Students plan, promote and stream fights, as staff struggles to intervene

School fights have been around for as long as schools. But cell phones haven’t. And now, school administrators are pointing to the dangerous and spreading phenomenon of students planning, promoting and streaming fights using social media.

Some of these fights have resulted in deaths and many with injuries not only to the fighters but to spectators as well. The planned altercations draw hundreds of students who cheer, film and share their videos. In turn, it inspires more fights and cyberbullying of the participants.

New York Times technology reporter Natasha Singer spent months investigating the issue and writes about it in her article “An Epidemic of Vicious School Brawls, Fueled by Student Cellphones.” She joins host Robin Young to discuss her reporting.