Professor Gives Tips on Handling Cyberbullying, Sexting

/PRNewswire/ -- Parents should be more involved in their children's online activities and know what to do if their child is being bullied in cyberspace or engaging in sexting, according to one expert.

Cyberbullying and sexting have become major problems facing school-age children, their parents as well as school personnel, according to Bridget Roberts-Pittman, Indiana State University assistant professor of counseling.

"With the increase in technological devices, children are now using such to harass and harm other children," said Roberts-Pittman. "Many children have personal cell phones making it very easy to use these devices in that way. Communication in cyberspace also seems more anonymous and seems to require less responsibility on the part of the child committing the behavior."

While bullying has long posed problems for children, it has now moved to cyberspace. Surveys show as many as 25 percent of children are reporting being cyberbullied. Cyberbullying can be defined as the use of technological devices to deliberately harass or harm another person such as through e-mail, text messaging, instant messaging, cell phones and Internet social networking sites.

Sexting refers to sending sexually explicit photographs typically via a cell phone. At least 20 percent of teens said they have sent a sexually explicit photo through a cell phone.

"Teens and their parents are not aware of the serious nature of such an act and the potentially life-long consequences," Roberts-Pittman said of sexting.

In responding to cyberbullying and sexting issues, Roberts-Pittman said parents need to be aware of major changes in a child's behavior.

"Behavior change is a part of adolescence. However, a significant change could mean the child is dealing with a serious issue such a cyberbullying," she said. "Parents should be aware of signs such as anxiety, depression, their child not wanting to attend school or making a drastic decision such as quitting a sports team."

Parents also need to be aware of what their children are doing in cyberspace. While 93 percent of parents said they knew what their children were doing online, 52 percent of children said they do not tell their parents what they do online, according to Roberts-Pittman.

"Parents have a right to check their child's phone and Internet use," she said and suggested using software packages such as Spectorsoft or I Am Big Brother. "Parents need to talk to their children about cyberbullying and sexting. Children today are so saturated with technology that they might not even recognize the behavior as a serious problem."

Teens caught sexting can be charged with possession of or distribution of child pornography and be required to register as a sex offender for many years, up to 20 in Indiana.

"The Legislature has not caught up with technology," she said. "The best message for children is 'Don't do it.'"

Roberts-Pittman said parents can take steps to help their children if they are involved in sexting or cyberbullying. The first is to listen.

"It is critical that children feel heard and understood," she said. "Keeping an open dialogue about issues such as peers is not easy, but very important for children to know that they can talk to their parents."

She said children often do not talk to their parents because they are afraid of their parents revoking their cell phone or computer privileges. They also don't believe their parents have the technical knowledge to understand. They also fear their parents will say "I told you so."

A second step for parents to help their children is to know they have options, especially in responding to cyberbullying.

"They can and should talk to the police about harassment," Roberts-Pittman said. "If the information is posted on a social networking site, they can contact the site to have the information removed."

The third step is to save all of the texts and emails sent to the child.

"It seems to be the parent's natural tendency to encourage their child to ignore the information and delete but that is the opposite of what we want children to do," she said. "Information can be tracked and traced."

Also, parents of the child being bullied may want to address the cyberbullying with the parents of the child committing the bullying.

"I only encourage parents to do this if they have the saved information to share with the other parents," she said.

As a fourth step, Roberts-Pittman said parents should share the information with school personnel.

"The collaboration between parents and school officials is critical to address the cyberbullying and sexting," she said.

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Nearly Three in Four Americans Say Bullying Serious Problem in Their Local Schools

/PRNewswire/ -- Nearly three-quarters of Americans consider bullying and harassment a serious problem in their local public schools, though not as serious as illegal drugs and lack of respect for teachers, according to a new survey by the nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization Public Agenda.

More than one-third of Americans (35 percent), including 39 percent of parents, say they were bullied themselves when growing up. But only 8 percent of the public and 10 percent of parents say they were bullied "a lot." These findings are based on a Public Agenda survey of 1,001 people, including 262 parents of children under 18, conducted from April 8 - 11, 2010.

The recent tragedy in South Hadley, Mass., where six teenagers currently face criminal charges in connection with bullying that prosecutors say led to the suicide of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, has reopened fresh debate over how pervasive bullying is in American schools and what can be done about it.

Public Agenda found that 74 percent of those surveyed say bullying and harassment are serious problems in their local schools, with 47 percent calling these actions "very serious" problems. Roughly three-quarters (76 percent) of the public say illegal drugs and students treating teachers with a lack of respect are serious problems, with 53 percent calling illegal drugs and 50 percent saying disrespect for teachers was "very serious."

Parents are actually slightly less concerned about these problems than the public overall. Sixty-nine percent of parents say bullying is a serious problem (40 percent say "very serious"), seventy percent say disrespect for teachers is a serious problem (45 percent say "very serious"), and 68 percent say illegal drugs are a serious problem (39 percent say "very serious").

Physical fighting and cheating in schools are lesser concerns for both the total public (59 percent and 55 percent, respectively) and parents (55 percent for fighting, 48 percent for cheating).

Adults who say they were bullied in school are more likely to say bullying is a "very serious" problem (49 percent versus 42 percent of those who said they weren't bullied). Men are more likely to say they were bullied (41 percent compared with 30 percent of women), but women are more likely to consider bullying a "very serious" problem (53 percent of women compared with 41 percent of men).

For full results of this survey, visit: www.publicagenda.org/pages/bullying-2010.

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