Keeping Your Child

Safe Online Resources on the Web Keeping your children safe online Cyberbully.org Cyberbullying isn’t about technology, it’s about http://cyberbully.org common sense and communication. Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use Don't talk to or accept anything from strangers. http://csriu.org/ Online, everyone is a stranger. We need to teach our children how to talk to strangers Wired Safety http://wiredsafety.org safely, and keep them from talking to them 19% of students outside of a monitored setting. You also must Stop CyberBullying admit to saying teach them that anyone can masquerade as http://www.stopcyberbullying.com/ anyone else online. Don’t tell people personal something hurtful to things about yourself. Netsmartz others online. http://www.netsmartz.org/ 22% of students Come straight home after school. Parents over know someone iSafe Inc. the generations have always known that children who has been can get into trouble when they wander around http://www.isafe.org bullied online. after school. Wandering aimlessly online isn't National Crime Prevention Council any different. Allowing your children to spend http://ncpc.org/media/cyberbullying.php unlimited time online, surfing aimlessly, is asking for trouble. If they are just surfing randomly, set a time limit. You want them to come home after they're done, to human interaction and family activities (and homework). Based on a 2005-2006 survey of 13,000 Don't provoke fights. Trying to provoke someone For further information, contact the students in grades 5-12, conducted by iSafe.org in cyberspace is called "flaming." It often violates Student Services Department the "terms of service" of your online service (813) 794-2362 (727) 774-2362 provider and will certainly get a reaction from (352) 524-2362 other people online - a bad one, and you certainly don’t want that. Flaming matches can be heated, long and extended battles, moving from a chat room or discussion group to e-mail quickly. If your child feels that someone is flaming them, they should tell you and the A Parent’s Guide to moderator in charge right away and get offline or surf another area. They shouldn't try to defend themselves or get involved in retaliation. It's a District School Board of Pasco County Cyberbullying battle they can never win. 7227 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. Land O’ Lakes, Florida 34638

Kurt S. Browning, Superintendent

http://www.pasco.k12.fl.us

Action Steps and Options to What is Cyberbullying? Respond to Cyberbullying Preventing Your Child "Cyberbullying" is when a person is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or from Becoming a Target Save the evidence. otherwise targeted by another person using the of Cyberbullying Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile Identify the cyberbully(s). Ask your Internet phones. Service Provider for help. Frequently discuss the concerns of public Clearly tell the cyberbully to stop. Cyberbullies can be classmates, online disclosure of intimate personal information and the value of modesty. acquaintances, and even anonymous users, but most Ignore the cyberbully by leaving the online often they do know their victims. environment and/or blocking communications. Visit and discuss the values demonstrated by others in your child’s favorite online File a complaint with the Internet or cell phone company. communities.

Seek assistance from the school, if the Work with the school to intervene effectively to address any in-school bullying. cyberbully also attends the same school. (But because of free speech protections, if the Seek to “bully-proof” your child by reinforcing cyberbullying is occurring totally off-campus, your child’s unique individual strengths and your school may only be able to provide fostering healthy friendships with teens you informal assistance, not formal discipline.) can trust to be kind. Send the cyberbully’s parents a certified letter Keep your home computer in a busy area of that includes the evidence of cyberbullying. your house. How are People Cyberbullied? Demand that the actions stop and harmful material be removed. Set up email and chat accounts with your children. Make sure that you know their screen Sending someone mean or threatening Contact an attorney to send a letter or file a names and passwords and that they don't emails, instant messages, or text messages. lawsuit against the parents based on include any personal information in their online defamation, invasion of privacy, or intentional profiles. Excluding someone from an instant infliction of emotional distress. messenger buddy list or blocking their email Regularly go over their instant messenger for no reason. Call the police, if the cyberbullying involves "buddy list" with them. Ask who each person is threats of violence, coercion, intimidation based and how your children know him or her. Tricking someone into revealing personal or on hate or bias, and any form of sexual embarrassing information and sending it to exploitation. Discuss cyberbullying with your children and others. ask if they have ever experienced it or seen it If you see any online threats of school-related happen to someone. Breaking into someone's email or instant violence, call both the school and the police. message account to send cruel or untrue Reassure your children that you won't blame messages while posing as that person. If you see any material that raises concerns a them if they are cyberbullied. Emphasize that child is emotionally distressed and may be you won't take away their computer privileges - Creating websites to make fun of another contemplating suicide, self-harm, or other this is the main reason kids don't tell adults person such as a classmate or teacher. violence, contact the counselor of the school the when they are cyberbullied. child attends. Using websites to rate peers as prettiest, ugliest, etc. National Crime Prevention Council http://www.ncpc.org/parents/Stop_Cyberbullying.php National Crime Prevention Council, 2007 Nancy E. Willard, Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use Additional resources are available at http://cyberbully.org. Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use © 2006 CSRIU Permission granted for schools to copy and distribute. http://cyberbully.org