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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston ISD welcomed students back into the classroom Monday, but 16 schools had to close due to COVID-19.
Hundreds of kids are back to virtual learning at a time when cyberbullying is happening more and more.
It’s no secret online attacks happen through social media on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter. But safe school advocates are now seeing the bullying migrate to Zoom, often during virtual school.
“Because people are just stuck in their homes and have nothing better to do with their lives, so they create drama,” says Ava Reistroffer, a sophomore at Memorial High School.
They all say while they haven’t been a target of any cyber attacks, they all know a student who has been bullied online.
“Bullying will never go away. There are just more places for it,” said Hannah McCormack, a junior at Memorial.
According to cyberbullying.org, about half of teens have been victims of cyberbullying at some point, but only one out of every 10 tells a parent if they’ve been targeted.
“The teacher’s teaching, and like I always say, the chatroom is roaring,” says Rania Mankarious, CEO of Crime Stoppers. “You have kids saying, ‘Hey, look at Lindsey’s room, that’s funny, look at this, look at that.'”
For teens who have spent years creating and perfecting an online image that’s different from real life, one Zoom view of their room or their house can destroy everything.
“You get to see how their life really is,” says Julia Williams, another sophomore at Memorial.
Mankarious has one piece of advice for every parent: look at your kid’s phone today. Bullies and victims hide behind those screens.
“How often have you stopped and looked at your child’s phone? Looked at what they’re posting?” Makarious asks. “I get pushback all the time: ‘No, that’s their private space. They’re just having fun. I have such a great child. We live in a great area.’ None of that applies when we’re talking about social media.”