Face the truth about online harassment
The world of cyberspace is a scary one. It is no secret that the internet is often credited with the destruction of today’s youth. The invention of apps like Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and more, receive the blame for the faults and mistakes of impulsive and hormonal teenagers.
Since the internet has become so widespread and social media apps allow access to people’s private lives anywhere, anytime, online harassment has become increasingly more common. According to a 2017 study by Pew Research Center — a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington D.C. that reports on social issues, public issues and demographic trends of the United States and the world — 42 percent of Americans have been subjected to online harassment and 62 percent of Americans claim it’s a serious problem.
While yes, things such as sexual harassment and the distribution of inappropriate pictures have almost always been around, it is true that cyberspace has helped open yet another pathway to harassment.
In a humble college city in eastern Kansas, it can feel as if this problem does not affect our population that is widely made up of students. Despite this feeling though, an incident at Seaman High — a Centennial League member — in Topeka has recently brought some attention to the issue in our region.
A male student at Seaman was caught obtaining and distributing nude photos of female students and using them to harass and intimidate those students online. According to The Topeka Capital-Journal, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s office opened an investigation into the issue last month. Seaman Unified School District 345 superintendent Steve Noble confirmed the allegions.
“We are involved in an ongoing investigation,” Noble told the Capital-Journal. “When allegations are brought forth that are severe and represent negative behavior, we take all of those allegations seriously. This particular instance is no different.”
Topeka is not the only town finally forced to face the facts of this issue. According to a USD 383 board member, right here at Manhattan High an unnamed male student has recently been suspended for obtaining and distributing nude photos of an unnamed female student. This is not the first time MHS has dealt with this issue in the 2017-2018 school year, with the mirrors in the girls’ south gym locker room being removed after photos of the mirrors were posted to social media with exposed students in the background.
Eastern Kansas obviously is not left out when it comes to sexual harassment through online media — there is a clear problem. Now the question remains, what are we going to do about it?
It is the agreement of The Mentor editorial board that it is time to stop ignoring this issue.
Online sexual harassment has gone on so long that it’s almost a cultural thing to just expect this kind of treatment. People seem unaware that it is not only a form of bullying and harassment — that should be legally handled as such — but that distributing this kind of content does come with legal consequences.
In high school, where most affected by this issue are minors, creating, forwarding and/or saving inappropriate, private photos of another student is child pornography — a federal crime with a jail-time sentence of four to seven years. Not only that, but that record will affect job prospects, community living, and almost every aspect of life.
It is the duty of Manhattan High to inform students of the consequences of these kinds of actions. Protecting students should be number one on the list of priorities; giving them knowledge and a safe place to speak up about harassment — and actually listening when students do speak — needs to become the new policy.
Manhattan should be addressing the issue. Don’t wait for the scandal to talk about harassment, discourage destructive decisions before they happen. Protect students first and public image second.