Cyberbullying and On-line Relationships - Advice for Parents

The information for this post has been sourced from www.commonsense.org, a website that provides resources for teaching Digital Literacy and responsible online citizenship to students.
It also contains useful information to parents about online safety for their children and advice on how to engage your children in conversations about their online image and cybersafety.

I recommend that you take a look at the content of this site to help you as parents become more informed on this often sensitive topic.



http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/parent-media-education/cyberbullying

Advice parents can view online

Direct parents to these articles from our parent advice area, which is rich with guidance for parents on helping their kids navigate digital communication and cyberbullying issues. We encourage you to put links to these on your website or in your email newsletter to parents.

• 5 Things You Need to Know About Cyberbullying
• When Texting Turns to Torment
• Facebook for Parents
• What's the Scoop on Facebook's Timeline?
• Social Networking Tips

Sexting

That picture’s not as private as you think. Most teens today are comfortable with documenting 

their lives online. Posting photos, updating their status messages, sharing rapid-fire texts, and being a click away from friends are the new normal for teens. But this “always on” culture also creates an environment where teens can make impulsive decisions that can come 

back to haunt them. One example of this has been in the news a lot lately: sexting.

Some facts

• 22% of teen girls and 20% of teen boys have sent nude or semi-nude photos of themselves over the Internet or their phones.
• 22% of teens admit that technology makes them personally more forward and aggressive.
• 38% of teens say exchanging sexy content makes dating or hooking up with others more likely.
• 29% of teens believe those exchanging sexy content are “expected” to date or hook up.

(All of the above are from CosmoGirl and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2009.)

Advice for Parents

• » Don’t wait for an incident to happen to your child or your child’s friend before you talk about the consequences of sexting. Sure, talking about sex or dating with teens can be uncomfortable, but it’s better to have the talk before something happens.
• » Remind your kids that once an image is sent, it can never be retrieved — and they will lose control of it. Ask teens how they would feel if their teachers, parents, or the entire school saw the picture, because that happens all the time.
• » Talk about pressures to send revealing photos. Let teens know that you understand how they can be pushed or dared into sending something. Tell them that no matter how big the social pressure is, the potential social humiliation can be hundreds of times worse.
• » Teach your children that the buck stops with them.If someone sends them a photo, they should delete it immediately. It’s better to be part of the solution than the problem. Besides, if they do send it on, they’re distributing pornography — and that’s against the law.
• » Check out www.ThatsNotCool.com. It’s a fabulous site that gives kids the language and support to take texting and cell phone power back into their own hands. 
• It’s also a great resource for parents who are uncomfortable dealing directly with this issue.