Friday, March 27, 2015, 6:57 p.m.

When Philip Little of the state Attorney General’s Office talks with students in the region about cyberbullying, he tells them about a startling statistic backed by several studies.

For every 10 children who see a mean-spirited remark online about another student, only one takes action by telling an adult.

As state legislators consider whether to create a specific crime designated as cyber harassment of a child, Little’s task as an education and outreach specialist is to emphasize that it’s not just a bully and a victim who are involved when a hurtful comment is posted on social media or sent via text. Bystanders who don’t intervene become “reinforcers” because they’re worried about being called “tattletales,” he tells students.

“A lot of people call it the ‘Mean Girls’ syndrome,” said Little, whose Feb. 26 visit to Trafford Middle School was one of 84 school programs he’s put on since the start of 2014. “The reinforcer helps it go viral.”

“Let’s be honest,” he added. “Not everyone has the courage to stand up for themselves.”

Though teens and preteens often are glued to their electronic devices, state law has been slow to give police and prosecutors a way to punish cruel online comments as a crime, a legislator and an attorney say.

But that could change.

In February, the state House of Representatives voted 193-5 to establish an offense of cyber harassment of a child. It covers a “seriously disparaging” comment about a child’s physical characteristics, sexuality, sexual activity or mental or physical health or condition. The Senate Judiciary Committee likely will consider it during the next couple of meetings this spring, said Aaron Zappia, spokesman for Chairman Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, a Montgomery County Republican.

While there is a general criminal offense for harassment, this bill would enable authorities to prosecute someone for making comments in cyberspace, said state Rep. George Dunbar, a Penn Township Republican.

“It’s something I’ve always supported,” Dunbar said. “We have to get our laws in step with what’s going on in the world today.”

Though a charge is a third-degree misdemeanor, the first consideration for punishment is a diversionary educational program, said Greg Rowe, legislative chief for Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and the Philadelphia district attorney’s office.

Successful completion of the program can lead to an expungement of the conviction.

“What we want, ultimately, is to stop the behavior,” Rowe said.

And those comments can have terrible effects, said Laurie Barnett Levine, executive director of Mental Health America of Westmoreland County. Her organization employs two parent-child advocates whose duties include working with children who are harmed by online comments.

“There have been situations where the outcome of this has been extremely traumatic and damaging,” she said. “It’s a really huge issue with adolescents.”

That’s one of the reasons that Penn Middle School Principal Jim Simpson created an online “bull-e-box” page about four years ago. Student Council officers told him that children reporting incidents were concerned even about putting a note in a tip box located in a discreet location.

Complaints come in waves – especially early in a school year – but Simpson estimated he had received between 50 and 60 through late February.

While Simpson can’t discipline a student for an incident that happens outside the school, a complaint can help him investigate a possible problem. If a student is making a hurtful comment on a site like Instagram, he or she also might be doing it in school, too, he said.

“I tell the parents, I tell the kids, they have to be able to trust in our ability to get to the bottom of it.”

Chris Foreman is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-871-2363.

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