New Report: “Youth Safety on a Living Internet” post thumbnail

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 […]

Formspring, Cyberbullying, and Alexis Pilkington post thumbnail

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 […]

Podcast – Cyberbullying Advice to Help Parents Protect Kids post thumbnail

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? post thumbnail

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 […]

Cyberbullying Panic? post thumbnail

Cyberbullying Panic?

Several high profile incidents have put cyberbullying at the top of the headlines in recent months.  When Sameer and I first started studying this problem over eight years ago, it was rare to see a cyberbullying story in the media, now they are everywhere. Larry Magid, a technology journalist who contributes to a number of […]

Criminal Charges Filed Against Bullies in Phoebe Prince Case post thumbnail

Criminal Charges Filed Against Bullies in Phoebe Prince Case

It is not often that students are charged in criminal court for their participation in bullying.  But that is what happened this week.  As has been well-publicized, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince of South Hadley, Massachusetts, committed suicide in January after experiencing extreme levels of bullying from her classmates.  After conducting a thorough investigation, District Attorney Elizabeth […]

Trends in Online Social Networking: Adolescent Use of MySpace over Time post thumbnail

Trends in Online Social Networking: Adolescent Use of MySpace over Time

MySpace has received a significant amount of negative attention from the media and many concerned adults, who point to several isolated incidents where predators have contacted, become involved with and even assaulted adolescents whom they met through the popular social networking web site. Furthermore, concerned parents have expressed discontent with the amount and type of […]