Category: News

How dangerous is ‘sexting?’ [KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2 Reporter, by Natalie Brunell, 09/09/2014]

“Inappropriate text messages that are being sent to students by a student,” said Deputy Armando Munoz, public information officer for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Last week authorities confiscated the phones of several students, including members of the Varsity football team.

Students told us the phones haven’t been returned yet, and that the photo in question was of a nude student, a girl under the age of 18.

“this was brought to our attention because it was sent, I believe, to several students,” Munoz said.

In California, it’s illegal to possess a sexually explicit image of a minor, meaning you don’t have to distribute the photo to be charged with a serious crime.

“It can range from misdemeanor to felony, possibly child pornography and having to register as a possible sex offender,” Munoz said.

So why do more and more young people ‘sext’? Some think their photos are safe if they use an app that sends pictures that self-destruct, which students tell us was involved in this case.

A photo or video may only live a few seconds on apps like Snapchat, but if someone screen grabs it, it can live forever on their device or on the internet.

“Look what’s going on with the famous people and hacking and think about the humility you can suffer,” Munoz said, referring to the recent celebrity hack of iCloud that resulted in the leak of hundreds of scandalous photos.

Sheriff’s deputies advise parents to download phone-monitoring apps on their children’s phones and check their activity often.

One app, called SentTell, will notify parents whenever photos are taken or sent using their children’s camera phone. There’s also a software called mSpy, which at $40 a month allows parents to see what their children are sending on Snapchat.

The best advice for teens: think twice before you take a compromising photo.

“Whether it be school or a job, it can affect your future long-term,” Munoz said.

61% Of Autistic Children are Bullied at School in the United Kingdom, NoBullying Discovers Why [PRWeb, 10/09/2014]

Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) affects around half a million children in the United Kingdom so when the parents of 900 autistic children were interviewed and 61% of them said their children were being bullied because of their condition. It was time for NoBullying to highlight the epidemic of bullying children of autism in an article released today.

The survey, sponsored in 2009 by ASC Campaigner Anna Kennedy, also revealed that 73% of parents asked said schools either didn’t handle the situation at all or handled it poorly when it comes to bullying autistic children.

On a sadder note, the survey also revealed that 93% of those parents said that their children’s progress at school had been affected by the ongoing bullying. An astounding 89% said their children were basically terrified of the aspect of spending time with their schoolmates outside of school hours.

The same survey revealed that having a child with ASC or a special needs child in general puts a huge strain on the family and on relationships and marriages in particular. 65% of respondents said having a child with ASC put a great pressure on the marriage and 74% said it put negative pressure on all family members including siblings, not to mention the worry of sending an autistic child to school with the fear of bullying.

Anna Kennedy started the campaign to help ASC children back in 1999 by building her own school “Hillingdon Manor” for children diagnosed with ASC and Asperger syndrome. The reason being that she has two children, one with ASC and one with Asperger syndrome and she was denied by 26 special needs schools all over the UK so she took matters into her own hands and decided to provide quality education and support for children with ASC and Asperger syndrome.

Children with aspects related to Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) are faced with impaired ability to communicate, especially socially and demonstrate behaviors that are endlessly repeated and stereotypical but lack or oddity of social relationships is what is most likely to be noticed as a primary symptom.

The truth remains that parents are aware that bullying is an issue at some point in every child’s life. However, parents of special needs children have a very different situation on their hands when their children come in contact with bullying. Because of the vulnerable nature of special needs children or children with learning disabilities, they are often at higher risk to become the victims of bullying. More disturbing, is that because special needs children are more vulnerable and less likely to tattle on a bully, someone who is bullying a child with special needs may go to extremes before adults are even aware that bullying is taking place.

Disablist bullying is the act of being bullied because of a person’s disability. A child suffering from Autism,Asperger syndrome or any other disorder related to Autism Spectrum Condition is an easy target for bullies.

Ciaran Connolly, Co-Founder of NoBullying.com, said “Autistic children and special needs children need more love, acceptance and support not bullying. This is a wakeup call against the inhumane acts of bullying autistic children.”

