WASHINGTON – A local teenager is leading a nationwide crusade against bullying with the help of a data scientist and web-based technology.
“We can track down and see where bullying occurs the most,” explains Viraj Puri, 13, of Fairfax County. “It puts pressure on the authorities to fix bullying as soon as possible.”
The teen has also been speaking with lawmakers and attorneys general in his effort to crack down on bullying activity.
Puri’s website, www.bullyvention.com, features a map of the United States with certain areas highlighted. In those spots, bullying has recently been a problem.
Below is an image of the map:
Bullyvention heat map
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The heat map shows where bullying is occurring around the country. (Courtesy of Bullyvention)
According to the tech-savvy teen, the site scans the Internet and pinpoints key words that indicate bullying activity is occurring in a particular place.
“We use social network such as Facebook, Twitter and that kind of stuff,” Puri explains. “We’re trying to improve it as time goes on.”
Puri says he took action after his brother was verbally and psychologically bullied in middle school.
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