The beginning of a new school year is always a very exciting time for kids. While there is some sadness that summer is over it means returning to see friends, start new classes and a fresh start each year in a new grade. Sharing summer stories in the halls before class was always the best.
The thing that can be tough about returning to school and the groups or cliques of friends is if you are an outsider or happen to be one of the kids who gets picked on. Bullying has become a very serious problem in schools these days and with so many outlets like social media for kids to use it is hard to stop these things from occurring.
But social media and the internet are not the only ways kids target other kids. There are still those who physically abuse their fellow classmates through pranks, what is thought to be a game or “all in good fun”. And a lot of kids who are targeted often don’t feel they can speak up or say anything for fear of even more bullying.
One of these games most parents may not be aware of is called “Necking” and it is a form of bullying that could be dangerous to your child.
The game is a very simple one and also abusive to the recipients. The idea is to slap a person on the back of their neck as hard as you can and then run away and it seems the only goal of this game is to cause pain and shock to other kids. Not only does it violate these kid’s personal space but it also creates an environment of anxiety and fear that it could happen again at any moment.
Robby Ceja of Fresno, CA became a target of this game early on in his 5th grade year. He was looking forward to new beginnings and a good school year but that changed when he received a slap at the base of his neck by a fellow classmate. His mother, Pamela Ceja, was horrified to learn about this game and set out to spread the word to other parents this was happening in their schools.
Ceja demanded to know why parents had not been notified this was going on in their schools and why nothing was being done about it.
She went on to say that this was not the first time it had happened and had been going on the previous school year as well. Her fear was that the repeated slapping at the base of the neck could cause internal injuries, nerve damage or cause students to fall and hurt themselves. Later that same week that Robby had been slapped, the principal recorded and delivered an audio message to notify all the parents of the 4th-6th grade kids.
The audio message was sent in hopes parents will talk to their children about the dangers of Necking and discourage participation in the future.
Kids will be kids and Ceja believes that they simply just don’t understand this game can cause physical harm. “I really don’t think most of the kids understand that it could inflict some type of neck injury, it could be a nerve injury. Hitting the base of your head is a dangerous area.” The principal has also stated there will be real consequences to anyone participating in the game going forward.
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Source: ABC News
