Cell phones become common tool for cyber-bullying
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Friday, February 15, 2008
Educators across the nation are seeing an increase in subtle forms of bullying among students, especially through the use of modern communication technology. Emporia schools are experiencing the same trends and counselors, student support specialists and others are looking for resources to help parents identify cyber-bullying and intervene in the behavior.
Barbara Clark, PE teacher at Emporia Middle School , and Bonnie Jasso, an EMS counselor, recently returned from a Mean Girls Conference where they learned about a low-profile form of bullying known as relational aggression. It is a term that describes actions that seek to exclude someone from making friendships or being part of a peer group. Cyber-bullying is a common method of relational aggression.
Clark said the topic is timely because teachers and counselors are seeing an increase in this form of cyber-bullying through the use of cell phones and text messaging. It is worsened by the fact that so many students have cell phones.
“Parents want their children to have cell phones for safety, but it’s a big problem when they have them at school,” Clark said. “We want parents to be more aware of how they are being used.”
Clark encourages parents to be informed about their children’s Internet and cell phone habits because it can be difficult to observe if a child is the victim or perpetrator of cyber-bullying. According to conference materials published by YouthLight, Inc., girls are twice as likely as boys to be victims or perpetrators of cyber-bullying. Some common forms of cyber-bullying are sending cruel or threatening messages using instant messaging, chat rooms or discussion groups; creating Web sites and blogs with stories and pictures that ridicule others; breaking into an e-mail account and sending embarrassing material to others; or taking embarrassing photos with a camera phone and e-mailing it to others.
Conference materials provided these suggestions for parents:
- Know your children’s friends.
- Closely monitor television, computer activities and music.
- Become computer-savvy and do not allow your child to have a computer in his or her room or other isolated area.
- Be aware of online activities your child participates in.
- Educate your child and yourself about cyber-bullying.
- Inform your child you will respect their privacy on the computer; however you will intervene if you think it’s necessary for their safety.
- Inquire about filtering or parental control tools for your computer. Some resources available include the following:
www.transl8it.com — a Web site to help translate text messages
www.spectorsoft.com — Internet monitoring software
www.watchdogpc.com — parental control software
www.keylogger.com — computer surveillance software
For more information on the topic of cyber-bullying or the Mean Girl Conference, parents can contact Clark or Jasso at EMS , 341-2335.