why wasn't Ricky Gervias charged?

[Am-I-Dreaming]

04:43 PM on 01/18/2011

"The teens have been ordered to serve 21 days of home confinement "

Ummm, I would like to suggest that these problems probably started at home. Where the computer is. When parental oversight probably isn't. All they are getting during the three weeks of home confinement, I would imagine, is support and reinforcement that they are the victims of an overzealous school administration. It would have been nice if the sentence had included a complete ban on electronic interactions: no computer time, no cell phone time, no texting, no iTouch, no iPad, and a warning they'd be hauled off to juvie for violating it. They'd likely go a bit mad not being able to know what is being said about them in realtime. Just removing them physically from the situation does little these days. It's the online presence that is a key element of the problem.

And to poster Checq: not all parents at PTA meetings are the Queen Bees. Some of us go to find out what's going on at the schools, and to inject a fresh opinion into discussions that would otherwise be foregone conclusions because of the dominance of the QBs. I know that every time I walk into a PTA meeting, you can practically hear the eyeballs roll. "Here comes that woman who didn't get the memo....." I draw strength from it. Clearly, I'm doing something necessary and right if they don't want me there.

[Am-I-Dreaming]

04:45 PM on 01/18/2011

Sorry, that should have been "where" parental oversight probably isn't.....

[Checquoline]

11:03 AM on 01/16/2011

Has anyone ever observed parents at PTA meetings? I rest my case.

[Dewts]

01:32 PM on 01/15/2011

to the girl being bullied: turn off facebook.
to the parents of the bullying girls: beat your children.

[PatchyFog]

10:38 AM on 01/16/2011

I'm not sure if you are being sarcastic in this response or not. Nevertheless, abstaining from facebook does absolutely nothing: "Authorities say the victim was ridiculed by classmates after the pages became active." Anyone can do the same to you regardless if you are on the site or not.

As to the parents of the bullies, I'd be lying if I said I wish you hadn't suggested it just because of my anger with the little punk-lets. But a more appropriate step would be for ALL parents to have access to and to read their child's postings. There are no privacy issues here--if they are under 18, parents are as responsible for their childrens' public speech whether online or in a grocery store.

[OliveGage]

12:19 PM on 01/15/2011

To fix bullying in schools I think we need to change the school culture. Bullying is sometimes called 'peer discipline' or 'leadership'. We know 'soccer moms' are a pretty awful contribution to soccer, but we approve parent involvement in the classroom. Movies like 'The Breakfast Club' seem to imply the kids will just work it out on their own without adult intervention.

Its horrible to be trying immature punks in the media for felony crudeness. While we certainly want to teach kids to address abuse and encourage kindness, it needs to start with acknowledging the issues of adult bullying in schools. Adults require consistent observation and training to avoid this dark slope. Kids will not take the system seriously if bullying is OK for adults and used to administer discipline via peer leadership.

* Get parents out of the school. The soccer mom mentality generates ethnic narcissist bullying and my kid bullying.

* Do not use 'peer discipline' in school. This is a form of bullying and get a lot of funding as 'leadership training'.

* Encourage professional review of the work kids produce in school to antisocial behavior early. Effective punishment is not draconian or a peer attack. Milder rewards and punishment that require early intervention are more effective.

I think that schools have become extreme in kid empowerment. Kids need a shorter lease with more adult authority.

[Dewts]

01:34 PM on 01/15/2011

more parent involvement is a good thing, not the opposite.

agreed with peer discipline.

and no, government shrinks judging children's schoolwork looking for any antisocial thinking is orwellian.

[redsquirell]

07:06 PM on 01/16/2011

Search "teen screen". The drug companies seem to want all kids evaluated and put on meds.

[libnlandofthelost]

04:55 AM on 01/16/2011

I agree that kids need shorter leashes. Adults and children are not the same, and do not enjoy the same responsibilities, and that is what discipline is about.
Peer review in professional situations can get iffy sometimes. My experience with school peer committees is that the same kids who get appointed or elected to any other leadership or service position get tagged to sit on peer discipline committees. It is still about popularity.
My child was one of the kids who got nominated for positions like this.
I think that peer feedback is a way to give the kids a voice, but kids aren't adults, and don't have the same capacity for sound judgment.
IF a school is going to adopt a peer disciplinary process it needs to have judicious oversight by a member of administration or senior faculty, not a parent
Parents who participate in any peer process need to understand how vital confidentiality is to the integrity of the process.

[thecreeksedge]

10:51 AM on 01/15/2011

It's hard to understand how any thinking adult can excuse or defend those who engage in bullying. This kind of aggressive "me first -- attack others -- defend yourself" mentality has no place in a civilized society. It rewards those who are able to rely on raw physicality -- or in the case of cyber-bullying its equivalent -- and places those who cannot or choose not to relate to others on that basis in an inferior position. That mentality gives greater precedence to the "rights of myself" than the "rights of others." It encourages alliances of the strong that work to the detriment of the weak.
Defending the actions of these girls and others who use technology to persecute others is the equivalent of siding with corporations who engage in dangerous or reckless practices who would seek to prohibit class-action suits of those they injure. It's OK for the rich and powerful to band together to perpetrate wrongful acts, but you must protect yourselves as individuals. And, society, or even parents, should not seek to intervene.
Teaching individual self-reliance is fine, but when the victim uses other forms of technology -- like guns -- to retaliate, we shouldn't be surprised.

