What is wrong with these children that they are so cruel and their parents? Lessons learned from latest cyberbullying tragedy (USA TODAY) Cyberbullying is back in the headlines after two Florida girls - 12 and 14 - were arrested on felony charges for allegedly taunting and bullying a 12-year-old girl who jumped to her death last month from an abandoned cement factory tower. One of the suspects is accused of posting a message on the Internet saying the victim should drink bleach and die. Cyberbullying involves harassment online. Its any bullying through technology. Rebecca Sedwick of Lakeland, Fla., who died Sept. 9, was picked on for months by as many as 15 girls through online message boards and texts. Sedwick was bullied on sites such as Ask.fm, Kik, Instagram and Voxer. This is one of the more tragic cyberbullying stories of recent times, says pediatrician Gwenn OKeeffe, co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics social media report. She is also the author of CyberSafe, a book published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Its the perfect storm of cyberbullying leading to the worst case outcome. The story is also a wake-up call to parents, schools and communities that they need to take cyberbullying more seriously by keeping a closer watch over children and their use of the Internet and cellphones starting at young ages, she says. As soon as children go online, parents need to begin teaching their kids about the digital world, she says. Those discussions should include things such as appropriate sites to be on, and parents should set boundaries on what sites their children can use, she says. Joseph Wright, a pediatrician at Childrens National Health System in Washington, D.C., says that by third grade, 75% of kids have been exposed to bullying, the majority as bystanders. Its a pervasive behavior, he says. For kids and teens: *Dont give out personal information online or by text, and avoid all chat rooms except ones parents have looked at and approved. *Understand that parents have a right to check into your media history on your computer and phone and other devices such as iTouch, games and whatever else they use regularly. For parents: *Check what your kids are doing online and on their phones. Consider using parent controls, and use them judiciously. *Let your kids know before checking their computers. *Take the time to be interested in what your kids are doing online and in the digital world, and talk to them about that world.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 22:33:42 +0000
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