While previous studies have identified that school bullying and cyberbullying victimization among adolescents is associated with suicidal thoughts and attempts, no work has measured the severity of bullying incidents and their impact on the youth at school within that context. As such, a survey was distributed to a representative sample of U.S. youth between the…
Conventional wisdom and media headlines would have one believe that those who play video games are more at risk for engaging in a host of anti-social behaviors. There is certainly nothing new about this mentality: It was prominent in my 80s-era adolescence as well. I remember spending many hours playing Mortal Kombat on the classic…
There continues to be a lot of discussion involving bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide both in the media as well as in social circles of parents, educators, and other youth professionals. I just looked up “suicide and bullying” on Google News and in just this past weekend alone there are multiple stories involving different kids in…
(For a formatted .pdf version of this article for distribution, click on the image above [or click here]). Spanish Translation Available Here Educators need to respond to all incidents of cyberbullying. Here are some things you can do: 1. THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATE all incidents so that you can direct resources and, if necessary, discipline to students…
(For a formatted .pdf version of this article for distribution, click on the image above [or click here]). Spanish Translation Available Here There are a number of steps educators can take to prevent cyberbullying. Here are a few examples: 1. FORMALLY ASSESS the extent of the problem within your school district by surveying and/or interviewing…
(For a formatted .pdf version of this article for distribution, click on the image above [or click here]). Spanish Translation Available Here There are a number of steps teens can take to prevent cyberbullying. Here are a few examples: 1. EDUCATE YOURSELF. To prevent cyberbullying from occurring you must understand exactly what it is. Research…
(For a formatted .pdf version of this article for distribution, click on the image above [or click here]). Spanish Translation Available Here Finding out that your child is being cyberbullied is painful. Here’s what to do: 1. MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD IS (AND FEELS) SAFE. The safety and well-being of your child should always be…
Spanish Translation Available Here This document discusses ten ideas for classroom activities that educators can utilize to teach digital citizenship to their students. 1. VOICING YOUR OPINION. Ask your students what they think “digital citizenship” is, and how it should affect their attitudes and actions online. This gives them a chance to voice their opinion,…
Spanish Translation Available Here It is important to talk with youth about what they are doing and seeing online. Most of the time, they are using technology safely and responsibly, but sometimes they run into trouble. As a parent, you want to establish an open line of communication so that they are comfortable turning to…
This talk will teach educators how to lead students in transforming their schools and communities through bullying prevention and kindness initiatives.
This talk will teach administrators how to structure their policies, programs, and practices to respond to cyberbullying and promote appropriate student interactions.
This talk will teach participants to help educators form an alliance with parents to address bullying and cyberbullying where both realize they need to work together.
In an effort to better prevent and respond to bullying and cyberbullying, schools are recognizing a need to focus on positive youth development. One often-neglected developmental construct in this rubric is resilience, which can help students successfully respond to the variety of challenges they face. Enhancing this internal competency can complement the ever-present efforts of…
We’ve written a new bullying prevention book and it is now available! “Bullying Today: Bullet Points and Best Practices” was written for educators looking for concrete, comprehensive, and yet concise information to tackle bullying on campus and online. Before bullying surfaces in your school, you need to be ready. This book is organized so you…
Over five years ago I saw a statistic that jumped out at me: “160,000 students stay home from school every day because of bullying.” This is a compelling and frankly unacceptable number. I thought about including it in a book that Sameer and I were working on at the time. As I started to dig…
Despite a significant amount of attention by both the academic community and society at large, there continues to exist much confusion about both the conceptual and operational definitions of cyberbullying (and by implication, bullying in general). The trouble with this lack of clarity is that it leads to misinformation and misunderstanding about the phenomena at…
Cyberbullying affects all age groups, including adults. Learn about different strategies and get help for adult victims of cyberbullying. We get a lot of emails, phone calls, and comments on this blog from adults who are being bullied though technology. These adult victims of cyberbullying stress to us that cyberbullying is not just an adolescent…
Researchers at the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) just published a paper in the journal Psychology of Violence that explores the question of whether technology “amplifies” the harm for youth who are harassed. Anecdotally, we have heard this to be the case from many youth over the years:…
The Obama administration arguably declared war on bullying in the fall of 2010 when it convened the first federally-supported Bullying Prevention Summit. In 2011, stopbullying.gov was launched. That same year, I attended a conference hosted by President Obama at the White House, where he said: “If there is one goal of this conference, it is…
Cyberbullying happens every day. Harsh words and damaging photos exchanged through texts, email, or social media can result in humiliation, broken friendships, punishment at school, and even legal prosecution. In some cases, online harassment has contributed to teen suicide and a number of other behavioral and emotional problems. Faced with this frightening phenomenon, parents, educators,…
I first wrote about Yik Yak back in March, when the app took several suburban schools by storm. High school administrators around Chicago were deluged with incidents stemming from inappropriate student use of this app, ranging from bullying to bomb threats. To their credit, the administrators of the app responded quickly and restricted its use…
Use this activity to help your students learn about laws related to bullying and cyberbullying. Patchin, J. W. & Hinduja, S. (2014). A Leader’s Guide to Words Wound. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing. Download PDF You can also download the complete (and free!) Leader’s Guide to Words Wound by clicking here.
Use this Crossword Puzzle activity to introduce students to important concepts related to cyberbullying and Internet safety. Patchin, J. W. & Hinduja, S. (2014). A Leader’s Guide to Words Wound. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing. Download PDF You can also download the complete (and free!) Leader’s Guide to Words Wound by clicking here.
Last week I presented at the International Bullying Prevention Association’s annual conference in San Diego, CA. This was the second time that I have participated in this event, and both experiences were enjoyable and educational. The attendees (over 700 strong this year) are generally very interested in the work that we are doing at the…