[Rick Somers]

01:06 PM on 01/15/2011

"me first -- attack others -- defend yourself mentality" is the reality!!! don't raise kids to live in a fantasy world that does not exist..

[WYHKTai-Tai]

02:27 AM on 01/16/2011

It exists because you make it exist.

[redsquirell]

07:26 PM on 01/16/2011

We sure seem to reward that sort of attitude in the media and sports. Most people do not make millions of dollars or survive "Survivor" by being passive and considerate of others. Somewhere in the middle is pretty good, poor people and rich people seem to be equally miserable. I will not do "anything" to win or make a lot of money; I can not check my concience or humaness at the door and pick it up on the way home. Thank God most of us will not allow this to be our complete reality, but it certainly is a big part. Be sure and find time for fun if you don't already.

[-swift]

10:37 AM on 01/15/2011

It's funny. You put bullying in the title of an article, and people sort themselves out into their camps, some clearly without even reading the details.

"Kids just gotta toughen up!"

"Send those bullies to jail!"

"I blame the parents!"

I would suggest that the digital age is changing our world in many ways. Some simple and obvious. Some subtle and complex. And we all need to clear away how things were in our childhood and focus on how things are now.

Almost everyone seems to agree that what these kids did was wrong on some level. Only the ones who talk like they're being played by William Zabka in an 80's movie (Sweep the leg, Johnny!) seem not to care. But they are responding with things like "When I was a kid...". I think we need to think about the situation with these kids and how it is for them now. We need to take a look at how social media works in these situations.

I've offered some of my thoughts in other comments. But I'm inviting you to move past your childhood memories and think of this situation in Florida as something separate and new. Try to be objective. Try to remember that on both sides of the situation are children.

[eric14]

10:53 AM on 01/15/2011

And now you might consider moving on and telling us what you want to happen in cyber-bullying cases.

[childofTHANATOS]

12:17 PM on 01/15/2011

I think a modest fine and community service in funny orange suits is enough for such a trivial offense. What do you think is appropriate?

[-swift]

02:53 PM on 01/15/2011

I was hoping for others to express ideas as well. Community service is best. I would also add a ban from the internet for several months.

I would also like to see mandatory parent training courses assigned to parents. Again, expensive. But I think the worst parents need it, and the best parents would understand that there may be something new to learn.

[SeptimusDSX]

09:56 AM on 01/15/2011

Cyberbullying? Seriously?

[-swift]

10:01 AM on 01/15/2011

Seriously. To teenagers and many younger people, online social sites are just as real as if you were talking to them in person. If you are one of the "bullying is no big deal" types. Try viewing it as a case of identity theft. Maybe then it will seem more serious.

[SeptimusDSX]

11:11 AM on 01/15/2011

Threats and harassment should be looked into, but can't parents of the kids involved be adults and sort it out? Why do you need a law that cannot be enforced? Any script-kiddie can circumvent detection. Should we bring in the NSA forensics team to sort things out?

[Rick Somers]

01:09 PM on 01/15/2011

OMG, it was a teen prank! Hurting someone's feelings is not a crime!

[axt113]

10:35 AM on 01/15/2011

Indeed, its a serious problem in this day and age, and I'm glad these punk kids are being dealt with

[Rick Somers]

12:59 AM on 01/15/2011

In our Top Story: Two teenage boys in Florida have been arrested for ringing doorbells and running. The two teens hatched their plan on facebook and each face a felony charge of aggravated stalking under a 2008 Florida law. Supporters of the law say it does not go far enough, and called for the 2 teen boys to be lynched. Sara Palin tweeted to her followers that the teens "blood libel" for their actions. This following comments earlier today by Senator Joseph Lieberman and Vice President Joe Biden that the boys "are domestic terrorists" and should be charged under much stiffer anti-terrorism laws established after 9/11. A spokesperson for the Justice Department confirmed that they are in the process of investigating ways to send the teens to Guantanamo Bay. Appearing on Rachel Maddow show was left-wing radical Michael Moore who suggested it was acceptable behavior for teenage boys, and argued that the laws were being used out of context as weapons of fear to scare the teenage boy population. Women's Rights groups were quick to denounce Moore's comments and issued a statement saying he should be castrated.

[VTrebelrocker]

01:52 AM on 01/15/2011

i'd like to see you talk face to face with the parent's of a kid who killed themselves due to this kind of behavior.

[-swift]

10:05 AM on 01/15/2011

Ringing a doorbell and running is an anonymous act witnessed only by the people involved. Creating a facebook account in someone's name and posting fake nude pictures of them is the opposite of anonymous. It is, and should be, legal.

[teaksmama]

11:41 AM on 01/15/2011

i'm hoping you meant to say it is, and should be, ILLEGAL

[Rick Somers]

01:15 PM on 01/15/2011

I hate that people are so willing to give up liberties in exchange for security. That's protected by the First Amendment, if you don't like it, move to Russia!

