Law Enforcement Perspectives on Cyberbullying post thumbnail

Law Enforcement Perspectives on Cyberbullying

Much of our work to teach adults about what teens are doing online is directed toward educators or parents, but increasingly we are working with law enforcement officers – especially those assigned to a school setting (school resource or liaison officers). Like the others, police officers often find themselves in a difficult situation when confronted […]

Another Well-Meaning, but Unfunded Mandate to Address Bullying post thumbnail

Another Well-Meaning, but Unfunded Mandate to Address Bullying

New Jersey’s updated bullying law took effect today amid controversy and confusion.  The New York Times recently reported on the law and I have received numerous calls from folks interested in my take on certain provisions.  Bullying and cyberbullying legislation has been the topic of much discussion on this blog, and regular readers know that […]

Cell Phone Search Checklist for School Administrators post thumbnail

Cell Phone Search Checklist for School Administrators

Justin and I have been trying to figure out a way to help inform school administrators as to when they can go ahead and search the contents of student cell phones. Week after week after week, this is one of the primary questions we receive from them. We want to help guide them in a […]

Additional Thoughts on Sexting Advice for Teens post thumbnail

Additional Thoughts on Sexting Advice for Teens

Thanks to all for their comments on my recent blog about how teens should respond when they receive a “sext.” Here are some of my follow-up thoughts, based on comments and emails received, as well as an email exchange among members of the Youth Risk Online Google Group which includes some of the brightest “teens […]

You Received a “Sext,” Now What? Advice for Teens post thumbnail

You Received a “Sext,” Now What? Advice for Teens

If you are a teen and receive a sexually-explicit image of a classmate via your cell phone (or email, or instant message, or via a Nintendo Dsi, or any other type of electronic communication), what should you do? This can be a challenging situation, to say the least. We know that anywhere from 10-30% (or […]

Bullying and Cyberbullying Laws – Clarifications on our Fact Sheet post thumbnail

Bullying and Cyberbullying Laws – Clarifications on our Fact Sheet

Our state-by-state bullying and cyberbullying laws fact sheet is one of the top-most documents downloaded from our site; we encourage you to check it out if you haven’t already. That said, it is also a fluid resource that we are constantly updating. Some recent questions have been posed, and so I wanted to take the […]

Bullying and Cyberbullying Laws – Clarifications on our Fact Sheet post thumbnail

Bullying and Cyberbullying Laws – Clarifications on our Fact Sheet

Our state-by-state bullying and cyberbullying laws fact sheet is one of the top-most documents downloaded from our site; we encourage you to check it out if you haven’t already. That said, it is also a fluid resource that we are constantly updating. Some recent questions have been posed, and so I wanted to take the […]

Most Cyberbullying Cases Aren’t Criminal post thumbnail

Most Cyberbullying Cases Aren’t Criminal

Many of you perhaps already saw the brief comments I wrote for the New York Times Opinion Page in the aftermath of Tyler Clementi’s tragic suicide.  They asked me to comment on the extent to which this incident was typical of many cyberbullying cases that end in suicide and whether or not criminal action against […]

Most Cyberbullying Cases Aren’t Criminal post thumbnail

Most Cyberbullying Cases Aren’t Criminal

Many of you perhaps already saw the brief comments I wrote for the New York Times Opinion Page in the aftermath of Tyler Clementi’s tragic suicide.  They asked me to comment on the extent to which this incident was typical of many cyberbullying cases that end in suicide and whether or not criminal action against […]

The Current State of Cyberbullying Laws post thumbnail

The Current State of Cyberbullying Laws

It is imperative that everyone who works with youth, but especially law enforcement officers, stay up-to-date on the ever-evolving state and local laws concerning online behaviors, and equip themselves with the skills and knowledge to intervene as necessary. In recent survey of approximately 500 school resource officers from around the United States, we found that […]