Cyber-bully mom, Lori Drew recently walked out of a California courthouse, her case tentatively dismissed. One of the main reasons for the judge’s dismissal comes from the fact that there are virtually no laws covering cyber-bullying and prosecuting such a case may lead to some very wide-reaching precedents.
As a result of Lori Drew’s reckless behavior, a 13 year-old girl committed suicide, and we all hope that this is an isolated incident, but cyber-bullying is on the rise. Just as children have always teased and fought in the school yard, they continue to fight today in the virtual world of social networking and email, and this bullying can have just as much of an effect on a child as face-to-face interactions.
It used to be that if a child was being bullied at school, he or she could go home and find a reprieve from the taunting, but now that abuse can follow them home and come right through the computer screen.
Help your children avoid being victims or bullies by talking to them about appropriate online behavior, and let them know that they can talk to you about inappropriate behavior they see or experience online.
For additional resources for talking with your children about online safety, visit iKeepSafe.org
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-myspace3-2009jul03,0,6795027.story
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