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| Picture courtesy of airissophia.blogspot.com |
I recently attended a Parent Safety Night at my 4th Grade daughter's elementary school. The subject of the meeting was cyber-bullying and online predators. It was of particular interest to me not only because I have young children, but because I am going to be an educator that will need to be aware of these problems in the classroom.
The principal and counselor briefly explained what the school district and administrators are doing to combat bullying. Then there was a presentation from Investigator Stacy Hesse from the Waterloo Police Department. She specializes in internet crime, including online harassment and adults who prey on minors.
Officer Hesse explained how some young people are using the internet to bully others. This includes them setting up fake profiles or stealing the passwords of other children on online chat rooms, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and using it to spread false or mean information about them. They also use the internet as an "anonymous" way to harass others without doing it to their face.
Officer Hesse stated that there is always an electronic trail that children may not be aware of. Even after things are deleted there is still evidence that it was there. Children as young as 7 can, and have, been arrested because of online harassment, and can be charged with harassment, assault, and disorderly conduct. Children need to be aware of the consequences of their actions. The following You-Tube video shows how children are unaware of their actions online and through texting because of the "anonymity" of the technology they are using.
Officer Hesse gave some good tips for parents and educators in helping combat online bullying. If you, a parent, guardian, or educator, notice that a child is suffering from depression, withdrawn behavior, or aggressive behavior they may be the victim of harassment. We need to enforce some rules and educate them about safe computer usage. They should be taught to not respond to harassing messages, to keep the message, or set up a new account if theirs has been compromised. They should also be told that they should find a trusted adult that they can confide in, as they should not have to deal with it on their own. The parents and schools need to take the harassment seriously and reach out for help if they are unable to stop it.
Officer Hesse shared some invaluable online resources to help combat online harassment. Netsmartz.org is a website from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. It has resources for children to learn more about being safe online. It is geared toward younger children and includes videos, games, and other resources. NSteens.org is another website from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. It is geared for older children and teens. It also has a lot of resources to help children make responsible decisions while online. Another really great resource educators is StopBullying.org. It includes lesson plans and activities for your classroom to help educate your students about bullying.
We need to protect our children from online harassment. This means being aware of what may be going on where we can't see it happening. Children used to bully face-to-face and it was easy to step in to stop it. Children could escape bullying by going home where it was safe. Now, children are bullying online and by text message, so it is much harder to regulate. Children are no longer safe from bullying when they go home because as soon as they go online or check their phone they are harassed. We need to be aware, reach out to further educate ourselves, and keep our children safe.
