“Social Media and Bullying” Keep Children Alive
by William Jackson, M.Ed.
Blogger, Speaker, Educator, Parent
@wmjackson
The recent suicide deaths of youth, teens and young adults is
alarming across the country. Even more disturbing the increase
of African American teens that historically do not attempt
suicide, but the numbers are increasing beyond whites of the
same ages.
The deaths of 14 year old Naika Venant and 8 year old Gabriel Taye
is another wake up call for parents to work to strengthen relation-
ships with their children that provides open conversation and to
stay connected with schools.
This is also a message to schools that more needs to be done to
prevent these deaths by including professional development to
students so they understand how to prevent and even cope.
Bullying is consistently in the news, on Social Media and even the
subject of movies and YouTube videos. Educational systems seem
to band-aid the situation not address it head on because there is
little or no collected and categorized data.
In the recent “Social Media and Bullying” worship at Abyssinia
Baptist Church with their Youth Wednesday Group with the youth
and teens, William Jackson a educator, blogger and speaker talked
with the Abyssinia Baptist Church Youth group. Having spoken
previously to youth, teens, young adults and families at
The Bridge of Northeast Florida, the growing situations are
not going away, the events are increasing.
Students attending share that they are put in situations
where teachers and administrators tell them to man or
woman up, to stop being a baby and even if they can’t
handle it to change schools.
The laws put in place to help children feel safe are not
working, in fact students feel that the laws are put in
place to help protect adults not children. Too many children
agree that they are powerless and voiceless and even state
that there are more attempted suicides that schools and the
media are not reporting. Private schools and even religious
schools are not exempt, because they do not have to report
events very little is known and even the community hides
situations that may put a blemish on perceived Utopian
lives that are spiraling out of control.
Many schools do not keep data to track bullying incident, and
parents are sometimes not given the complete stories. In the
case of Naikia Venant, posted in http://blackdoctor.org that
“in 2016, researchers found that suicide rates have doubled
for Black children,” and these actions do not represent the
behaviors of Black children from the past.
Discussions like these at Abyssinia Baptist Church Youth Group
“Social Media and Bullying” workshops are needed to increase
to learn from youth, teens and young adults what is happening
in their world and the relationships they have in schools and
their communities.
The increase of teachers taking First Aid for Mental Health
to be aware of the signs of mental instability in children and
to be trained to address issues that arise still do not address
the holistic approach to families in need and struggling.
Resources:
Gabriel Taye Commits Suicide
http://people.com/chica/
8-year-old-boy-commits-suicide-after-being-bullied-at-school/
Bullying Leads to Suicide
http://ktla.com/2017/05/13/
video-shows-bullying-incident-at-cincinnati-school-days-before-8-year-old-boys-suicide/
14 Year old commits Suicide
http://www.baltimoreblack.com/14-year-old-miami-girl-dies-suicide-facebook-live/