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.