Hinduja, S.; Patchin, J. (2005). Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved July 4, 2016, from http://cyberbullying.org
The Cyberbullying Research Center put together a website that is thorough, reliable and helpful. The website has information and different sections for parents, teens and educators. In each of their different sections, one can access articles, books, and information that pertains to their interests and needs. For example, parents can find information on social media sites, the pros and cons of different sites, tips on how to help and advise their children, articles that address how to fight the negatives of social media with good, and articles on how to monitor their child’s use and how to protect their privacy. The website contains stories of cyberbullying, helpful events, a list of bullying and sexting laws that you can look up by state, a list of helpful journal articles, presentations given and available, a blog with helpful articles, a list of recommended books on different topics around social media bullying and use, and ways to contact the organization or join their monthly newsletters. The website is easy to navigate and extremely helpful.
I found the site helpful in terms of my own understanding of cyberbullying. The Research Center defines cyberbullying as the “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices”. They also add that it includes the following: hurtful comments, threats, rumors, pictures, or videos posted or circulated online; but must also a repeated offense and not an isolated incident. The site even gives definitions of willful, repeated, harm and electronic device. It is a very helpful definition for myself and many others, especially youths, to better understand what cyberbullying REALLy is verses their perceived definition. I also found the section about Laws very interesting. I wonder how many kids actually understand the consequences of bullying and sexting. This website creates a way to show students the laws and consequences in the state to which they live. This makes cyberbullying and sexting more than just a parents vs. kids topic, but an important legal topic that kids need to be aware of. In addition, I love that the site is not for or against social media, but it helps to develop awareness and the involvement of parents and schools in creating positive digital citizens out of our youth.
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