Discovering the Wealth of Our Students!

What is cyberbullying?  The National Crime Prevention Council claims cyberbullying occurs when “a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones”.  There is a wealth of research on cell phone and Internet use among youth.  A 2006 study conducted by Performics, a search marketing company, revealed that over 6.6 million American children between the ages of 8 and 12 owned a cell phone while another revealed that 83 percent of Internet users between the ages of 10 and 14 spent an hour or more online per day.   Surprisingly,  over 60 percent of 13 to 17 year olds have a personal profile on a social networking site such as MySpace, Facebook or Friendster.  What is most concerning is that half of that group has posted pictures of themselves, some of which can be described as provocative. 

Teaching “cyberethics” is not an insurmountable task.  It is a lesson that can be taught at home, in school and the community.  Most school divisions have an acceptable use policy that can address appropriate Internet use.  Guidance counselors can also provide direction on how to avoid and respond to bullying.  Parents are encouraged to maintain an open relationship with their children while monitoring Internet sites that are frequently visited.  Many children will avoid telling their parents about a cyberbullying incident in fear that their parent will only make matters worse.  Thus, open communication is critical! 

The media and other community outlets should be applauded for their awareness, prevention and intervention efforts.  Please join me teaching our youth to make responsible choices when texting, surfing the web, posting to a personal profile or when chatting online.  Posted below is an example of a community service announcement this has recently aired on national television.