Parent Post

As a parent of a Deer Creek student who has been a victim of some pretty awful bullying via the internet, I am appalled at the apathetic "what I don't know won't hurt me" attitude of some of our wonderful parents.  I work in the internet industry and see the effects of this type of behavior first-hand every single day.  Children need to be monitored when they are on the computer, bottom line.  I have personally read pages and pages of Instant Messages sent by Deer Creek children to other Deer Creek children - and parents, you are naive to believe your child would never participate in this bullying activity.  You are naive to think your child would never threaten or use curse words, naive to think your straight A student would never call someone a name online - unless you yourself monitor their actions on a daily basis.  That's the only way to be sure.   

The internet is a very falsely seductive place, and children do not understand how it works and how their identities can be uncovered or their words taken to heart. Our "wonderful" children say things that they would never otherwise say to a human being face to face because they are able to hide behind a screen name (or so they think). I recently took down a myspace bulletin called the "DEER CREEK SLUT LIST" that was posted on over 50 other myspace websites.  Yes, with names all over it.  I'm telling you, you have GOT to quit hiding under the rock of "my child would never do that".  They're doing it.   There is only one way to stop this hurtful activity.  PARENTAL MONITORING.  If you don't know how to do this, ask someone, make a phone call, spend $50.  There are many, many parents in Deer Creek who are avid monitors of their kid's myspace's and IM activity who will help you.  Don't assume your child isn't doing it.  If you haven't looked at what they're doing, you don't know. 

June 28, 2007

My morning email included the latest Pew Internet Report on online teen bullying. It is an easy and quick read. After going through it, I had to ask myself, as teens move into adulthood, how will they moderate this behavior, if they moderate it all?

"The Pew Internmerican Life Project has just released a short new report that looks at online harassment and cyberbullying among online teens ages 12-17.

The report finds that about one third (32%) of all teenagers who use the internet say they have been targets of a range of annoying and potentially menacing online activities - such as receiving threatening messages; having their private emails or text messages forwarded without consent; having an embarrassing picture posted without permission; or having rumors about them spread online."

For the full report, please visit:
www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/216/report_display.asp