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.

“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 […]

Should Parents Ban Access to Facebook?
Our colleague Anne Collier from NetFamilyNews made us aware of an email that Anthony Orsini, a middle school principal from New Jersey, sent to parents a couple of weeks ago imploring them to prohibit their children from participating in social networking sites. As reported on CBS and elsewhere, the letter Orsini sent to parents included […]

Formspring, Cyberbullying, and Alexis Pilkington
Formspring.me, launched in November 2009, is a user-to-user question and answer web site. If you sign up, the site presents visitors to your page with the ability to anonymously ask you anything via a web form. You can then post your answer, along with the question, for all to see. A benefit of Formspring is […]

What Teachers and Administrators Can Do About Cyberbullying – Podcast
I was featured on *Audio Ed* to discuss in detail how administrators, teachers, and staff can prevent and respond to cyberbullying among school students. Please click here to download and listen (8 minutes, MP3 file). Justin and I are passionate about training and working with public districts as well as private schools to meaningfully inform […]

Podcast – Cyberbullying Advice to Help Parents Protect Kids
I recently appeared on WNYMedia’s “Parent Talk” radio show to discuss what parents can do to protect their child from online harassment. Please click here to download and listen (47 minutes, MP3 file), and let me know if you have any follow-up questions!

Is Cyberbullying Simply an Expression of Free Speech?
A colleague of mine recently posed the following questions after listening to my recent interview on Wisconsin Public Radio: Q: If a student were bullying someone & claimed they had the right of freedom of speech to say whatever they want, how would you respond? Q: If a public official felt they were being bullied […]

Teachers expressing negative opinions of students online
Justin and I were chatting recently about an example cyberbullying case that involves a student who repeatedly is posting comments on her Facebook page about a teacher at school, stating “Mr. Z is a douchebag,” “Mr. Z is a jerk and nobody likes him,” and “Please post ‘I Hate Mr. Z’ comments on my wall!” […]

Chatroulette, sexually-offensive content, and cyberbullying
An increasing amount of educators and parents are asking us our thoughts on “Chatroulette,” which was created by a Russian teenager in late 2009. User traffic has increased from 500 people a day last November to 1.5 million daily as of March 2010, and major IT companies are seeking to purchase it from its ingenious […]
