How the Internet Can Become a Weapon

Bullying is not a new phenomenon. Most of us have dealt with a bully at least once in our lives. But times have changed. Technology and social media sites have given bullies a whole new set of weapons. Through text messaging, instant messaging and social media sites, bullies are can create a web of harassment that is very hard to escape.


Take for instance the article I read today about a Georgia middle school student who reported to police and school officials that she had been bullied on Facebook. Apparently, several students at her school used her picture and created a Facebook page in her name. Then, they posted rude and obscene comments on her classmates' pages and made false statements in the young teen's name. 


As a parent, reading an article like this one is unnerving. It's one thing to have kids bully my child, but it's completely different to have them harass her by making others believe she is doing and saying things she's not. But, this is a very real aspect of cyberbullying.


So what can we do as parents to protect our children? Here are seven ideas to protect your kids from cyberbullies and to prevent them from becoming cyberbullies themselves.

Bully for You! Talking To kids About Bullying

As the start of the new school year approaches, this is the ideal time for parents to talk with kids about the upcoming school year. Although if you are like me, you will probably touch on topics like getting good grades, making good choices and completing homework on time, but you may want to add one more item to your list – bullying.


While you have no way of knowing for sure whether or not your child will be targeted by a bully, statistics indicate that the chances are highly likely. In fact, research shows that more than half of all children are involved in bullying as a perpetrator, target or both. And many children who are not directly involved witness others being bullied. The point here is that no child is immune to bullying.


But as parents, I believe we have the power to at least reduce bullying, if not stop it. As a result, I have compiled a list of things we can do to make sure our kids not only understand bullying but also are safe at school and in our neighborhoods. Here are the top six things parents can do.

Frog in the Pot and More...

Frog in the Pot Check out this post by the author of Tornado Warning. This post contains some great ideas on how to end an abusive dating relationship -- especially for teens!


Make sure you also check out the Safety Planning tips at the top of the page for more great links!

And if you want some great info on teen dating, see this link detailing a new program Dating Matters