Class opens eyes to risks kids face online - billingsgazette.com

Link: Class opens eyes to risks kids face online - billingsgazette.com.

Not so long ago, the most common way for high school students to spread a nasty rumor or make a hateful remark was to scrawl it on the walls and door of a bathroom stall. Back then, a quick call to the janitor could minimize the emotional and social damage, but these days, with ever-increasing computer use among teenagers, the Internet is replacing the bathroom wall. Cyber bullying often starts in an Internet chat room. Young people can post personal remarks, outlandish gossip and slander. In some instances, cyber bullying can include posting false profiles under someone else's name and even identity theft. In extreme cases, youngsters have created Web sites dedicated to harassing their peers.