Over the past decade many schools across the country – including North Atlanta – have declared war against the Internet and many forms of social media. With this eternal battle between teachers and students on their cellphones, much attention has been directed toward what is done on the phone during school hours. But more attention needs to be directed toward what students are cruelly doing toward each.

Many schools have felt the worst effects of what social commentators are appropriately calling “cyber-bullying.” Suicides, fights and shootings have ravaged many schools in the wake of this Internet-borne plague.

With a total student body of around 1,650 students, cyber-bullying is bound to happen here at North Atlanta. The scary thing, though, is that it largely goes unnoticed. Teachers and administrators are mostly unaware of the amount of cruelty being directed toward students by their peers. Granted this is a public school, a building that’s home to students from all walks of life. But the nature of our school does not excuse a negligent attitude toward a very real and serious problem.

In April 2013 the social media app Yik-Yak started and it quickly became popular in schools around the country. In its original use, it was designed for use by college students seeking information about local events. But because Yik-Yak is an anonymous posting app with posts that can’t be traced to their source, the app quickly found application for more nefarious means. Yik-Yak became an efficient means for conveying damaging teen-directed gossip and offensive material. And those bullied through this app can find themselves becoming social outcasts. The app is infamous among students here at North and its popularity has been replicated at schools across the nation.

Cyber-bullying is an issue that grows more serious and dangerous with each passing day. Both North Atlanta administrators and APS leaders need to be aware that cyber-bullying can play serious havoc on students’ psyches and senses of well-being. School is not a safe place to learn if your reputation and name is being attacked by cowardly anonymous cyber-bullies.