It’s the new and improved bathroom wall at school: a place to scrawl raw gossip and feed the forest fire of rumors that circulate every day at high schools across the nation.

The problem is the unwavering connection to the Internet: the social networking sites which sit in the front row of the infamous play of cyber bullying.

I’ll start with the basics. High-tech bullying can happen anywhere or anytime. It victimizes a wide-ranging spectrum of students who have probably never met their perpetrators. The intimidation factor is eliminated, considering the bully has no need to confront his or her seemingly inferior victim.

In the past, bullying was part of one’s adolescent life. Telling the other kid to “meet you out back” at 3 p.m. was the way conflicts were settled.

But cyber bullies are not limited to the cafeteria, the gym classroom, or the clichéd schoolyard. New technological advancements have allowed bullies to appear in every digital corner of a modern teenager’s life. Its amorphous nature has made it difficult for schools and courts to address the cyber bullying issue and reform its undying presence in and out of school environments.

Unfortunately, this makes it more difficult for cyber bullies to face consequences for their actions.

It’s inescapable and anonymous, but seems to be an unavoidable part of growing up.

But of course, the smart and mature Staples student body would never partake in such behavior, right? And those parents, faculty members, and adults who say so are right—to an extent.

Recently, a n eigth grade girl from Bedford Middle School posted a YouTube video that became an overnight sensation. And no, not for singing an ear-bleeding song called “Friday.”

The video titled, “Words are Worse than Sticks and Stones,” expresses her feelings on a day-to-day basis. The video, which I feel to be disturbing and depressing, shows that young students in Westport are emotionally damaged by the actions from other peers.

Technology is meant to help teenagers enhance their growth, to aid them in learning more about the world around them. Now, the challenge that teachers, parents, and administrators face is how to teach students to not use this tool in a way that harms others. For various reasons, it’s very difficult to monitor the actions of bullies through technology.

Now, here is where parents can argue that classes at school help to influence future children proper manners, and that bullying behavior is unacceptable. This is a valid argument–considering Staples has a zero tolerance policy for bullying.

Some parents may also state that bullying will never come from MY child. MY child knows how to treat others the way they want to be treated.

However, the cyber bullying trend is not exclusive to Westport and exists in many areas across the nation. ANY student is capable of making another student feel horrible about themselves.

For the parents that assume that their child would never do such a thing, take information from iSafe—an organization looking to teach the public about the dangers of cyber bullying. According to the group, 58 percent of teenagers have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful they said to someone else online.

If you don’t trust iSafe, take it from me.

I am now a senior at Staples who has seen cyber bullying at its peak. I have had younger students take endless amounts of shots at me via technology. Luckily, I am strong and know how immature and ultimately pathetic this type of bullying really is.

Fortunately, I also have friends who support me and realize how ridiculous feeding into this behavior is.

Most students that are caught cyber bullying all have the same general excuse, “They started it.”

Really? What are we, four years old? This isn’t a game of freeze tag.

I have found that cyber bullies usually do not approach their victims in person because they are commonly scared to encounter them face-to-face. They hide behind the Internet to avoid confrontation, which completely contradicts the actions of a classic bully. I believe each individual to just be too scared. Ironic, right?

Anyone can complain and talk about their experiences with cyber bullying, that’s easy. But the hard part is taking action against bullies. I have found that the best way to handle such situations is to use your words and settle arguments by talking it out.

If that does not work, I can assure you that asking someone else for help may be necessary. My other advice is to ignore the bully and ignore his or her comments. I recognize that this is easier said than done, but if I can do it, so can you.

So for now, stick with the friends who will stand up for you and the ones you know you can trust and will be there for you when you need them the most. For the individuals who have cyber bullied once or on multiple occasions, it has a more serious effect on people than most people think.