uknowkids.com/victims-of-cyberbullying |
Questions will surface whether the use of electronic communication led to this assault and whether it could have been diffused if there had been more face-to-face dialogue and interaction instead of the back-and-forth with social media. Electronic aggression or cyber-bullying has been recognized as a major public health issue of the twenty-first century. Teachers and school administrators early on noted the intrusion of technology into their classrooms and the disruption it could cause. Public health officials have declared it a major crisis! Parents also took note of the number of hours their children were spending with their electronics – both for good and not so good. It has been almost a decade since the Center for Disease Control (CDC) convened an expert panel that suggested steps forward. The report can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/EA-brief-a.pdf.
Following are Steps Forward from the report:
For Educators/Educational Policy Makers
à Explore current bullying prevention policies
à Work collaboratively to develop policies
à Explore current programs to prevent bullying and youth violence
à Offer training on electronic aggression for educators and administrators
Considerations for Parents/Caregivers
à Talk to your child
à Develop rules
à Explore the internet and social media
à Talk with other parents/caregivers
à Encourage your school or school district to conduct a class for caregivers about electronic aggression
Donna Monroe, MS