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 findings from Cox Communications and the NCMEC
Cox Communications and the NCMEC recently held a Teen Summit in Washington, and we are pleased to see that the research they conducted revealed the same findings as our own work, as it relates to the use of various technologies by adolescents, experiences with cyberbullying, and the misuse of personal pictures or content. Furthermore, one […]
Cyberbullying Education and Regulation
Our colleague Adam Thierer from the Progress & Freedom Foundation has recently published an informative white paper worth reading entitled “Cyberbullying Legislation: Why Education is Preferable to Regulation.” Justin and I keep having to point out in various conversations that strictly punitive strategies fall short in their effort to deter misbehavior, especially among a youthful […]
Bullying beyond the Schoolyard
Just a quick note to let you all know that our book is currently on sale on Amazon for $29.92 (19% off) if you haven’t already picked it up. More substantive posts will be forthcoming as we get caught up. We just completed collecting data from about 1800 middle and high school students and will […]
Cyberbullying Legislation: Clarification of My Position and Invitation to Participate
I wanted to take a moment to clarify my position on the recent discussion regarding the need for a federal cyberbullying law. I think my perspective has been misinterpreted in the media and by many who see me as opposed to any cyberbullying legislation. I am not opposed to cyberbullying legislation. I am simply concerned […]
Public Radio Discussion on Proposed Cyberbullying Legislation
I was a guest on the New Hampshire Public Radio show “Word of Mouth” with Virginia Prescott this morning where I talked about the proposed Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act. You can listen to the brief interview here. They were gracious enough to send me some potential questions a couple of hours before the interview […]
Cyberbullying Legislation
There has been a lot of discussion lately concerning proposed or recently passed state and federal legislation designed to address cyberbullying. One particular bill, proposed by California Congresswoman Linda T. Sanchez and called the “Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act,” was re-introduced in the House of Representatives last month (the proposal was initially introduced in May […]
Cyberbullying and real-time cell phone video broadcasting
Qik – a new software application which can be downloaded onto your phone – allows for real-time web streaming of whatever you’d like to capture. This means that anyone else can see exactly what you see as it is happening. The software is being ported for different platforms and will soon be available for the […]
An Extreme Example of Misinterpretation
An article was published in the Washington Post over the weekend describing one teacher’s harrowing introduction to sexting. As they are known to do, parents and prosecutors evidently jumped to some conclusions and misinterpreted the actions this teacher was taking in investigating and dealing with a case of sexting about a year ago. As a […]
Columbine School Shooting – 10th Anniversary
As you know, today is the 10th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. It was a horribly tragic but markedly defining event in the history of American public schooling. You can research it on your own, but evidence pointed to school administrators condoning bullying and harassment among students rather than dealing with it strictly […]
Cell Phones in the Classroom
We have been discussing the issue of cell phones in classrooms a lot lately. Most schools have a clear policy prohibiting the use of cell phones in classrooms and standard practice seems to be “if I see it, you lose it.” Some policies specify that the phones will be confiscated for the day, others say […]
