tec h n o l o g y
by Becky Flansburg
photo by Joey Halvorson
Cyberbullying: Keeping Your Tweens and Teens Safe Online
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There was a time when bullies were the mean kids on the playground who pushed other kids around and took their lunch money. Although traditional bullies still exist (unfortunately) there’s now a new version to contend with and one that is cause for alarm — the cyberbully. In a nutshell, cyberbullies are kids using interactive technologies to target other kids. This includes hateful texts and emails, bashing websites and threats posted on social platforms. Cyberbullying is limited only to the imagination and bandwidth of kids. If you want a more official definition, this one is straight from a great site called www.stopcyberbullying.org. Cyberbullying is 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. It has to have a minor on both sides, or at least have been instigated by a minor against another minor. Once adults become involved, it is plain and simple cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. Adult 32
FALL 2012 | her voice
cyber-harassment or cyberstalking is NEVER called cyberbullying. According to research conducted by the Pew Foundation, approximately 75 percent of teens and tweens already have iPhones and social media profiles. With this new connectivity comes a whole bevy of dangers including sexting, bullying and Internet predators. It’s a sad fact most parents don’t always know their child is encountering sticky situations online. Why? Because only one out of 10 kids will tell their parents when there’s a problem. One out of TEN! “Ahhh, he/she/I was just joking around,” is a common defense when bullies of all shapes and sizes are called on the carpet for their actions. But cyberbullying goes beyond simple teasing or “joking around” and goes right into relentless taunting. Many kids don’t know or understand that difference or even when lines are crossed. Obviously not all cyberbullying leads to tragedy, but extreme cases like the sad story of Jamey Rodemeyer who took his own life at age 14 because of bullying are becoming more and more commonplace. If any good
can come from Rodemeyer’s untimely death, it’s that there is now a heighten sense of awareness among teens online. If you want to see example of this, head over to Twitter and type in the hashtag #stopcyberbullying and read the comments and threads. As parents, we need to commit to inform, protect and keep the lines of communication open with our kids. Keep the family computer in a central part of the house and limit computer time. If you want deeper monitoring options, check out online monitoring tools like Social Scanner, Net Nanny, and MobSafety Ranger to keep tabs on your child’s Internet, iPhone and iPad activities. When I posed this topic to Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl, he offered up some great insight and thoughts. “Cyberbullying is a situation that is becoming more and more prevalent in our society.” shares Dahl. “With the technology available in today’s world it seems as though the violators have a feeling of being invincible or able to evade the law which is far from the truth. We are becoming more aware not only as law enforcement officers, but as educators in our schools, parents and the general public as well.” Dahl says take the time to teach kids proper “sharing” etiquette online as well. When it comes to revealing details about their life, educate them on the YAPPY as a formula of what to NOT share:
Y A P P Y
Your full name Address Parents information
(workplace, occupations, etc.)
Passwords Your plans
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