Parent Resources » Parent Alert: Cyber Bullying

Parent Alert: Cyber Bullying

Dear Parents:

We have recently learned of a new form of bullying in which children are engaging. It is called "Cyber Bullying". Cyber Bullying is when someone uses Text Messaging, Instant Messaging, Chat Rooms, Emails, and Web Sites to threaten or make fun of another person or group of people.

Web log (Blog) web sites are becoming the most popular way of performing cyber bullying. Many web log web sites offer free memberships and allow the member the freedom to create content with little or no rules. This means that a child can sign up to create a web log on one of these free sites and post whatever text or picture they wish to post. These web log sites are referred to as online adult communities. These communities are for adults only unless specifically described in the title as an online community for kids.

We have started to block these types of web sites from being used on our school network as they have become identified to us. We wanted to take this opportunity to alert our parents about this type of activity and the types of web sites that children are visiting. We contacted the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and they explained that they are
aware of these types of web sites and are seriously looking into the content for possible harassment crimes.

To learn more about this topic and other Internet safety related topics, please visit: www.isafe.org. The United States Congress has designated i-SAFE America Inc, a nonprofit Internet safety foundation, to bring Internet safety education and awareness to the youth of this country. Founded in 1998, i-SAFE is a proactive prevention-oriented Internet safety awareness program. You may also visit www.netnanny.com to learn about monitoring your child's Internet activity.