The National Crime Prevention Council‘s definition of cyber-bullying is “when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.”  - Wikipedia

What “makes” someone a cyberbully? Not surprisingly some of the same characteristics we used 20+ years ago to describe a schoolyard bully. Being a cyberbully was associated with perceived difficulties in emotions, concentration, behavior, or getting along with other people; hyperactivity; conduct problems; infrequent helping behaviors; frequently smoking or getting drunk; headache and not feeling safe at school; according to a Finish survey of over 2,200 students (age range of 13-16).

If these bullying behaviors are the same as we encountered in school, why is so much being discussed, written about, legislated and enforced?  The biggest difference is that today’s children can’t necessarily escape the tormenting because of the access to technology.  The “easy” answer – cut off technology to our kids; I think we can all admit that would not only be literally impossible but also unrealistic.  How well did it work for us when our parents told us not to do something or not to be friends with someone – if you were anything like I was – it didn’t work very well at all.  In fact it made me want to enter into that behavior or friendship even more, just because my parents didn’t want me to.

Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act HR 1966 is now in committee with the U.S. House of Representatives according to Change.org.  Megan Meier you may recall committed suicide at age 13 after being tormented on MySpace.  In an attempt to be inclusive this Bill defines `electronic means’ means any equipment dependent on electrical power to access an information service, including email, instant messaging, blogs, websites, telephones, and text messages.’

You can find out what your state is doing by going to the National Conference of State Legislatures and typing bullying into the Keyword in Title or Summary box.  The Jason Flatt Act was recently passed in Illinois, making it the 5th such state to pass such a law. The Act now allow requires social workers for grades 7 – 12 to undergo suicide prevention training; previously only required of guidance counselors and teachers.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people.

The bullying being experienced today by our youth is dangerous and deadly, you can see that by looking at these headlines:

KidPhone Advocate wants to help protect our children and youth in a digital age by putting tools back into the hands of parents to help their kids set healthy boundaries and protect themselves against things like cyberbullying.