What Exactly Is Cyberbullying?

As we've watched how kids interact online, we've found that behavior online is much like kids' behavior in school and in the community. They try out words they consider "bad", tease friends, make sexual jokes and references, ignore some kids, and make fun of other kids. Those who've been in education a long time, remember the sadness brought about by slam books (books where kids wrote nasty reviews of others in a class). We also know that kids exclude others from lunch tables, parties, and friendship groups. Although none of this could be considered nice or kind, it's what some kids do. As teachers and parents, we try our best to stop it, but much of it happens when it's impossible for us to notice. It's the same with online communication. So how can we tell the difference between normal kid behavior that is inappropriate and bullying or cyberbullying?  Bullying and cyberbullying are when the teasing, "bad" words, etc. isn't among friends who are just having fun trying out inappropriate behaviors. It's inappropriate behavior that continues and sometimes escalates into threatening behavior. It's using the anonymity of the Web to hurt others by posting unattractive or revealing images/video and/or inappropriate and/or inaccurate comments. It's not normal kid behavior that parents and teachers must deal with and correct. It's much more. But be careful that you know the difference - overreacting can be as bad as not reacting at all. Another dilemma of parenting in the digital age.

Is Online Privacy Dead?

"Yes" says a rising chorus of voices on the subject including this columnist. Many experts say the evolution of the Internet, the increasingly cozy relationship between search and advertising companies and the rise of Web 2.0 social networking technologies adds up to an environment where true privacy may be but an illusion. What do you think? Your kids may act like their whole world is online so what's the big issue, but will they feel the same if someone takes advantage of their openness?

Outing Sex Offenders From Their Online Lives

Under a proposed new bill from the Attorney General's Office in New York State convicted sex offenders would be required to reveal their online aliases to the state under legislation that aims to protect users of MySpace, Facebook  and other Web hangouts from Internet predators. The identities would then be shared with social networking sites.State law already requires offenders to provide Internet screen names, but the new legislation would clarify and expand what they must supply and permit sharing with online services. That would allow the sites to screen or remove offenders and notify authorities about any illegal behavior. All of this is being done in cooperation with sites like MySpace and Facebook. "Our laws need to keep up with the times," said Hemanshu Nigam, chief security officer for MySpace. "We keep a watchful eye on predators who leave jails and prisons in our physical world. If we fail to do so in our online world, we unwittingly provide an advantage to these predators, an advantage that they can and will exploit."

New Use for Facebook: Fighting Anti-Semitism

Shimon Peres, the 84-year-old leader of Israel recently challenged a group of international students to use their time on Facebook to counter the spread of hate and bullying. "Anti-Semitism is a disease of everyone. Persecuting minorities, discrimination, xenophobia and violence exist in many countries in the world," Peres told the group. "You have the opportunity to teach your friends about the memory of the Holocaust so that these horrors will never be forgotten and will never be repeated."

Peres doesn’t have his own Facebook account yet, but he has been a supporter of technology in the Israeli government and society for many years.

Trevor Romain Goes to PBS

The dynamic Trevor Romain, known for his talks in schools and his video and computer series, which promote social and emotional fitness for kids, can now be seen on PBS-TV. His show will premiere on KLRU-TV in Austin and will be shown every Monday at 3 in English and Saturdays at 7 am in Spanish and 5:30 pm in English. The series is scheduled for 10 weeks beginning on January 14th. Shows will feature health, bullying, fear, homework, and cliques & other baloney. If you would like your area PBS station to carry the series, let your station and Trevor Romain know. Those who can't catch the shows, will want to investigate the Trevor Romain site and the store where there are materials available on cliques, bullying, fear, death, divorce, homework and health.

Anti-Cyberbullying Resources

In December 2007 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sponsored a supplement to the Journal of Adolescent Health and a list of resources on cyberbullying for parents, teachers and administrators is included. The title of the supplement was "Youth Violence and Electronic Media: Similar Behaviors, Different Venues?" and discusses the growing public health issue of the connection between Electronic Media, Violence, and Adolescents.

Six Ways To Be a Media Savvy Parent

If you've told yourself that this year you REALLY are going to get caught up to your kids when it comes to digital savvy, you might want to start by looking at the checklist on the Common Sense Media site of six ways to get started. Once you've covered that list you can find lots more of in-depth parenting with technology tips on this site in the archives of Parenting with Technology and in Internet Smarts :What Parents Need to Know.

Hanging Out Safely on the Web

Safe Card tech and a Web site are combining to test a new idea for student digital safety.  When students go online, they insert a card with their fingerprint into the computer and are directed to a safe site where they can enjoy monitored chatting and traveling to sites that are screened for violence, nudity, solicitation, etc. The program is targeted to students 17 and under and can be put to use in homes as well as school. In schools, the card can be used for keeping track of attendance, lunch purchases, library records and more. Check out information about how Safe Card is currently being used to provide online security for purchases.

MySpace Hacker Gets 110 Years

An Orlando Florida man has been sentenced to 110 years for hacking into young girls' MySpace web pages and harassing them or blackmailing them into sending nude pictures of themselves. By remotely controlling the computer he was able to flash messages across the screen and many of the girls felt they were being spied upon. He threatened to harm their family members, post nude pictures of them on the Web and, in one case, make a 17-year-old "the most well known girl at school" if they didn't do what he said, according to court records.  Make sure your kids know it's ok to report something unusual the computer seems to be doing or any kind of bullying they encounter.

Online Harassment - How Much Is There?

An Associated Press piece in the Baltimore Sun, Studies Spotlight Effect of Online Harassment, notes that finding statistics on cyberbullying is difficult. One problem is the way the questions about online communication are asked. Another problem is that what upsets some children may not upset others. A study on cyberbullying found that 1 in 3 children experienced bullying online, while another more recent study said that the percentage was 1 in every 10 children. No matter what the percentage is, cyberbullying, like bullying in person, continues to be a problem in schools and neighborhoods. It is interesting that one of these studies found that most (64%) children who are bullied online aren't also bullied in person and that most online bullying consists of brief encounters. Encounters that continue, according to the article, might better be termed harassment rather than cyberbullyig. With all this in mind, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention is attempting to study how electronic communication (email, text messaging, blogging, social networking, instant messaging etc.) affects children.