West Islip teen testifies in D.C. on cyberbullying

West Islip teen Dominique Napolitano sat before a House committee in Washington, D.C., Thursday morning and urged parents and school administrators to take cyberbullying seriously.

"As a girl and a Girl Scout, I realize that cyberbullying is an important issue for girls," said Napolitano, 15, wearing her Suffolk Troop 2217 vest. "The number one safety concern for girls is emotional safety."

Also testifying before the subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, chaired by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), was syndicated daytime television talk-show host "Dr. Phil" McGraw. Cyberbullying is a widespread problem among teens, he said.

Victims of cyberbullying are 1.9 times more likely to commit suicide, he said, briefly mentioning another West Islip teen, Alexis Pilkington, 17, who killed herself in March. Her suicide drew attention locally to the issue of cyberbullying because of reports that said it led to her death. However, her parents have said they don't know if cyberbullying pushed her to take her life.

While she hasn't been a cyberbullying target or participant, Napolitano recounted a classmate's experience in which a boy created an online fan site meant to ridicule the girl. The boy's cruelty "socially backfired when students started joining the fan club to bash him for his cowardly act," Napolitano said. Still, she said, the ordeal left the girl with emotional scars.

Technology has changed the way bullies operate, McGraw said. "In the past, the bully had size, they had words, they could intimidate someone at school," he said. "The problem is bullies are anonymous now. You get even more aggression from them because they don't have to look their target in the eye."

Today's bullying goes beyond mean words scrawled on bathroom walls or snickering behind backs, McGraw said. Rumors or mean words posted online can follow students even if they change schools. "The problem is there is no place to hide," he said.

When a member of the subcommittee asked Napolitano why teens find it difficult to talk to parents about being bullied, she said they're afraid things will get worse. "I think they're afraid; 'What are other people going to think of me?' " she said. " 'Am I going to be cyberbullied even more because of it?' "