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Videotaped beating sparks national outrage
Experts say the internet has spurred a rise in teen violence
From eSchool News staff and wire service reports
 

Primary Topic Channel:  Safety & security

 

YouTube has come under fire for posting videos that depict teen violence.
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The videotaped beating of a 16-year-old Florida girl by other teens whose intent was to post video of the attack on YouTube and MySpace has sparked national outrage and has prompted calls for these sites to better police their content.
 
Eight teenagers have been arrested on charges alleging they beat Lakeland, Fla., teen Victoria Lindsay in an "animalistic attack" so they could make a videotape to post on YouTube. A week after the attack, Ms. Lindsay still had not fully recovered her hearing and sight, reports the local newspaper, the Ledger.
 
Ms. Lindsay was attacked on March 30 by six teenage girls when she arrived at a friend's home, authorities said. One of the girls struck the victim on the head several times and then slammed her head into a wall, knocking her unconscious, according to an arrest report.
 
Later, according to a clip of the video that was released by the Polk County, Fla., sheriff's office, the teens can be seen blocking a door and hitting the victim.
 
"It's absolutely an animalistic attack," Sheriff Grady Judd said April 8 on NBC's Today. "They lured her into the home for the express purpose of filming the attack and posting it on the internet."
 
Victoria's father, Patrick Lindsay, said the teens intended to post the video on the video-sharing web site YouTube. Christina Garcia, the mother of one of the defendants, said her daughter had turned the tape over to police.
 
The sheriff's office said that after the attack, three of the teens forced the victim into a vehicle and drove her to another location, where she was told she would be given a worse beating if she contacted police.
 
All eight suspects were arrested April 2 and charged with battery and false imprisonment. The three teens who took Lindsay to the second location are also charged with felony kidnapping.
 
Ms. Lindsay was treated for a concussion, damage to her left eye and left ear, and numerous bruises, police said.
 
The brutality of the case has drawn national attention and raises serious questions about the lure for notoriety the internet affords. Mental health experts say teen violence has proliferated as kids look to flaunt their deeds on a worldwide stage.
 
Patrick Lindsay says he wants video-enhanced web sites such as MySpace and YouTube to stop allowing users to post videos of such beatings.
 
"I'm going to carry this as far as I can to see about getting this stuff off the internet and stop our children from endangering other people's children just to create a shock video," Lindsay told local news channel WESH 2 News.
 
A YouTube spokesperson told InformationWeek the company doesn't comment on individual videos, and the full video of the beating was never uploaded. The spokesperson said the community polices the site and flags content it finds inappropriate.
 
"Once it is flagged, YouTube promptly reviews the content and removes it from the system if it is in violation of our Community Guidelines," the spokesperson said. "Real violence on YouTube is not allowed. If a video shows someone getting hurt, attacked, or humiliated, it will be removed."
 
A search of YouTube's video archive as of press time turned up dozens of clips depicting beatings and other violence inflicted by teens upon each other--though it's impossible to tell how many are real and how many are staged for the benefit of the camera.
 
Some internet users have sprung to the defense of YouTube and similar sites in the midst of all the criticism.
 
"Does censorship work? Is it even possible for YouTube to vet every video that's uploaded to its site? YouTube serves some 100 million videos every day. What kind of manpower would it take to monitor all of it? And how would one distinguish between a real fight and a staged melee that's part of a (fictional) short film," Yahoo Tech blogger Christopher Null wrote on April 9.
 
"Censoring one type of content--which YouTube actually does plenty of--is a slippery slope," Null continued. "And really, what would be the point? If not YouTube, would the teens have posted pictures or video clips on their blogs? Or simply used another hosting service? Kids have been beating each other up for centuries, since well before YouTube came along, and they'll be doing it after it's gone, too."
 
But some psychologists say there's a link between the growing use of the internet and the escalation of violence among teens, especially teenage girls. They suggest that adults need to get more involved in what their kids are doing online.
 
Schools also have a role to play, says Nora Carr, chief communications officer for North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and an award-winning columnist for eSchool News.
 
"Even if internet service providers cooperate [and remove questionable videos or other content]--never a sure thing--the viral nature of electronic communications makes replication easy," Carr wrote in her February column. "Since online activities can take place 24-7, harassed teens no longer have a bully-free zone."
 
Carr recommends several steps that parents and educators can take to combat the problem--including updating school policies to address online bullying, creating an inclusive climate that fosters acceptance and tolerance, and reporting instances of harassment to the proper authorities.
 
"This is heinous crime, one that should carry the full force of the law to send a strong message that this kind of behavior simply won't be tolerated," Carr told eSchool News.
 
"While this case is extreme, it also exposes the dark underbelly of the web, in which anonymity and the lure of worldwide exposure entices people to do things that normally they would never do or be able to do otherwise."
 
She added: "Schools need to teach students that with the unfettered and unfiltered freedom of the internet comes great responsibility. Personal responsibility is the flip side of the coin. Like any communications tool, the web can be used for good or ill.
 
"If we don't teach students to use the web and other new technologies wisely, responsibly, and for the common good, we will fail in our duty to the next generation."
 
