Happy slapping is a craze in which people, often young people, slap a stranger who has no idea this is going to happen. The attackers use a cell phone to film the attack. Then they pass the video from cell phone to cell phone, and sometimes ieven post it on the Internet.
Concern about this fad is rising because some of these attacks have been violent. Many people consider this a new kind of bullying and fear it will become a problem in schools. Two BBC online articles, Does happy slapping exist? and Concern over spread of slap craze, discuss this phenomenon.
Send your ideas
Why do you think some young people find it fun to assualt people in this way? How can this kind of bullying be prevented in school environments?
It's really a useful idea. I have been frustrated by them for a long time. Thank you very much for continuously posting effective tips. It really does me a great favor.
Posted by: Air Jordan | October 29, 2010 at 02:35 AM
Please document these events..........be able to prove they are true..........do not slander, the truth is the truth........ and then post the Family Tree of the Bully. List the entire family and their place of employment and where they all attend school, be sure to use the city, county and state.
Peer disapproval has always been the best medicine for such behavior. I bet when the parents get a taste of the humiliation, it will stop or at least slow down.
When someone does a search for this issue on google, etc., we will then see the name of the bully and the family, school, place of employment and any other available information. I would probably even list their address and the cars they drive. Let us put a stop to this.
Posted by: AB | October 17, 2010 at 11:49 AM
I recently read the book Strike One! by Andrea Prostko with my 4th grade class, it was very well received!! It is about 3 young boys: one is the kid who bullies, one is the victim and one is the friend who watches and must decide how to react. My students loved it!! And the book club discussion guide at the end was an excellent conversation starter. We had an excellent class discussion about bullying and the way we treat others. Kudos for this book!!
Posted by: Elem Teacher | September 19, 2010 at 07:18 PM
This is a problem in schools. I think it is important to ban cell phones in schools.
Posted by: Metin2 yang | June 22, 2010 at 03:14 AM
I think that young people are doing this kind of bullying to have fun. Maybe some of them are playing a joke on people and don't think about the bad consequences. To stop this problem in schools, I think it is important to ban cell phones in schools.
Posted by: Atlantica gold | June 22, 2010 at 03:03 AM
Message
Subject: RE: School Bullying
Posted By: Jessie Tompkins
Comment:
As an employee of the Montgomery Alabama Board of Education, I reported gang bullying and threats against me and other students and nothing was done. Actually the Board voted to fire me after I filed a police report. I further went to the media after the police report went missing. To complicate things, the Alabama Education Association (AEA) the states teacher union quit during my hearing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=457KMceLrxw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIVSW2n2Bno&feature=related
Posted by: Jessie Tompkins | May 16, 2010 at 04:58 AM
I think all schools should have cameras that can see and hear everything. that way the school staff can see and hear for themselves while keeping the students identity anonymous. Stop bullying bullying kills. I think that everyone should know that there is only one way to love
Posted by: Alicia Patterson | April 25, 2010 at 06:36 PM
I think all schools should have a bullying program in place so that other people do not commit suicide. take phoebe prince for example. don't judge an individual by his/her race, color, or nationality. let's love one another as we are.
Posted by: Nate p. | April 25, 2010 at 06:21 PM
I find it very disappropriate to bully someone when he is innocent. It can destroy your life! Jake 6 years old
Posted by: Jake Phenon | April 15, 2010 at 10:55 AM
I am starting an organization to combat bullying. I would like this to become a national organized movement and need to find people to be on board with this movement. I lost my 13 year old brother many years ago to suicide because he was being bullied. If you are interested in being part of this organization, please e-mail
I have a plan in place, but need to have people on board to help out.
Posted by: Felicia | March 31, 2010 at 08:52 PM
I love your illustrations! Have you given any thought to listing some resources for parents and kids to help them deal with the bullying problem?
Posted by: Sandra McLeod Humphrey | November 04, 2009 at 03:42 PM
Inri Solórzano Huanca – Peru
I think bullying is a bad behavior specially in young people and when they are in the school. So I think that teachers have to be careful not to accuse a student of bullying without having seen it, because some students are afraid of them and they don`t say anything. I would tell the student who says that they have been bullied that they need to tell about the situation to their parents, then teachers can help and then they can deal with the situation properly.
Also bullying happens in both secondary and primary schools. Some people say it happens more in secondary school because pupils are teenagers, but I honestly think bullying is just as bad in both. My suggestion is that teachers should take more action when students tell them about any form of bullying. Schools should make special programs to resolve this problem not only with the students even with their parents. If we do anything what is the future of these young people when they will become citizens.
Posted by: Inri Solórzano Huanca | April 19, 2009 at 07:01 PM
I am a teenager and I think that the people who do this do it because they want to feel more important in front of the others.
Posted by: Esti | April 13, 2008 at 02:30 PM
Hello
Thanks for the information you provide. It's great to see an agency site with useful information. The site is not bad either.
Posted by: Miko | September 22, 2007 at 04:59 AM
I think that some young people use cellphones to transmit violent actions because they need to prove to their friends that they are mean. Using a cell phone makes it easy for them to send the images to a group of people and also to save them.
Young people are like a sponge and can transform negative attitudes into manifestations of violence.
Schools can stop the use of cellphones in this way by having students give their cellphones to the teachers at the start of the school day and then pick them up at the end of class.
Posted by: Hector | June 19, 2007 at 03:51 AM
I think that some students believe that happy slapping is a good way to embarrass other students. Banning cell phones in schools could be a way to protect many young people in schools.
Posted by: Sammy | June 19, 2007 at 03:50 AM
Young people who do this must watch violent TV programs or movies, or they may play violent video games. I think that their parents are at fault because they don't pay attention to the content in these programs, movies, and games.
Posted by: Dodus | June 19, 2007 at 03:49 AM
If happy slapping becomes a serious problem, the authorities must do something about it because in the future it could affect everybody.
First of all schools should require students to leave their cell phones in a designated place when they arrive at school and pick it up after school. If a student has an emergency, he can request the principal make a call to the family.
Posted by: Miguel | June 17, 2007 at 09:10 PM
Some young people use cell phones this way to feel power. They like to look at themselves fighting in the pictures and want the other teenagers to look at them. If this is a problem in schools, it is very important that the schools prohibit cell phones.
These young people might be doing this kind of bullying because they are watching violent TV programs, or maybe they are living this kind of violence in their homes.
Posted by: Mariela | June 17, 2007 at 08:54 PM
If it becomes a problem, I think in each school the principal should talk with all the parents about stopping the use of cell phones in the school.
Posted by: Delia | June 17, 2007 at 08:53 PM
In my opinion, if a teenager is doing this, it is because she/he does not have a healthy relationship with her/his parents.
Posted by: Liz | June 17, 2007 at 08:52 PM
Doing these things is dangerous. Maybe young people want to make these violent videos because they think they will be more popular. Banning cell phones in school may be necessary to stop this kind of bullying.
Posted by: Elena | June 17, 2007 at 07:59 PM
We have to find a solution to this problem before it spreads to schools. If it starts to be a problem, I think schools should not let students bring cell phones to school.
Posted by: Raymundo | June 17, 2007 at 07:50 PM
There are problematic people who enjoy doing this. Banning cell phones in school might help stop this kind of bullying in schools.
Posted by: Paula | June 17, 2007 at 07:19 PM
Some young people enjoy seeing these things. Maybe these kinds of people don't have anything to do. To me, it is ridiculous. Showing violent TV programs is a way to invite young people to do these things. These programs have a bad influence on them.
Posted by: Oscar | June 17, 2007 at 07:12 PM