Anti-Cyberbullying Initiatives
January 6th, 2009 . by Chris PierreThe RCMP and the Canadian Teachers Federation have created a joint initiative to help deal with the problem of cyberbullying. The press release provides information on what resources are available to RCMP school liaison officers (called Youth Officers) that attend schools.
The press release also provides a link to www.deal.org which is a website hosted by the RCMP but where the content is provided by Canadian Youth. Deal.org has a flash game intended to educate young people on types of cyberbullying and what to do when they suspect it is happening.
I commend the CTF for their persistant battle on the issue. The problem is that the Internet is a safe haven for bullies because of the anonymity. There is not a more cowardly way to bully someone then from behind a curtain. Parents need to get involved in helping solve the cyberbullying problem. If parents cared enough about their child being the bully or passing along the material as much as they care when their child is a victim, it would be a huge step forward. But then, of course, how do you know if your child is involved in cyberbullying? You need to monitor their Internet activity. Monitoring software like our PC Pandora records everything that happens on the PC. If your child is a victim, you will know; if they are a bully, you will know. Whatever the case may be with your child, you need to intervene and teach them how to be a Responsible CyberCitizen. Otherwise, the path we are on, will lead to a disheveled generation who have no sense of ethics and humanity. Check us out at http://www.pcpandora.com to see how you can protect your child from the perils of cyberbullying.
Ken,
I couldn’t agree more with the need for parental intervention, education and yes, even some software solutions!
Thanks for the post – Chris