Posts Tagged ‘Cyber’

Cyber Bullying

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Cyber-bullying

Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves the exercise of power by an individual over someone that is weaker. This behavior is not a one time occurrence but is repeated over time until the person being victimized becomes totally helpless and fearful of the person who is intimidating him/her. Traditionally, schoolyard bullying took several forms that included physical and verbal abuse.  It also took the form of intimidation and social isolation.  That type of bullying still goes on but another more dangerous form has come on the scene with the advent of the Internet. This type of bullying can be even more dangerous because the perpetrator can do damage and remain anonymous. Sometimes it is more difficult to identify the culprit. However, help is only a mouse click away by employing monitoring software that can be accessed by clicking on the following links SpectorSoft for Windows or SpectorSofr for Macintosh.

Cyber-bullying is when someone repeatedly makes fun of another person online or repeatedly picks on another person through emails or text messages, or uses online forums and postings online intended to harm, damage, humiliate or isolate another person that they don’t like.  (Wikipedia)  The National Crime Prevention Council also weighed in on this matter and stipulated that cyber-bullying is when a person uses an electronic device such as the Internet, cell phone, email, post text or images to embarrass, hurt or harm another person. Whatever form bullying takes, whether it is the old fashioned kind or the technologically advanced cyber-bullying, this type of behavior is not to be tolerated and must be stamped out no matter where it originates. Read the rest of this entry »

Sen. Klobuchar Presses Facebook To Protect Teens From Cyber Predators

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Sen. Klobuchar Presses Facebook To Protect Teens From Cyber Predators
Sen. Amy Klobuchar is pressing Facebook to provide a way for teens to protect themselves from online predators. In a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Klobuchar questions the safety of the Facebook network for users under the age of 18…

Read more on 5 Eyewitness News St. Paul

How to beat cyber bullying

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In a recent survey by the charity Beatbullying, nearly 40 per cent of young people said that they were nervous about going back to school because of bullying. Also, one in three children have revealed that they have been the victims of cyber bullying.

Cyber bullies target their victims mainly via mobile phone text and picture messages, prank mobile calls and social networking sites. The impact can be just as devastating as verbal or physical abuse. In January, Megan Gillan (15) of Macclesfield took a fatal overdose of painkillers after classmates instigated a bullying campaign at school and on the social networking site Bebo, where they posted spiteful messages about her.

Text and picture messages can be used to target children

Read the rest of this entry »

Stop the Cyber Bullies From Troubling Your Child

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Cyber bullying is a term used for harassment, embarrassment, humiliation or threatening faced by a child, preteen or teen to another child via the World Wide Web. One can also use other digital technologies or mobile phones for the same.

The term is justified only when minors are involved on both sides. In case, an adult is involved, the other terms such as cyber-harassment or cyber staking is used. Cyber bullying does not involve sexual exploitation. However, sometimes, when a minor gets involved in a cyber bullying campaign, it involves sexual predators.

Several methods are used for cyber bullying and these methods can very according to the imagination of the minor & the kind of technology he is using.

There have also been cases where children killed each other & even committed suicide ones involved in such an incident.

One needs to take many preventive steps to stop cyberbullying or saving children from getting victimized.

Here are some preventive measures you can use once the cyber bullying has started.

a) Develop a bond of trust

You should act on a trusted place where your child can resort to in case of a problem. This way, your child will inform you about any unpleasant incident he or she farm online.

b) Don’t chide your child

Develop a bond of friendship with your child. Most children avoid telling their parents about a cyber bullying incident. This is because they fear that sharing the experience will make things worse. Ensure your child that you are there to help & understand his problem.

c) Inform the school

Once your child confirms an incident of cyber bullying, inform a responsible authority at school. This will let the child get good guidance from counselor. You may also inform your pediatrician about this. Try to provide all the support you can to your child.

d) Contact law enforcement agency

It is crucial to notify the law enforcement agency about any incident that occurs with your child. The trained volunteers will immediately provide you adept assistance & find the cyber bully offline. They will also evaluate the case prudently.

