Part of what makes Hillsborough a great place is the constant effort to improve the lives of our town’s youth by guiding them toward a more healthy lifestyle. Bullying is an issue that has afflicted almost every student in some way, and Hillsborough High School is proudly home to many organizations that work emphatically to combat it.

One such program is PRIDE (Peers Respecting Individual Differences Everyday). PRIDE works to promote anti-bullying in our schools and around town. On May 31, PRIDE visited Auten Road School to give a demonstration to fifth graders. Through a presentation, games, and skits, they explained the dangers and consequences of cyberbullying to a most susceptible audience.

Activists like these are increasingly important in a world where children are growing up surrounded by technology and endless opportunities for people to hide behind a screen and bully and weaken others to feel more powerful themselves. One PRIDE member, senior Caroline Pabst, shed light on the changes our society has seen in terms of young people’s relationships with technology.

“When we grew up, kids played outside, rang each other’s doorbells at 7 AM, and did not have their faces in their phones. But now, these younger children are being raised with technology at their fingertips,” Pabst said. “They have iPhones by the age of 8 and they start making profiles for social media not long after.”

She also commented on the effects of this world where children are making social media profiles at younger and younger ages, and constantly misusing them.

“These apps are meant to allow kids to interact, but many use it to hide their faces and bully others,” Pabst said. “Kids are obsessed with the number of followers or likes they have and that alone can tear apart someone’s self-confidence.”

Indeed, not only does bullying come from others, but kids comparing themselves to others they see online photoshopped to perfection and showing only the highlights of their lives can be just as dangerous. With the help of organizations such as PRIDE, our school and community can set a good example by combating bullying to promote safe, healthy lifestyles.