Read the latest news and brand new pieces on youth, social media, and emerging technologies! We focus on preventing harm and promoting positive online behaviors.

Ten Ideas to Involve Teens in Cyberbullying Prevention
We have long thought that one of the best ways to deal with cyberbullying (from prevention through intervention) is to involve teens. Including youth is essential in any comprehensive and coordinated community response to cyberbullying. Earlier in the week Sameer posted a blog discussing the ways that older teens can be used to mentor their […]

Peer Mentoring as a Strategy to Address Cyberbullying
The concept of peer mentoring generally involves older students advising and counseling younger students about issues affecting them. Since younger adolescents tend to look up to (and seek to emulate) older adolescents, this dynamic can be exploited to teach important lessons about the use of computers and communications technology. Peer mentoring has been fruitful in […]

Our book is NCPC’s June Book of the Month! New Podcast!
We have more great news concerning our book: the National Crime Prevention Council has chosen to feature it as its June 2010 Book Club selection! Part of this feature involves an extensive interview, where I discussed in detail how each and every person can take an active role in the prevention of cyberbullying and online […]

New Report: “Youth Safety on a Living Internet”
The Online Safety and Technical Working Group just released their comprehensive report “Youth Safety on a Living Internet” detailing the current state of knowledge, practice, and tools regarding safeguarding our youth while they explore technology. The Report focused primarily on identifying industry efforts to promote online safety through education, technology, content, and other measures. In […]

3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Set to Clarify School Reach in Off-Campus Online Speech
Blue Mountain School District v. J.S. and Layshock v. Hermitage School District. These are two cases that we have discussed quite frequently on this blog. We have been waiting a long time to receive clarification from a high court regarding the circumstances under which schools can discipline students for their off-campus online speech and we […]

What is your Online Reputation?
I have been talking a lot lately about online reputation with teens. I think it is important for youth to recognize that anything they put online and anything they do offline that gets posted online, could end up being immortalized on the World Wide Web. I advise students to start thinking about their online reputation […]

“Bullying beyond the Schoolyard” Named Education Book of the Year by Foreword Reviews
Sameer and I are proud to report that ForeWord Reviews has selected our book, “Bullying beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying” as the 2009 Book of the Year in the Education category. As noted on their web site, the award is based on the following criteria: editorial excellence, intent of book met by […]

“Bullying beyond the Schoolyard” Named Education Book of the Year by Foreword Reviews
Sameer and I are proud to report that ForeWord Reviews has selected our book, “Bullying beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying” as the 2009 Book of the Year in the Education category. As noted on their web site, the award is based on the following criteria: editorial excellence, intent of book met by […]

Should Teens Have a Computer in Their Bedrooms?
If you look at any “Top Ten List of Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe Online” that you find on the Internet, no doubt one of the recommendations that you will find near the top is: “Keep the family computer in a common area of the house.” While this is sage advice, it is also […]

Should Teens Have a Computer in Their Bedrooms?
If you look at any “Top Ten List of Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe Online” that you find on the Internet, no doubt one of the recommendations that you will find near the top is: “Keep the family computer in a common area of the house.” While this is sage advice, it is also […]