...and to be oneself is something every young person deserves, President Obama said this week, when he spoke of his sadness over the suicides of gay youth. "We've got to dispel this myth that bullying is a rite of passage, some inevitable part of growing up. It's not. We have the job of ensuring our schools are safe for all of our kids." Ensuring that every child not only has that freedom but is … [Read more...] about The freedom to *not* fit in
cyberbullying
Europe’s update of the youth online risk picture
A new study of online risks to youth in 23 European countries found that "the Internet is now central to children’s lives across Europe, and they use it for a range of things which are often beneficial including schoolwork, playing games, watching video and instant messaging," reported lead author Sonia Livingstone at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The EU Kids Online … [Read more...] about Europe’s update of the youth online risk picture
From real emails to fake profiles on Facebook
This is a heads-up for parents and kids wanting to avoid a cyberbullying trick. First, if kids have multiple email accounts (and many do), they do not want other kids to know any email addresses besides the one they used to sign up for Facebook. Michael Arrington at TechCrunch created an account at Facebook impersonating Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google. He said he was sorry in the first sentence … [Read more...] about From real emails to fake profiles on Facebook
Cyberbullying and … second chances?
I was pleased and relieved to see some thoughtful and thought-provoking coverage of bullying, cyberbullying, and teen suicides since I posted on Friday. For example, Newsweek asks an important question: "Bullied to death is the crime of the moment, the blanket explanation slapped on suicide cases from Texas to California... But ... is the notion of being bullied to death valid?" Bullying is … [Read more...] about Cyberbullying and … second chances?
Cyberbullying: Can schools intervene?
A heart-wrenching student's suicide thoughtfully reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer illustrates schools' and families' struggles over bullying and cyberbullying. It's not clear how causative the bullying – of a beautiful Croatian student – was in her suicide two years ago, or how much the cruelty continued online, but the article and the accompanying video interview of the student's family … [Read more...] about Cyberbullying: Can schools intervene?