Cyberbullying

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.

Lifestage, a new video app by Facebook, connects high school students with others from their school. Rather than profile photos, the app uses a series of selfies where users can show off their "faces." Users record videos to show off what they like and dislike and who their friends, pets, boyfriends and girlfriends are.  People over the age of 21 will not be able to see the content. A quick swipe blocks and reports people but it is too soon to tell how effective it will be at punishing bullies and trolls. The app was just released last week and is certainly something to have on your parent radar, especially since it marks Facebook’s attempt to lure in younger users.

Lifestage, a new video app by Facebook, connects high school students with others from their school. Rather than profile photos, the app uses a series of selfies where users can show off their "faces." Users record videos to show off what they like and dislike and who their friends, pets, boyfriends and girlfriends are.  People over the age of 21 will not be able to see the content. A quick swipe blocks and reports people but it is too soon to tell how effective it will be at punishing bullies and trolls. The app was just released last week and is certainly something to have on your parent radar, especially since it marks Facebook’s attempt to lure in younger users.

Twitter has become a popular conduit for politicians this political season, but there is a lot of heavy criticism for the volume of hate speech and bullying that remains unfiltered on the app. BuzzFeed recently featured a scathing article on the continuing failure of Twitter to stop the abuse of users and the enablement of trolling. The article is a must read for parents of teens who use the app, and is a good starting point for conversation about the topic.

Twitter has become a popular conduit for politicians this political season, but there is a lot of heavy criticism for the volume of hate speech and bullying that remains unfiltered on the app. BuzzFeed recently featured a scathing article on the continuing failure of Twitter to stop the abuse of users and the enablement of trolling. The article is a must read for parents of teens who use the app, and is a good starting point for conversation about the topic.

Although Education Week’s recent article, Cyberbullying: What Schools Can Learn From Leslie Jones' Twitter Harassment, is aimed at schools, parents can also learn a lot about current cyberbullying behaviors. The article reminds readers that cyberbullying can occur on multiple platforms at once and often takes the same form as face-to-face harassment, including name-calling, isolating the target from their friends and support network, and turning social dynamics against them. In Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones’s case, harassment also came in the form of fake tweets that made it look like she was making offensive comments as well.

Although Education Week’s recent article, Cyberbullying: What Schools Can Learn From Leslie Jones' Twitter Harassment, is aimed at schools, parents can also learn a lot about current cyberbullying behaviors. The article reminds readers that cyberbullying can occur on multiple platforms at once and often takes the same form as face-to-face harassment, including name-calling, isolating the target from their friends and support network, and turning social dynamics against them. In Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones’s case, harassment also came in the form of fake tweets that made it look like she was making offensive comments as well.

The speed at which teens adopt and master new social networks and apps can be dizzying, and it can make it difficult for parents to respond when a child reports being bullied on a platform that parents are not familiar with. One thing to stay aware of is the growing swarm of anonymous messaging apps like Whisper, After School, and Yik Yak.  This extensive list of ways to report problematic behavior on various social networks and apps is also useful if you need to report an incident.

The speed at which teens adopt and master new social networks and apps can be dizzying, and it can make it difficult for parents to respond when a child reports being bullied on a platform that parents are not familiar with. One thing to stay aware of is the growing swarm of anonymous messaging apps like Whisper, After School, and Yik Yak.  This extensive list of ways to report problematic behavior on various social networks and apps is also useful if you need to report an incident.

Twitter recently addressed longtime complaints by banning certain users and making its exclusive "verified status" option to be more openly available. Verified accounts include those maintained by public figures and organizations in music, TV, film, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas. The accounts have a blue checkmark next to the user's name to show the user or organization has been vetted by Twitter and the user's phone number and email address are legitimate.

This action was a direct result of the abuse that "Ghostbusters" actress Leslie Jones received from Milo Yiannopoulos, a tech editor at Breitbart.com who has been suspended in the past for violating Twitter's code of conduct. Yiannopoulos incited his followers to bombard Jones with tweets criticizing the "Ghostbusters" new release that features all-female leads. Digital rights activists and victims of online abuse have long called for more proactive solutions that would give users means to address harassment more quickly without waiting for a response from the site's complaint department, or to ban repeat offenders who switch accounts.