e) Boost the child’s confidence

The child should feel confident. Praise the child & let him know that he is special. This is the best way to stop getting the child victimized. A confidence boost will help him take cyber bullying in his stride and stay away from suicidal thoughts.

f) Keep tabs on child’s activities

You must monitor child’s activities on the internet. Whenever a child gets scared or restless immediately after visiting a website or when he opens his mails, it is an indication that something is wrong. Don’t ignore this behavior of your child.

g) Provide care

Remember that your love & support are the only pillars of strength for your child. Your child should know that he is cared. Let him feel pampered & get assurance that you are there when he needs you.

Cyber bullying is a serious issue. It can change the way your child sees the world. It can also affect the future of your child badly, the key is to prevent cyber bullying & take firm steps to save your child.

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Cyber bullying is a term used for harassment, embarrassment, humiliation or threatening faced by a child via the World Wide Web. One can also use other digital technologies or mobile phones for the same. One needs to take preventive steps to stop cyberbullying and saving children from getting victimized. Here are some measures you can use once the cyber bullying has started.

For more Articles, News, Information, Advice, and Resources about Bullying please visit
BULLYING ADVICE

New App Can Help Parents Fight Cyber Bullies

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New App Can Help Parents Fight Cyber Bullies
But Creators Warn: Solid Family Relationships More Important Than Technology It’s summertime, you’ve got the kids home, and they’re probably spending a little more time on the computer. And that means they’re more likely to be targets for cyber-bullies. But there’s a new app from some local developers that could help you protect your kids.

Read more on Q13 FOX Seattle

Sex Offenders in the Cyber Space

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Isn’t it amazing how something that seems so innocent can end up being disastrous? In a perfect world, there would be nothing wrong with the thrill and excitement of meeting someone in another state or another country. In fact what a great way to gain a different cultural perspective and not even have to leave your hometown!

Yes, in a perfect world, this would be amazing. Unfortunately, a “perfect world” is not one in which we live. As a result, there are consequences when we let our guards down at the wrong times; using the internet is one of those times when putting one’s guard down can lead to a catastrophic event.

You love your child dearly. You constantly take measures to protect her. You teach her to hold hands and look both ways before crossing the street. You teach her to not answer the door by herself. You teach her to never tell a stranger when mom and dad are not home. The list is goes on an on and on, as you, as a parent, know so well.

But what about the cyber dangers your children face online? Have you taken measures to educate your child in this regard? It may be hard to believe that someone can perpetrate a crime against you and your loved ones so easily.

Sex offenders lurk just beyond the cyber cloud. Pedophiles hide in the virtual bushes right outside your home. Your child is just within their reach, whether you have predators in your neighborhood, or even if the predators live hundreds or thousands of miles away.

The click of a mouse and a few careless moves by your child can put him in a sticky situation.

Years ago, we all thought MySpace.com was just a fad, but it is still up and running, stronger than ever. In fact, MySpace is one of the most trafficed sites on the web today.

If you have ever browsed people’s pages, you were probably surprised at just how many online “friends” they have. But how many of them do they actually know? More importantly, how many of them could possibly have phony profiles?

It is easy to set up a MySpace page; you can upload any picture you like, add any information you want to.

How can you ensure that it is valid? The dangers of MySpace and chat room dangers create a threat we never before realized would pose an issue.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reported that seventy-five percent of kids of all age groups have admitted to furnishing personal information while online. That is scary!

What’s even scarier is that if you do suspect any type of cyber threat against your child, you will have a very difficult time tracking the sex potential offender. You must go through a chain of command; there are certain steps authorities take, and that can take a substantial amount of time.

Therefore, you must be a proactive parent: edify your child to be cautious while online, and to never take his guard down.

Amy Cainfield is a frequent contributor to the PC Tattletale Parenting Blog and an expert on internet safety, MySpace and sexual predators.