CyberbullyingCatch it and prevent it.By Chloe and Joseph Aronoff

What is Cyberbullying?

Where Does Cyberbulling Occur?

Cyberbullying can occur on any type of media which involves people contacting each other. Cyberbullying is well know to be committed through Facebook, Twitter, Email, as well as through text message.

A Victim of CyberbullyingNicole Edgington was celebrating her birthday

when she started receiving texts containing threats and explicit language. She contacted her friends to find out what was going on, and she realized that her Facebook wall was full of threats and misinformation. Thankfully, she informed her parents and deleted her Facebook account.

Solutions to CyberbullyingThere are many kids like Nicole who have been bullied

online. Here are a few things that you can do to prevent and stop Cyberbullying:

• Educate yourself on the topic of Cyberbullying and speak out against it.

• If you are being harassed, disconnect from social media.• Tell an adult if you are experiencing Cyberbullying, or if you

are aware of negative activity that is happening online.

Cyberbullying and the LawRecently, several states have actually passed laws

against Cyberbullying. This creates opportunities for bullies to be caught and gives schools more authority to crack down on the unkind behaviors.

Many schools are also promoting cyber-smarts and are even kicking some bullies out of class.

Call to ActionIf you know someone who is a victim, stand up, and

let them know that you’re there for them. Inform parents, guardians, and teachers about the incident. If you’re the victim yourself, do the same. If people know that you’re being bullied, they’ll help.

Lastly, never be the bully or bystander. If anyone you know is being bullied online, help them out or tell an authority figure about the issue.

Bibliography• Horn, Leslie. "Facebook Enlists More Help to Tackle Anti-Gay Bullying." PC

Magazine Online 20 Oct. 2010: n. pag. InfoTrac Student Edition. Web. 9 Mar. 2012. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/ i.do?id=GALE%7CA240005582&v=2.1&u=lom_accessmich&it=r&p=STOM&sw=w>.

• "The Girl Who Got Even: A True Cyberbullying Story." Scholastic Choices Feb. 2012: 4. InfoTrac Junior Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/ i.do?id=GALE%7CA277601027&v=2.1&u=lom_accessmich&it=r&p=STOJ&sw=w>.

• "Cyberbullying Education for Parents: A Guide for Clinicians." Journal of Social Sciences (Oct. 2010): n. pag. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ AcademicJournalsDetailsPage/ AcademicJournalsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Journals&disableHighlighting=true& prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CA273080369&mode= view&userGroupName=birm35703&jsid=0acaf6c40baae2ba5b2f25cb6812f22e>.