The YouTube video sharing site has come under fire recently for some pretty boneheaded stuff uploaded by its users – people beating up other people and boasting about it being one example. Now, following the appearance of a particularly loathsome video on the site, YouTube is off limits to school computers in the Australian state of Southern Victoria, thanks to a group of students who, if the contents of the video are true, look like the poster boys for “what the hell is wrong with kids today?”  

The video uploaded to the service showed 12 boys surrounding a slightly mentally challenged 17 year old girl, bullying her into performing sex acts, urinating on her and setting her hair on fire.  

The education minister for the state where the attack took place says that the state’s zero tolerance policy on bullying in schools definitely extends to the online world, and that Southern Victoria’s 1600 schools will now block access to YouTube.

The controversy firestorm has already started up:  it’s been pointed out that although most of the stuff on YouTube is a complete waste of time, there’s also a lot of legitimate content.  And it’s not as if this is going to stop anything:  after all, what student doesn’t have a computer at home, or at least access to a computer somewhere other than school?  

It’s another classic example of a few knuckleheads ruining a good thing for everyone else, and you can bet it’s not the last time it’ll happen.  

Read more at The Sydney Morning Herald.