Crackdown on Facebook 'burn' pages used for bullying by teenagers as vile trend spreads across country

My friends, this was taken from JATYK:

Crackdown on Facebook 'burn' pages used for bullying by teenagers as vile trend spreads across country

By PAMELA OWEN

Last updated at 9:20 AM on 21st January 2012


Schoolchildren have been setting up special Facebook 'burn' pages to post vile and abusive messages about their peers.
Police have now said they are cracking down on the phenomenon and have warned pupils to start removing their names and comments - many of them sexual - off the pages.
Officers estimate as many as 700 students are involved in the sites - which are inspired by the cult film Mean Girls - in which students write hurtful and often fabricated gossip in a 'burn book'.

The 'Portsmouth Burn' page which is used by schoolchildren to write vile and abusive messages about their peers
So far eight of the pages in the Portsmouth area of Hampshire have been shut down after police and schools contacted Facebook.
However many, including Portsmouth Burn which has 712 friends, are still being used.
Police have warned pupils who continue to post messages on the pages that they could face investigation and prosecution.
At Park Community School in Leigh Park, near Havant, Hampshire, 50 students were members of a 'Hampshire burn' page.
Three students - a former male pupil, a year 11 boy and a year 10 girl - were victims of particularly depraved sexual comments.
Sue Walker, deputy head, said: 'Last week it came to my attention there were a number of 'burn' sites - 'Hampshire Burn', 'Leigh Park Burn' and others.
'I had 178 pages of the Hampshire Burn site downloaded and it was deeply unpleasant stuff.
'I knew immediately this was something that could get out of control and that we had to act quickly.'
Miss Walker called on schools officer PC Justine Lewis, who has since been talking to pupils about the consequences of being involved in such sites.
In particular, students could face charges of harassment and assault that could result in up to two years' imprisonment.

Some of the hurtful comments which police have warned pupils to remove or else they could face criminal investigations
PC Lewis said students had been given a short amnesty over the weekend to withdraw their names and comments.
'We don't want to criminalise children but if they don't take themselves off we will be calling them in individually, talking to their parents and considering criminal charges,' she said.
'This is a very difficult area to police but I'm really pleased schools have taken positive action and safer neighbourhood teams are working closely with them.'
A 'Purbrook Burn' site was taken down after the headteacher of Purbrook Park School, in Waterlooville, Hampshire, called a meeting with all 40 pupils who were members of the group.
Paul Foxley said a year 11 girl admitted to creating the page and took it down the same day.
'I made it very clear to the students that their online safety was extremely important to me - I will not tolerate any rude comments online or in person,' he said.
'As a result, a girl owned up to setting it up and it was gone in a day. She was very remorseful but we did give her a five-day internal exclusion as it was a very serious mistake on her part.'
A Facebook spokeswoman said anyone concerned about online bullying should contact the site immediately so their dedicated team can investigate and take down any offending sites immediately.

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2089763/Facebook-burn-pages-used-bullying-banned-police-700-children-sign-post-vile-abuse.html#ixzz1k61FgO7q

This is the result of no discipline in schools today. My daughter is a teaching assistant in a high school and the situations she has to deal with every day are disgusting. One boy she was in charge of, started disrupting the whole class and she had to take him out. As he was walking down the corridor he was kicking the walls and punching the windows. As he battered his way through a fire door he slammed it shut just as my daughter was walking through, the door hit her in the face which resulted in a black eye. The boy was suspended from school for a week - what sort of punishment was that? I would say that it was more of a reward than a punishment. He could stay in bed all day if he wanted to, or wander around the streets causing all sorts of chaos. Instead he should have been made to go to school, and do his work in isolation away from his peers. Not be allowed to go out of the room when the others were having breaks, or lunchtime.

Our education system is going from bad to worse, where the children rule the teachers, not the other way round, and this behaviour is on the up and the teachers have no control over this type of situation.

Jean

I totally agree. The lack of discipline in schools is not restricted to Britain. Society does these children no favours by allowing them to continue in this way without any repercussions. When they are adults, they will be ill prepared for the work force and are likely to continue the poor behaviour which often leads to real punishment by the criminal justice system.

If these children could be shown a better way to live, to learn about a future for themselves, about self control and determination, then they can be helped. But more and more kids are turning to the dark side as they think the lack of discipline in schools, is what it will be like for the rest of their lives. There are no consequences for their actions.

Bring back discipline as the first step in redeeming the school system.

Just need to point out that I believe that the majority of kids are good kids and are just fine, but sadly there are a growing number that are not.

I agree with jean.