Cyberbullying

Keep your kids safe from bullying by watching out for a growing threat, cyberbullying.
It’s a big issue for kids in middle and high school.

Forget stolen lunch money and punches at recess. Bullying today is more relentless and far-reaching than those schoolyard skirmishes. Today’s trend goes by the name cyberbullying, which involves the use of communication technologies (think cell phones, e-mail, chat rooms and Facebook) to support repeated hostile behavior intended to harm others.

In a 2009 Cox Communications survey, 15 percent of 13- to 18-year-olds said they had been cyberbullied. Other studies show even higher numbers, like a 2006 survey by Harris Interactive that reported that 43 percent of U.S. teens had experienced some form of cyberbullying in the past year. And 25 percent of kids admit to being cyberbullies.

Cyberbullying hurts kids’ self-esteem, causes stress and strain, and can even lead to suicide, as the Phoebe Prince and Megan Meier cases prove. To help kids avoid being cyberbullied, see if they’ll let you take a look at their Facebook page to check if there’s anything there that could be used against them. Ask if they’ve received mean or hurtful messages. Discuss with them how to handle it if they do get cyberbullied. They should let an adult know and save the evidence. If your child is the one doing the cyberbullying, have him read about some of the effects of this kind of behavior. Sometimes kids are trying to be funny or cool and don’t realize the power of their words. Or it could be that the lack of tone of voice in texts and posts leads to misunderstandings.

The key is to help your kids learn how to use technology responsibly, which means not hurting others and protecting themselves from getting hurt.