Cyberbullying has reached new lows as schools in Westchester, New York and Greenwich, Connecticut are dealing with the fallout from a Facebook group known as the “smut list” that went viral. Police are investigating the incident in which the names of about 100 high school girls, some as young as 14, were ranked according to their alleged sexual activity. The list received over 7,000 fans in only a day, though Facebook has since removed the page.
According to America’s leading cyberbullying prevention expert, Shawn Edgington, parents need to take a very active role to protect their own children from cyberbullies. Additionally, parents and school officials need to work together to keep all students safe and create a learning environment that is free from bullying of any kind.
Edgington can shed light on the epidemic of cyberbullying when she answers:
Could this incident be considered libel?
Do we need new laws to protect children against cyberbullying?
What specific measures can parents take to protect their kids?
How can parents effectively work with schools to keep kids safe?
Are more schools nationwide taking action to prevent cyberbullying?
What technology can schools use to help with this growing problem?
CREDENTIALS: Shawn Edgington is America’s leading textpert and cyberbullying prevention expert, and the author of the newly released The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media and Read Between the Lines: A Humorous Guide to Texting with Simplicity and Style. She is also the founder of The Social Media Academy Fundraiser. Her mission is to raise public awareness about textual harassment, online predators, sexting, and cyberbullying prevention. She teaches parents how to limit potential harm to their children from the nasty side of technology. Edgington has been featured in the upcoming documentary Submit: The Reality of Cyberbullying, and by Fox Business, Imus in the Morning, ABC-7’s View from the Bay in San Francisco, KRON 4 News in San Francisco, CNN Radio, San Francisco Chronicle, The San Diego Union-Tribune, CBS Radio, The Leslie Marshall Show, and American Cheerleader Magazine, among others.
