Cyberbullying

Is your child looking for someone to sit with during lunch? There's an IOS app for that. The Sit With Us mobile app was created by a student who spent a year eating alone and wanted to make sure everyone has someone to sit with during lunch. The app allows students to sign up as ambassadors and post open lunch tables to help reach out to other kids who have no one to sit with.

It is hard to imagine your child as a bully, but as bullying and cyberbullying rates continue to rise despite many attempts to prevent it, it is important to think about what you would do if you get the dreaded call from school or another parent that your child is involved in a bullying incident. Evidence shows there is a big difference between punishing your child for bullying (which usually doesn’t work) and coming up with an appropriate action once you figure out why your child was bullying in the first place. The best way to react, experts say, is to try to get the bully to take the perspective of the other child involved. If they trust you, they will answer questions like “How do you think he feels about coming to school tomorrow knowing he is going to see you again?'”

It is hard to imagine your child as a bully, but as bullying and cyberbullying rates continue to rise despite many attempts to prevent it, it is important to think about what you would do if you get the dreaded call from school or another parent that your child is involved in a bullying incident. Evidence shows there is a big difference between punishing your child for bullying (which usually doesn’t work) and coming up with an appropriate action once you figure out why your child was bullying in the first place. The best way to react, experts say, is to try to get the bully to take the perspective of the other child involved. If they trust you, they will answer questions like “How do you think he feels about coming to school tomorrow knowing he is going to see you again?'”

Rude Vs. Mean Vs. Bullying: Defining The Differences  is a good blog post to review this fall as school gets started and teachers and parents are once again watching out for cases of bullying and cyberbullying. As we try to protect, nurture and instruct our children, sometimes minor situations can become magnified and it is important to remember that there are sometimes other not so alarming perspectives on words and actions.

Rude Vs. Mean Vs. Bullying: Defining The Differences  is a good blog post to review this fall as school gets started and teachers and parents are once again watching out for cases of bullying and cyberbullying. As we try to protect, nurture and instruct our children, sometimes minor situations can become magnified and it is important to remember that there are sometimes other not so alarming perspectives on words and actions.

With the unfolding of both a contentious political season and a new school year, a recent article on the BBC reminds us that we need to be careful what we post. It is always important to consider who can read your social media posts, especially if you are thinking about sharing controversial opinions, discussing politics, or venting about work or school situations. The article reminds readers that social media posts can also have an effect on job searches, since potential employers are likely to take a look at your accounts before hiring you.

With the unfolding of both a contentious political season and a new school year, a recent article on the BBC reminds us that we need to be careful what we post. It is always important to consider who can read your social media posts, especially if you are thinking about sharing controversial opinions, discussing politics, or venting about work or school situations. The article reminds readers that social media posts can also have an effect on job searches, since potential employers are likely to take a look at your accounts before hiring you.

A recent study finds that the closer teens are with each other, the more likely they are to cyberbully one another. The study, “Toxic Ties: Networks of Friendship, Dating, and Cyber Victimization,” suggests that cyberbullying is more likely to happen between current and former friends and dating partners, identifying competition as the cause. Diane Felmlee, lead author of the study, writes “Friends, or former friends, are particularly likely to find themselves in situations in which they are vying for the same school, club, and/or sport positions and social connections. In terms of dating partners, young people often have resentful and hurt feelings as a result of a breakup, and they may take out these feelings on a former partner via cyber aggression. They might also believe they can win back a previous boyfriend or girlfriend, or prevent that person from breaking up with them or dating someone else, by embarrassing or harassing him or her." While this somewhat common knowledge about how the world of high school works, it is a good reminder for parents that the term “friend” is often a very loose one in the teen world.

A recent study finds that the closer teens are with each other, the more likely they are to cyberbully one another. The study, “Toxic Ties: Networks of Friendship, Dating, and Cyber Victimization,” suggests that cyberbullying is more likely to happen between current and former friends and dating partners, identifying competition as the cause. Diane Felmlee, lead author of the study, writes “Friends, or former friends, are particularly likely to find themselves in situations in which they are vying for the same school, club, and/or sport positions and social connections. In terms of dating partners, young people often have resentful and hurt feelings as a result of a breakup, and they may take out these feelings on a former partner via cyber aggression. They might also believe they can win back a previous boyfriend or girlfriend, or prevent that person from breaking up with them or dating someone else, by embarrassing or harassing him or her." While this somewhat common knowledge about how the world of high school works, it is a good reminder for parents that the term “friend” is often a very loose one in the teen world.

As a new school year begins, the topic of cyberbullying will inevitably come up. Joel Stein’s article, How Trolls Are Ruining the Internet, is a pertinent read for parents. A troll is another type of cyberbully and is defined as a person who harasses others online just for the fun of it. They may take a contrarian view just for laughs, or may be very serious about their arguments, but unfortunately their nastiness and passion can sometimes devolve into threats or worse. Psychologists call this the “online disinhibition effect,” in which factors like anonymity, invisibility, a lack of authority and not communicating in real time strip away the mores society spent millennia building. Unfortunately, our smartphones deliver this stream of ugliness 24/7 and it is not easy to avoid. Stein’s article clearly outlines the problem and though not many solutions are offered, it does as a reminder that words can be very destructive.