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Problem with kids today

The problem with kids today is they are spoiled and don't realize there are consequences to their behaivor. Most kids get off with a slap on the wrist and probation. Failure comes from within the home the loss of family values and morales. Due to desensitizing of a nation by allowing kids to watch violence on television and at the movies. We say it's just a movie but can some of these kids distinguish that movies are fictional and made for entertainment and not real life. This young victim could just as easily been anyones kid and to be attack that savagely for notariety is appalling. The eight attackers need to find out they made a bad choice and pay for it. They should all do time and have criminal records to follow them for rest of their lives. My concern for the victim is how is she handleing the emotional and physical damage that has been brought upon her. The parents of the eight should be made to finance Therapy for the victim for as long as she needs it, a liftime if necessary. Is Ms.Lindsay going to regain 100% of her eye sight and hearing? Will she ever be 100% emotionally stable after such a vicious attack on her being? Wake up America do you really know your kids and what they are into? Look at your kids and their attitudes which one do you think they would be the attacker or the victim? I would hope your answer would be Niether.

Posted By: gypsysfollies, 2008-05-05 9:23 PM

Shifting Accountability

Will Apple iMacs be burned with copies of Huckleberry Finn? Is “the dark underbelly of the web, in which anonymity and the lure of worldwide exposure entices people to do things that normally they would never do or be able to do otherwise" the next Twinkie defense? Censorship should not be in lieu of a moral compass – nor is it even feasible in an Age of Information. And, while I am appalled by this callous and calculated attack, I am equally dismayed by our increasing tendency to shift accountability. Yes, we should have legislative measures, acceptable use policies, and procedures protecting children from cyber-bullying and cyber-stalking. And, yes, I believe that it is incumbent on us as teachers to educate our children on the implications of their technology use. In fact, some states require it. And it is also incumbent on us as parents to instill in our children appropriate behavior – and to monitor our children to ensure their behavior is appropriate. BUT it is ultimately our children who must be responsible for their own actions…both on and off YouTube. Seven of the eight are old enough to get behind the wheel of a car (one with a learner’s permit) and speed down Florida Interstates at 70 MPH. We believe at this age that they are responsible for their actions – and we stake the lives of other Florida drivers on that belief. Yet we cannot believe that they are solely responsible for assaulting and kidnapping a young woman. It may the heinous nature of the act that compels us to search for exigent circumstances, or the nature of youth that compels us to give them a second chance. But what these teenagers did was ethically and legally wrong - and the consequences are theirs alone.

Posted By: amunro, 2008-04-14 5:45 PM

The beating in Fl

Let situations like this film be put on the internet, once on the internet , the guilty can be prosecuted. If this video was put in the closet, this poor girl would have no eveidence of this wronged beating she took.

Posted By: steve1157, 2008-04-14 3:39 PM

Why

So, why are we giving them this notoriety by publishing their act for the world to know about? Just remove the video, put them in prison, and be done with it. I also agree that the parents should be held responsible to some extent. Good comments above...not the education system's responsibility.

Posted By: lee_sundby, 2008-04-11 3:47 PM

Prosecution

One can only hope the girls involved are proscecuted as adults for this crime. A slap on the wrist would definately send the wrong message. Assault, battery, kidnapping and attempted murder are not juvenile offenses and shouldn't be treated as such. ManyTotems

Posted By: manytotems, 2008-04-10 5:11 PM

Why are we calling them students?

Yes, these girls are students but when they leave school it is no longer the responsibility of the education system to keep an eye on our children. It is the PARENTS responsiblity to be aware of their childrens behavior, talk to them about risks involved with the viral effect of the internet and show them the difference between right and wrong. I am 25-years-old and I would have NEVER done anything like this. This behavior is indicitive of girls who are starved for attention. Any psychologist will tell you that using bad behavior to get attention is a cry for help. These girls aren't trying to get noticed on YouTube because they want to get FAMOUS (as some would imply) they are trying to get noticed PERIOD - by anyone! I don't believe we need to be concerned with copycats just because the story is covered in the media - that is a copout for the real problem - a serious lack of parenting. Nobody is glorifying what these girls did. It is horrific. I can't believe the fear Ms. Lindsay will feel because of this event.

Posted By: prdyknow, 2008-04-10 3:45 PM

What will the students learn from this?

It appears that the schools, home environment and justice system all have a sizable amount of work to do. The fact that the video clip has been released to the media glorifies the violence. How many copycats will desire to see their "work" on the Internet or in the media?

Posted By: Ruth.Johnston, 2008-04-10 2:51 PM

Media

The media exploited the video more than YouTube. Why don't we censor the news clips...they have shown the video numerous times that have reached millions of people.

Posted By: pcmsjtm, 2008-04-10 2:46 PM

Schools need to...

Schools need to teach these kids..... Why is ALWAYS the SCHOOLS????? We already have enough on our plate! Where the heck are the parents???

Posted By: kcremean986, 2008-04-10 1:45 PM

Parental financial responsibility

I saw the portion of the video released by the police two days ago on www.foxnews.com. To be honest, I'm less concerned with policiing the Internet sites and more interested in parental responsibility. I don't know what Florida law permits, but perhaps using the civil law (e.g. the tort of battery, perhaps intentional infliction of emotional distress) and getting to the parents is one way to encourage parental supervision, or even the setting of limitations on their teenagers' use of camera phones, YouTube, and social networking sites like MySpace.

Posted By: mmihajl, 2008-04-10 1:43 PM

 

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