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.

Cyberbullying research article published in Deviant Behavior post thumbnail

Cyberbullying research article published in Deviant Behavior

Routledge (Taylor and Francis) is making some of their copyrighted journal articles available at no cost through June, and our research piece entitled “Cyberbullying: An Exploratory Analysis of Factors Related to Offending and Victimization,” published in Deviant Behavior, is one of those and is available here.  To date, it is one of the most downloaded […]

Can Schools Discipline Students for Creating a Mean Facebook Page About a Teacher? post thumbnail

Can Schools Discipline Students for Creating a Mean Facebook Page About a Teacher?

There have been a few high profile cases recently reviewed by the courts, and summarized in the media, where students have sued their schools arguing that discipline they received as a result of improper online speech was a violation of their First Amendment right.  The most recent case involved a former Florida high school student, […]

The Relationship Between Cyberbullying and Suicide post thumbnail

The Relationship Between Cyberbullying and Suicide

There have been many high profile and tragic incidents in the media in recent years which have linked adolescent suicides to experiences with cyberbullying.  The connection between suicide and interpersonal aggression is certainly nothing new, as a number of studies have documented the association between bullying and suicide.  Sameer and I have a paper coming […]

Identifying anonymous or pseudonymous cyberbullies in civil suits post thumbnail

Identifying anonymous or pseudonymous cyberbullies in civil suits

Though we focus on youth, we have had an increasing number of adults who call and email us asking for help regarding their own cyberbullying victimization experiences.  Some of the stories we hear are extremely tragic and horribly malicious.  Many times, we are at a loss for words that might help based on the fact […]

The Changing Nature of Adolescent Use of MySpace post thumbnail

The Changing Nature of Adolescent Use of MySpace

Sameer and I have been exploring online social networking generally, and adolescent behaviors on MySpace in particular, for over five years. Since 2006 we have randomly selected several thousand MySpace profiles each year to determine: 1) who is on MySpace and 2) what kind of information they are posting.  Our latest article, which is published in […]

Slate Magazine project on cyberbullying victimization experiences post thumbnail

Slate Magazine project on cyberbullying victimization experiences

The Cyberbullying Research Center is helping Slate Magazine in their newest initiative to delve into the vivid experiences of those who have been victimized online (primarily through cyberbullying, sexting, and cyberstalking).  This multi-faceted and long-term project seeks to collect stories, interact with those most affected, and deeply understand the problem and what can be done […]

Social Norms and Cyberbullying Among Students post thumbnail

Social Norms and Cyberbullying Among Students

As I mentioned in my cyberbullying and sexting comments at the National Crime Prevention Council Circle of Respect event two weeks ago, “social norming” continues to bear relevance for dealing with cyberbullying at schools, and I’d like to flesh it out some more since I am a big fan of the concept.  Basically, youth tend […]

Formal comments on cyberbullying and sexting at the NCPC Event post thumbnail

Formal comments on cyberbullying and sexting at the NCPC Event

I greatly enjoyed being a part of a distinguished panel of guests at the National Crime Prevention Council’s Circle of Respect event on Friday, January 15th in Washington, DC. Speaking alongside Deborah Norville (the anchor of Inside Edition), Chris Moessner (a very experienced researcher and Senior Vice President with Stewart and Partners), Rachel Simmons (author of […]

“Redefining Respect in America” event – January 15th, 2009, Washington DC post thumbnail

“Redefining Respect in America” event – January 15th, 2009, Washington DC

On Friday, I’ll be participating in this press event hosted by the National Crime Prevention Council, along with some world-class authors.  I have been asked to speak about cyberbullying and sexting.  I will summarize my prepared remarks and experience in a future post, but if you are in the area and want to meet up […]

Cyberbullicide – What We Can Do post thumbnail

Cyberbullicide – What We Can Do

We’ve been discussing cyberbullying and suicide recently, and even though cases are isolated and rare, the link is worth our attention.  First, it reiterates the fact that all forms of adolescent peer aggression must be taken seriously both at school and at home, and that online harassment can have grave real-world implications.  It also follows […]