Archive for July, 2010
Cyberbullying: Victims of Cyberbullying Are at Risk for Suicide
Mental health issues in children are often ignored or simply go unnoticed. Less than half of the 15 million children and teens in America with psychiatric disorders receive medical attention, and fewer than 33% of depressed teens ever receive treatment. Victims of cyberbullying often show signs of low self-esteem and depression. A study soon to [...]
Internet Safety: Latest Internet Craze Makes Teens Feel High
“I-Dosing” is the latest internet trend that gets teens “digitally high” by listening to audio files that they download from the Internet. Videos of teens in extreme distress while using these “digital drugs” are popping up all over YouTube, some receiving almost half a million hits. Typically, the audio files consist of droning music which removes the [...]
Cyberstalking: Tips to Help Avoid Unwanted Attention Online
Is your child really friends with everybody linked to their Facebook profile page? It is possible that somebody is mildly cyberstalking your child, and it could turn serious if not addressed. Here are some quick tips to help your child prevent unwanted attention on Facebook. - Review your child’s friend list with your child. Are [...]
Cyberbullying: StickyDrama and 4chan Are Bullying Playgrounds
As we blogged about a few days ago, Jessi Slaughter is an 11-year-old who endured extreme forms of cyberbullying as a result of YouTube videos that she posted online. Here’s some more information about the two Web sites linked to the case: StickyDrama and 4chan. StickyDrama is a teen gossip site which Slaughter was frequently [...]
Text Messages: Protecting Kids with Cell Phones
Colorado mother Sharon Hamilton caught her 15-year-old anxiously deleting text messages on his cell phone. She took the phone and saw a text message from an out-of-state number that she did not recognize. It read: “Good night Babe.” Her son eventually admitted that the sender was a 30-year-old female friend he met while playing the [...]
Cyberbullying: Parents and Schools Must Respond to Cyberbullying
An article in today’s The Washington Post defines cyberbullying as a result of “lack of maturity, lack of supervision, and technology.” Here is where the problem frequently lies: Teens often avoid reporting cyberbullying to their parents for fear of their computer privileges being taken away. As a result, parents simply don’t hear about these potentially [...]
Cyberbullying: 11-year-old Girl Receives Death Threats Due to Online Video Chat
Eleven-year-old Jessi Slaughter (a.k.a. kerligirl13) is now under police protection after receiving death threats from several cyberbullies. It all started when Slaughter encountered several “haters” in a live, online video chat room using a site called Stickam which hosts real-time, streaming videos. Slaughter subsequently recorded a response video to the bullies from her bedroom webcam and [...]
Parenting: Adults Outside of Immediate Family Matter to Teens
In a world where teenagers are often plagued by feelings of loneliness and misunderstanding, it’s no doubt that having an adult around to confide in is more important than ever….especially when they begin to “tune out” their parents. A new study conducted by the Search Institute in Minneapolis of 1,860 15-year-olds found that four out of [...]
Internet Safety: In-App Purchases Could Wreak Havoc
In a recent post on GigaOM, technology writer Kevin C. Tofel blogged about his latest iTunes-related misfortune after he discovered that his step-daughter had spent $375 on virtual goods. How? Well, as it turns out… many free games available on the iPhone and iPod offer a pretty extensive amount of virtual items, or “add-ons,” which [...]
Cyberbullying: New Study Links Teen Health Problems to Cyberbullying
A new study conducted by Finland’s Turku University of 2,215 teenagers aged 13-16 found that victims of cyberbullying experienced physical, psychological and behavioral problems including frequent headaches, persistent stomach pains, problems sleeping, and trouble getting along with their peers. Cyberbullying victims were also apparently less likely to be living with both biological parents. On the [...]
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