Two national news stories this week – one about anti-gay cruelty that ended in a young man's suicide in New Jersey on September 22 (see the New York Times) and the other about anti-gay hate speech from an assistant attorney general in Michigan (see this CNN blog) – indicate a serious need for family discussions about hate speech and bullying, how they are hurtful and destructive to everyone … [Read more...] about Fixing hate online and offline: Everyone’s needed!
Search Results for: suicide
AOL’s two new, easy-to-use safety tools
Not many Internet companies know more about parental controls than AOL, which has been providing a range of them longer than I've been writing about youth and tech (since '97!). So I was interested to hear that AOL was releasing two very Web 2.0 tools, one free, the other $9.99/month. First the free one: 1. Safety Toolbar This light little software app, which AOL says takes about a minute to … [Read more...] about AOL’s two new, easy-to-use safety tools
Monitoring apps for kids’ cellphones
Parental control apps for cellphones – either downloadable ones or the controls provided by the carriers themselves – aren't new, but their numbers are growing. The toughest nut to crack in this category, according to the Wall Street Journal, has been monitoring kids' texts and calls, but that's changing too. "Due to privacy concerns ... carriers can't monitor the content of text messages and … [Read more...] about Monitoring apps for kids’ cellphones
Phoebe Prince story: Much more than meets the eye
If parents want insights into both the Phoebe Prince tragedy and how bullying can develop in a high school today, read this in-depth piece in Slate.com. The writer, Emily Bazelon, was reporting this story for months, publishing interim pieces of it as the news broke from South Hadley, Mass. "My investigation into the events that gave rise to Phoebe's death, based on extensive interviews and review … [Read more...] about Phoebe Prince story: Much more than meets the eye
Bullies & victims: Research on commonalities
What bullies and victims have in common, as found by a review of 50 studies on bullying just published in School Psychology, does not surprise but is important to note: their lack of skill in social problem-solving, MedicalNewsToday.com reports. In other words, what the research found is that children who lack such skills are more are more at risk of becoming bullies, victims, or both. Dr. Clayton … [Read more...] about Bullies & victims: Research on commonalities