LOUISVILLE, Ky. — School fights have been around for generations, but fights in this generation are often not over after the last punch is thrown.
Almost every kid has a cell phone, and many are posting fights on social media.
In fact, fight videos continue to not only be posted on Instagram, they can actually be found on dedicated fight pages.
For JCPS, FOCUS found several fight pages with dozens of videos; however, Instagram has not taken them down.
We even found one video which included a female student, a minor, being stripped down to just her bra during a fight.
Instagram, however, hasn't answered our emails and hasn't taken down at least many of the videos even though JCPS said it's alerted the platform about these fight pages.
"Social media companies thus far have not shown that they're completely responsible in terms of taking quick action on these sorts of issues," Dr. Rachel Buehner, a psychologist who treats many children, said.
She had never realized the fight pages existed until we showed her.
"It's horrifying, it's really graphic stuff," Dr. Buehner said. "Children are being exposed to a lot of graphic images these days between video games and media, but this is taking it to a whole other level."
She said the fight pages are absolutely another form of cyber bullying.
"We have a situation where a child or children are victimized, and other children are sort of piling on to that by posting and taking part in those events," Buehner said. "This is a real escalation in sort of school violence."
She warned that posting fights and "liking" them desensitizes violence, and that doesn't bode well for kids as they grow older.
The fight pages are another reason why she said parents need to talk to their kids about what's right and wrong in life and with social media.
Even though it's ultimately up to Instagram to act, Buehner said JCPS can also do more.
"Educating your students, even if you're not the one throwing the punches, if you've gotten your phone out, and you're taking video of those moments, rather than intervening, doing the right thing or seeking help, you're part of the problem," she said.
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