California has updated its impersonation law to include online impersonation, or pretending to be someone else in email and social network sites. "Using a fake online profile or email address to harm others can lead to a fine of up to $1,000 and one year in jail," the San Francisco Examiner reports. The Examiner cites the view of one law enforcement officer that, on the surface, the law looks … [Read more...] about New CA law against fake profiles
Archives for January 2011
School social workers on cyberbullying: Study
A study published this month in the journal Children & Schools found that 45% of school social workers for grades pre-K through 12 "feel ill-equipped" to deal with cyberbullying, PsychCentral.com reports. I honestly think part of the reason for that high number is because cyberbullying has been so misrepresented and misunderstood in our society to date – represented all too much as a … [Read more...] about School social workers on cyberbullying: Study
Learning how to save lives in Facebook
In a very sad story reported in the London Evening Standard, hardly any of the 1,048 Facebook friends of Simone Back of Brighton, UK, did anything to try to prevent her suicide after she posted a status update saying goodbye, she was taking "all my pills." Her mother, who called the UK equivalent of 911 after someone texted her about the post, told the Evening Standard that no FB friends local to … [Read more...] about Learning how to save lives in Facebook
Amber Alerts on Facebook now
This makes sense – to extend the reach of missing-child alerts into social media. "Amber Alerts for missing children are now available as a news feed on Facebook," the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children announced today (here's coverage in WashingtonPost.com). It's really a sign of the times: Since people are now spending more time online than they are watching TV, according to a … [Read more...] about Amber Alerts on Facebook now
Addendum: Wisdom from a school counselor
After watching Brene Brown's talk, my friend Patti Agatston, a counselor with a school district in the Atlanta area and co-author of Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age, added some helpful background: "I loved the talk as well. [Brown] alluded to my favorite quote from the psychologist Rudolph Dreikurs, "Have the courage to be imperfect." He studied under the psychologist Alfred Adler … [Read more...] about Addendum: Wisdom from a school counselor