Cyber Bullying: Real Teen Stories (VIDEO)

Six out of 10 American teens witness bullying every day.

What if one movement set out to change that?

WeStopHate is a nonprofit program created by 17-year-old Emily-Anne Rigal to raise teen-esteem through online videos and social media.

Here are ten powerful videos from real teens on the WeStopHate YouTube Channel. If these inspire you, head over to the official site to play your part.

Comments

[sdcs15]

06:40 PM on 10/18/2011

Cyber bullying is a serious issue. According to the i-SAFE Foundation, more than half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online, and about the same number have engaged in cyber bullying. Fortunately, there is a mobile app called AmberWatch SafeText that permits parents to monitor their child’s mobile device for cyber bullying. You can find it pretty quickly with a Google search.

[prodemlib]

07:16 PM on 10/04/2011

Cyber bullying with or by kids is unacceptable. The cyber bullying done HERE by so-called adults is just silly, sick and offensive...especially when it's protected by certain mods

[Damon Berger]

06:32 PM on 10/04/2011

What you can do to prevent cyberbullying with Nick Kroll and Alison Haislip on What's Trending: http://bit.ly/bullyonline

[tamashi]

04:04 PM on 10/04/2011

while extereme bullying is not right, i think when done right it is good. For stuff which is out of one's control like i dunno looks or sexual problems obvioulsy it isnt right to bully, but stuff like being obese which one has control over, some amount of bullying will actually help in the teen making the right choices, eating right, exercising etc.

[madeashell]

05:23 PM on 10/04/2011

You are so wrong in allowing Bullying for over weight kids. In fact bullying of any kind is nothing but sadistic cruelty. Having grown up as an overweight kid it turns out it had nothing to do with my overeating but my parents not knowing how to feed a child correctly. They apologized later. Kids don't come with instructions. I over came the bullying, dropped the baby fat and swore I would never make fun of any one who is heavy. Listen to these kids-they have plenty to say but unfortunately adults like you are not listening. You're too concerned with 'how they look'.

[stcous]

05:25 PM on 10/04/2011

Extreme bullying is never 'done right', nor can it be justified by the perceived outcome. Bullying is always degrading, painful and is NEVER useful in addressing someone elses personal challenges or perceived 'shortcomings'.

Bullying by definition is meant to belittle and demean someone--many abusers convince themselves their behavior is "for the victims own good'. There is nothing beneficial about any kind of bullying--to suggest otherwise is terrible misunderstanding of what bullies do and how damaging it truly is.

[you238]

03:37 PM on 10/04/2011

I was bullied as a child. (Skinny, big ears, non-athletic)
I'm 64 now. Here's what I've found:
Most bullies are the victims of some sort of abuse. Usually in the home, by someone older. Usually their home lives are a hell that hey need to pass on to others. Bullies need help.
In many school systems there are psychologists whose job it is to spot these kinds of problems.

If you are a bullied child, report the problem. Know that bullies are basically in trouble themselves.
If you are a bully, get help. Get protection from the person who is abusing you.
Either way, don't try to shoulder the problem alone.
We need to stop making our children into victims.

[lemmyk73]

03:02 PM on 10/04/2011

Some good advice from these kids. But face facts- you can not stop bullying. It is a natural human behavior. That does not make it proper but it is not something that will ever go away.

[jungefrau]

03:59 PM on 10/04/2011

sadly, this is very true. and let's face it, bullying does not end with puberty. I have worked with bullies who have no problem screaming at people, jabbing them in the chest, threatening their jobs over ridiculous mistakes... it never ends. I've worked with vindictive men and women who seem to get up each day and think, "who can i relentlessly torture today?" and then go down their checklists of horror.

[lemmyk73]

04:31 PM on 10/04/2011

you are describing the Occupy Wall Street protesters....

but seriously, it is human nature for the strong to devour the weak. Circle of life and all.

[ProgressivePicon86]

05:19 AM on 10/04/2011

Great inspiration from these kids. Cyber bulling is a real threat to promising lives within America in the 21st century. we need to do what we can to stop it and make sure no one takes their life because of people that thrive on being vile.