STOPit is an app designed in order to help diminish the number of bully victims all over the world. The status of a pupil who undergoes scarring treatments like bullying or mocking from a more powerful or more influential colleague or group of colleagues is marginal. The bully victim is usually a loner, with no tight social connections inside the educational institution (or others could be the cases), but loneliness is always the outcome of such treatment. With its regularity and impact upon victims increasing drastically in the past years, the need to implement measures in order to stop bullying and the like became vital. STOPit is the app version of such measures!
Todd Schobel is the man behind the app who helps pupils anonymously report bullies and he was inspired by the story of Amanda Todd, who committed suicide in 2012 due to such treatments. STOPit was launched as a problem solving method and is reported to have been successfully adopted by 78 schools in 13 states.
How does STOPit work? As any mobile app, STOPit must firstly be downloaded and is available from iTunes, Google Play, or the Windows Phone Store. Those directly involved in the solving of the problem are of course, trusted adults – varying from parents, teachers, counselors or family friends. Once the adults in question are programmed to receive your ‘’complaints’’, you will be able to contact and seek for their help only by a simple click. Messages and/or screenshots can be immediately sent to responsible adults on your list. In order to enable access even to the most reserved bully victims, STOPit offers you the option to send your complaints anonymously.
Schobel is aware that bullying with not be eradicated with the aid of STOPit, but he believes the app represents a step forward: ‘’We all know bullying is never going to go away (…) but we think we can give it a good shot of penicillin.” (via Wired) The official page of STOPit also shares some opinions of those who have tested the app, including a student and a superintendent: ‘’I think overall it gives the school and students the opportunity to make a difference”, confesses Brooke on an optimistic tone, while Richard Perry seems aware of the advantages of STOPit in a highly technologized society: ‘’We are very excited about the possibilities of this program providing a means for students to reach out anonymously to trusted adults in a Digital Age for Digital Students”.