Seems a lot of online sites are stepping up, attempting to create a safer atmosphere to protect kids from online bullying. Maybe more will follow suit -help keep our kids safe.
Facebook, under pressure from child safety advocate groups, has updated and improved their “Safety Center.” The center now divides safety issues into five categories: General Safety, Safety for Parents, Safety for Educators, Safety for Teens, Safety for Law Enforcers.
The focus of this new safety information is for parents and educators to be better informed on how to handle cyberbullying, which has become a great concern for those who have, or work with teens . For teens much of the information on the site is the same as it is for the parents, with the addition of how to handle suicide threats ( use the hotlines they provide ) or how to deal with unwanted posted photos (the advice is to block “your friend.”) It is a start, but not all that helpful in dealing with the complicated issue of teen suicide. Also, for a humiliated teen, the explanation that photos posted without their permission are not likely to be removed if they do not violate the terms of the site, will hardly feel like a safety plan.
The difficulty for younger users is the lack of awareness of the risks and consequences of “sharing personal information” in a public forum. Many teens trust their friends without careful scrutiny and there is status in having many “friends.” Part of being an adolescent is discovering and learning about building trusting relationships Social media can be a fun way for teens to connect when everyone is getting along, but can quickly become a source of harassment when someone is no longer “in.”(Read Full Story)
