The video of a girl’s use of self-defense on school grounds has quickly gone viral and created a great deal of conversation and controversy around ways to fight cyberbullying.

The video shows the girl attacking a student at a California school. She wrestled him to the ground and kneed him in the face several times. The boy remained dazed on the cement ground.

It was later revealed that the video took place at Sonoma Valley High School, and the girl will face charges.

The clip was shot on a cellphone, and the 17-year-old girl did not attend Sonoma Valley High. She attends Creekside Alternative High School which shares the same campus.

A teacher ran after her and tried to catch her, but the girl quickly took off.

The video went viral after Kit Dale, an actor and a black belt from Australia, posted it on his Facebook account. Applauding the girl’s effort in fighting back against bullies, Dale took the chance to express the importance of self-defense.

Despite the numerous requests by the school district to take it down Facebook has refused to do it.

It was reported that the girl will be charged with one count of battery on school grounds and will be referred to the Sonoma Valley Youth and Family Services program. If she refuses, she’ll go before the Sonoma County Juvenile Court.

What made this young girl react in such a brutal way?

Many claim it was because she had been cyberbullied. The school district has acknowledged the fight started when the boy posted something online which irked the teenage girl.

When she confronted him at school about it, he threw water on her. That’s when she went all MMA fighter on him.

Nowadays, teenagers and children spend enormous amounts of time online. They use applications like Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp all day long on a daily basis, and many of their interactions can be negative.

Naturally, bullying has shifted from being an in-person interaction with a known assailant to an online onslaught of mean comments.

The number of young people that claim they have at some point or another seen bullying in their schools is very disturbing. Bullying is quite rampant and is increasingly becoming a menace in schools today.

Social media make it easier to bully as teachers and parents can’t see what’s happening. Moreover, cyberbullies can remain anonymous by using dummy accounts.

Yet, more children are bullied in schools than what parents and teachers are aware of, and according to statistics, of every three children that are being bullied, only one reports it to the appropriate officials.

Many of the victims do not report cyberbullying to their parents, teachers, or law enforcement because they fear the repercussions or worry that it won’t be dealt with properly, and they will be even more abused.

Yet, while cyberbullying can be evasive and challenging to deal with, remember that it is always the best to find a way to fight it.

Victims to cyberbullying should be prepared to seek help from their parents, or teachers, as they will always find a way to stop it and protect them from further abuse.

Therefore, if you are a parent, talk to your children about this phenomenon and explain to them the ways to address it. You should also know what social media their children are using, and educate on new social media platforms and the potential dangers.

In case your child is younger, you can use digital monitoring applications. Also, note if your child shows any strange social media behavior and react on time.

Sources:
abc7chicago.com
www.jumblejoy.com
www.55meals.com