Links between an increase in suicidal thoughts and bullying are well-established, so the emerging one between suicidal ideation and bullying online and on phones is not surprising but very important. A new study by cyberbullying experts, authors, and Profs. Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin is a vital step toward substantive help for the only age group (10-19) showing "an upward trend" in suicide … [Read more...] about Bullying, cyberbullying & suicide: New study
Risk & Safety
Web to have an official ‘red light district’
ICANN, the international body that manages Internet domain names, approved a new .xxx top-level domain late last week, setting in motion the development of a "red-light district" for the Web. Now ICM Registry, which would administer the domain and has long lobbied for its approval, has to show that there is strong support for it among adult content providers, the BBC reports. The Internet … [Read more...] about Web to have an official ‘red light district’
Coverage of new study on Net safety: Critical thinking needed!
It's as if some reporters feel compelled to write to parents' worst fears. The headline of a USATODAY blog post about a new McAfee study about the state of youth online safety says, "Privacy doesn't matter to kids engaging in risky online behaviors." Well, maybe not to kids who want to engage in risky online behavior, but this is not true of young Net users in general (we do need to keep working … [Read more...] about Coverage of new study on Net safety: Critical thinking needed!
Teens text while driving less than adults: Study
Not by much less, but the point is that too many drivers of all ages are texting while driving. Teens are not alone. The Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 27% of US adults have texted while driving, while 26% of 16- and 17-year-old drivers have. And a lot more adults have talked on their cellphones (61%) while driving than teens have (43%). What this suggests is that we adults … [Read more...] about Teens text while driving less than adults: Study
Grassroots suicide prevention in Facebook
A Canadian woman's effort to keep a San Francisco man from committing suicide is becoming something of a movement on Facebook. Days after Kimberly Furnell of Nanaimo, B.C., created a suicide-prevention Facebook group on June 5, it had 47,000 members, the Vancouver Sun reports. She'd seen a message in the anonymous postcard site PostSecret.com that read in part, "I have lived in San Francisco since … [Read more...] about Grassroots suicide prevention in Facebook