I just learned at BlogHer that today is Stop Cyberbullying Day. With so much of our lives online, and for our kids in the tween and teen generations, this is far from an academic issue.
My daughter was cyberbullied in 3rd grade by a classmate upset that she would not play with him during recess that day. He started sending her emails saying things like “you are not my friend” and “I hate you”. Luckily, we not only saw how upset she was but were monitoring her online use including emails so caught this early. The school helped intervene and his parents willing to take a stand and have him not email her any more. And, he moved away – but that is not the issue with cyberbullying. “Away” is moot.
Here’s some links to information to help you prevent this from occurring in your kids – and yourselves:
Cyberbullying.org
SaferInternet.org
Stop Cyberbullying Network
PBS Learning Now Internet Blog
National Crime Prevention Council Info
American Academy of Pediatrics SafetyNet
Safe surfing!
