Phila. DA Williams Warns Schoolkids About Bullying and Cyberbullying
By Mark Abrams
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Middle school students at a Christian private school in West Philadelphia heard today from the top law enforcer in town that bullying, cyberbullying, and sexting are actions that have consequences.
Philadelphia district attorney Seth Williams engaged in a dialogue with 60 students at City School about the danger of using electronic devices to hurt someone by either words or photos.
Williams says that, left unreported, someone who is the target of abuse can be filled with anxiety. And hurt, he said, will deliver hurt back, sometimes in a violent way.
The DA advised the students that the best way to stop abuse is by telling someone.
"Report it to an adult. To their parent, a guardian, a teacher. To keep telling as many people as possible. Also, to do what they can to be a champion for the victim, to stand up for the victim. But not to resolve the conflict with the use of violence themselves."
City School prinicipal Stephanie Hook says Williams' appearance got students thinking about stepping forward to report bullying, in whatever form it appears.
"Most students at this age are afraid of tattling," she noted. "But they realize that telling is caring for one another."