TAKE A STAND AGAINST CYBER BULLYING!

Topic of this week: CYBER BULLYING. We all have heard nasty rumors of another person or have read things on Facebook about someone that weren't necessarily true. Cyber bullying is any form of harrassment  that can take place through e-mails, social networks, digital messages, and texts. Some common forms of cyber bullying include:

• Harrassment: repeatedly sending offensive or rude messages
• Denigration: distributing false information about a person that's derogatory and untrue in e-mails,texts,or on social networks
• Flaming: fighting online that includes vulgar language
• Impersonation: hacking into someone's e-mails or social network accounts for the purpose of distributing emberrassing information about them or others
• Outing and trickery: tricking someone into exposing personal secrets for the purpose of forwarding that information to others
• Cyber stalking: Repeatedly sending messages that include threats of harm or are highly intimidating, or engaging in other online activities that make a person afraid for his or her safety

The following are some interesting facts about cyber bullying that I found very interesting and I believe you, the readers, should know:

• Girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying
• Four out of ten middle school students have had their password(s) stolen and changed by a bully who then locked them out of their own account or sent communications posing as them
• About 75% have visited a Web site bashing another student
• Nearly 42% of kids have been bullied online and almost one in four have had it happen more than once
• Cyber bullying has increased in recent years. In a national survey of 10-17 year olds, twice as many children indicated they had been victims and perpetrators

There have been countless of teens who have committed suicide because of cyber bullying.

• Long Island teen, Alexis Pilkington,who was 17 years of age at the time of her death, was pushed over the edge when she was cyber bullied on FormSpringMe.com. The tauntings still persisted even after her death.

•   Missouri teen, Megan Meir, was cyber bullied by her classmate's mother!

• Vermont teen, Ryan Halligan, took his life after a horrible rumor was spread across the internet about him

• Massachusetts teen, Phoebe Prince, 15 years old, was called "Irish slut" and "whore" on various social network. Her books were routinely knocked out of her hands, items were flung at her, her face was scribbled out of photographs on the school walls and threatening text messages were sent to her cell phone.She was pushed too far.

• Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, just 11 years old, hanged himself after enduring daily bullying of being gay. His mother pled with the school to intervene but no action was taken.

 THESE ARE JUST FEW OF THE FACES OF CYBER BULLYING. WE HAVE TO TAKE ACTION IF WE SEE THE SIGNS OF CYBER BULLYING. SIGNS WE HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR IN A CHILD ARE THE FOLLOWING:

appears sad, moody, or anxious
avoids school
withdraws from or shows a lack of interest in social activities
appears upset after using the computer or being online
• experiences a drop in grades or decline in academic performance

appears upset after viewing a text message on a cell phone

We can help stop bullying! These children didn't need to die. We have to realize that their is power in our words. Once they're spoken, they can't be taken back. So be careful with what you say about others. Just because you don't like someone doesn't mean you can stoop down to a low level and spread false rumors about them. Help STOP CYBER BULLYING! There are still other children we can help before it's too late!