When I grew up as a boy
all of our fantasies were about the wild wild west.
Now we're dealing with the wild wild web
and the gun slingers are keyboard bullies.
With Facebook, email, chat rooms
there are so many of these things with so much power
that they constitute weapons of mass destruction
when it comes to communication.
And the problem is the bullies are anonymous now.
Children that have been impacted by cyber bullying
are 1.9 times more likely to attempt suicide
than the general population.
I get tens of thousands of letters at the Dr. Phil show
of kids asking for help about this.
It is a serious crisis.
42% of kids say they've been bullied on the internet.
This is an epidemic.
We have to give educators, teachers the tools
that they need to prevent this,
to intervene once it happens, to break the pattern
and both the bullies and the targets need counseling.
(audience applauding)
I took the battle against cyber bullies
all the way to Congress and am still fighting
to put an end to keyboard bullies.
Now Amy, Melinda and Paloma are stuck in a cyber war
so vicious they believe their lives may be at stake.
I take cyber bullying very seriously
and what you just saw was me testifying
in support of reauthorization
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
and as part of that reauthorization to set aside funds
to deal with cyber bullying,
to equip teachers and administrators
to deal with cyber bullying because up until now
they've said, "This doesn't happen on school grounds
"so we don't have any role in it,"
and I disagree completely.
They have to have a role in it because they spend
over half of the child's waking hours with them
and they have the ability to influence that.
This cyber bullying creates grave consequences
and if you don't believe me take a look at this.
Michelle Carter is said to spend
more than a year behind bars.
Carter used text messages to encourage
her teenage boyfriend to kill himself.
His life mattered.
Conrad we love you.
It started with the name calling.
Brandon had used 357 Magnum.
When I saw him the first thought
that went through my mind
is he looks on the outside now
like he's felt on the inside for so long.
He looks on the outside now
the way he has felt on the inside for so long.
You're adults.
You're supposed to be role models.
And this conduct that all three of you are engaged in
is just abhorrent, it's terrible what you're doing.
All three of you are guilty of it.
(audience applauding)
You're letting her control you.
You're letting them control you.
You're letting them get inside your head.
When you hold a grudge it's like letting somebody
live in your head rent free
and that's what you're doing.
You gotta grudge so she's just in there controlling you.
They're just in there controlling you.
If you're really passionate,
if you're really passionate about your purpose
you never take your eye off that purpose, off that cause.
If you think some of the arguments you've heard
these three make up here are ridiculous raise your hands.
Take a look around, please.
This is not becoming to any of the three of you.