(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-29 07:32

"You make me sick," "I want you dead." How would you feel if abusive messages like these addressed to you by name suddenly popped up on your cellphone? If you didn't know who wrote them, you would feel even more distressed.

These unfortunately are just a few examples of the kind of nasty comments that appear on "unofficial school websites" and other Internet sites where students exchange messages, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The ministry recently released the results of its first-ever survey probing such sites.

Unlike official websites put up by junior and senior high schools, the ones studied were created by students themselves. In its study, the ministry tracked more than 38,000 such sites and message boards, including some related to elementary schools.

About 90 percent were message boards where students can post messages on various subjects, hosted by "2 Channel" and other websites.

More seriously, the survey found that half of all sites it sampled at random contained derogatory messages about individuals that contained such epithets as kimoi (slang for disgusting). About 30 percent of the posts had violent expressions.

A single phrase sometimes triggers a barrage of flaming insults and threats. Since the messages are usually posted anonymously, the identity of the attacker is unknown. Students begin to wonder, "Who is this writer who hates me so much? Could it be one of my friends who is always smiling at me kindly?" Suspicion begets fear.

It is not uncommon for bullying on the Internet to lead to bullying in real life.

How can we protect our children from such a sinister world?

This year, cellphone service operators introduced measures to prevent minors with cellphones from accessing harmful sites. But only a limited number of "harmful" sites get filtered out by the automated systems.

We urge webmasters and site moderators to keep a closer eye on unofficial sites for schools. If they find slanderous entries targeting specific children, the postings should be deleted and the schools notified immediately.

How should schools respond when students are attacked online? First, they should of course provide psychological counseling.

At the school, a student stopped taking part in extracurricular club activities after being attacked on the school's unofficial site. In response, the school held special lessons about the cruelty of bullying on unofficial sites and explained to parents what was happening on such sites.

Children are exposed on all sides to dangers online. As soon as someone notices bullying on the Internet, he or she should inform the school. It may take courage to tell a bully to his or her face to stop. But notifying schools is not hard.

Doing so can prevent bullying before it spreads.

The Asahi Shimbun

(China Daily 04/29/2008 page9)