HALIFAX—Several new Atlantic Canada cyberbullying cases, including one 15-year-old girl charged with posting a nude photo of another girl, have raised fresh questions about whether teens have learned anything from Rehtaeh Parsons’ death and similar tragedies.
“It is kind of both surprising and somewhat disturbing that these things keep happening in spite of all that has gone on with the Rehtaeh Parsons case, the cyberbullying task force and national attention to these issues,” said Wayne MacKay, a law professor at Dalhousie University who led a provincial task force on cyberbullying after Parsons’ death.
“There’s a really important role for schools, for parents, for the media, for everyone in society to send the message that this is not acceptable conduct. It’s not just illegal conduct—it’s conduct that can make a huge difference in the life of the person affected.”