[deepfreezevideo]

12:17 AM on 01/15/2011

Last week I walked into the office of the school where my son has been bullied for the last two years. No matter what my wife and I have tried, nothing worked.
They paid lip service and the next day the bullying, taunting and harassment continued.
I threw down a phone book sized sheaf of paper containing documentation of every bullying incident since he was in 6th grade, plus copies of bullying statutes in several states including our own, and the business card of an attorney who sues schools for living. I told them that the next time anything happens, we will be in court.
(He has a very good win ratio)
The next day, SIXTEEN KIDS were suspended and five were EXPELLED, and the teachers have been calling and emailing every day, talking about the steps they've taken in their classrooms to prevent bullying. The principal and the superintendent of the district have also stopped by the house and explained in detail how they intend to fix the problem.

[Rick Somers]

01:21 AM on 01/15/2011

Maybe if you raised your kids to be adults who will live in the real world someday, there would be 5 other children still getting an education. What makes your kid's feelings more important than those 5 kid's future? Oh, because you threatened to sue an already cash strapped system, and deprive them of more books, supplies, staff, after school programs, etc... Go you! You're so cool!

[VTrebelrocker]

01:51 AM on 01/15/2011

i teach and i know how bullies act in the classroom even when they're not bullying and chances are those 5 kids were depriving everyone in their classes from the education they deserve due to their idiotic behavior!

[axt113]

10:38 AM on 01/15/2011

Those kids lost their rights to education

[Godheard SentU]

01:57 AM on 01/15/2011

Why don't teachers want to deal with bullying?
There's little in teacher training that prepares teachers to deal with bullying. Schools do not have
training budgets to train staff to deal with bullying. Whilst some teachers are able to deal with
bullying, many are not. Teachers are the largest group of callers to my UK National Workplace Bullying Advice Line and in almost every case the bully is the head teacher with the behaviour profile of a serial bully.

When there's a bully on the staff, the good teachers (the majority) become
disempowered and disenfranchised and cannot, despite their best efforts, deal with bullying.
If bullying is rife in the staff room it's likely to be rife in the playground, and vice-versa.

Information from Bully OnLine may be reproduced freely for non-commercial purposes.
http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/index.htm

[JRsNana]

05:30 PM on 01/14/2011

Hope their stay at a nice facility will help them figure out what they did wrong. But I doubt it. They'll think they're victims. Bullies always thing they're victims when they're called out.

[Rick Somers]

01:30 AM on 01/15/2011

Everyone can pursue happiness, but there is no right to it! Prosecuting teenagers and destroying their young lives is much more horrifying and permanent than some kid's hurt feelings.

[xanxia]

07:23 AM on 01/15/2011

Of course. And im not going to mention the kids that committed suicide and the impact it has on their parents and the community and the people that care about them. It's not really that horrifying and permanent.

[axt113]

10:41 AM on 01/15/2011

Boohoo, they need to learn that life is hard, and when you do the crime, you pay the time

[sanang]

05:00 PM on 01/14/2011

When I was a kid back in the 50's bullying was unheard of, didn't see it. I think kids have too much time on their hands these days maybe they should be working parttime thereby getting away from a COMPUTER! These kids could be doing a lot of good as in helping at food banks, etc. parents should pay more attention.

[TeeSC]

07:40 PM on 01/14/2011

You've got a point.  I'm a tad bit after you and I don't remember ANY serious bullying. 

[deepfreezevideo]

12:21 AM on 01/15/2011

Baloney.
Sorry but bullying has been around since the dawn of recorded history.
There have been schoolyard bullies since there were schoolyards.
The difference is, in the old days you could show up before school with your extended family and whoop the tar out of the bully.
Nowadays if that happened arrests would be made, so instead we have to SUE.

[chicamorena]

04:20 PM on 01/14/2011

Three years in a juvie jail should straighten them out.

[DetroitDraper]

08:15 PM on 01/14/2011

Three years in jail because they cracked jokes on another student? You cant be serious. When I was young it was called toughen up. Someone joked on you you either joked on them or got thick enough skin to not care what others thought either or. While it isnt technically "right" its definitely not a crime.

[chicamorena]

08:37 PM on 01/14/2011

Bullying is not "cracking jokes". Those kids need to be made an example of.

[Jasel]

10:11 PM on 01/14/2011

There's "cracking jokes" and then there's bullying. There are way too many kids killing themselves these days because so many people think bullying "isn't a big deal" and doing nothing about it.

[Sarita1225]

08:21 PM on 01/14/2011

Although they need to be punished, serving time is not the answer. They need a long community service, hopefully being exposed to people much less fortunate than they are, so that they can learn and grow from this experience and not have it completely ruin their lives. There are enough people locked up for far too long in our jails.

[chicamorena]

08:36 PM on 01/14/2011

Community service is a joke to kids like these. They need to do time.

[Jasel]

10:12 PM on 01/14/2011

Community service is nothing.

[giono]

03:58 PM on 01/14/2011

Always the best and brightest here in FL ...