He added that parents and teachers should make a point to educate the younger generations about the sad outcome of bullying online and offline. According to Connolly, it is quite imperative to press for more firm laws condemning all acts of bullying and harassment.

NoBullying.com features many pages dedicated to parents, teens, teachers, health professionals as well as posts related to cyber safety and the latest news about law making concerning curbing Bullying worldwide as well as inspirational Bullying Poems and famous Bullying Quotes.

The website regularly updates its bullying statistics and cyber bullying statistics as it is essential to understand how widespread the bullying epidemic is. It also regularly runs cyber bullying surveys and questionnaires to get recent updated statistics on everything related to cyberbullying.

He also added that anyone suffering from bullying in any form or way can always find advice and help on the NoBullying website – but if anyone is suffering from severe bullying or cyber bullying, the best thing is to talk to someone locally – a parent, teacher or local organization that has been set up to help with specialized councilors to deal with this topic

Family Dinners Promote Better Mental Health In Teens, Reduces Risk Of Being Cyber Bullied [Medical Daily, By Stephanie Castillo, 02/09/2014]

According to the American Humane Association (AHA), 25 percent of children and teens living in the United States are cyber bullied. And a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics suggests family dinners can greatly reduce that number.

The AHA found cyber bullying can range from mean, threatening messages to one teen impersonating another in order to make them look bad or to reveal personal secrets. Recipients of such are at an increased risk for poor mental health. The present study used survey data from 18,834 Midwestern students ages 12 to 18 to see if there was an association between cyber bullying and mental health and substance abuse problems.

Each student was measured for internal and external problems (think depression, suicide attempt, and vandalism), as well as substance abuse problems, like binge drinking and prescription drug abuse. And researchers found nearly 19 percent of students had been cyber bullied within the last 12 months, which was, in fact, associated with the internal and external problems. But there was a “4-fold difference” in the students who enjoyed family dinners four to five times a week.

Family dinners serve as a source of support for teens being bullied. They feel better protected and, according to separate research, are less encouraged to smoke, drink, and use drugs. In turn, better mental health reduces the risk of suicide, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited as the third leading cause of death in teens.

Cyber bullying doesn’t just harm a teen’s mental health. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found bullied children experience an increase in chronic, systematic inflammation, as a result of suffering from stressors, such as poor nutrition and lack of sleep.

Another study from the Boston Children’s Hospital found that the longer a child is bullied, the more severe they experience depressive symptoms and lower self-worth even years after it’s ended.

However, the researchers could not conclude that cyberbullying alone is enough to predict poor mental health. Instead, they wrote in a press release, “these findings support calls for integrated approaches to protecting victims of cyberbullying that encompass individual coping skills and family and school social supports.”

There’s no easier starting point than a family dinner. Though a 2013 Gallup poll found 28 percent of families in the U.S. routinely eat together, and 21 percent eat together up to three nights a week.

Choosing to dine-in with your teen also mitigates the risks that come with frequently eating out — something 68 percent of Americans are now doing. Research from the University of Rochester’s Medical Center in New York found it prevents obesity, a higher body fat, and BMI.

Teens face bullying as sexting on rise in schools [Irish Indipendent, by Mark O’Regan, 03/09/2014]

SEXTING’ is a “growing problem” in secondary schools – and teenage girls are often “bullied and pressurised” after sending sexually explicit images to their boyfriends.

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has now created a new module in this area as part of its BodyRight Programme, to highlight what it describes as a form of “sexual violence”.

Next week, the Centre is rolling out the module in second level schools, and other “youth reach settings”.

Over 300 guidance councillors and mental health workers will be involved in the scheme.

“Sexting is growing and increasingly prevalent. The youngsters don’t really understand the implications or the consequences of their actions, either for themselves or for their friends,” said Leonie O’Dowd from the Centre.

“Vulnerable young girls are being pressurised into sharing images, which can then be used in an exploitative way.

“Some kids use it as a form of bullying. These intimate images can have a severe impact on those involved for the rest of their lives.

“Our intention is prevention. By getting in there with the module, we hope the kids will realise that it’s not a bit of fun, and they’ll think before they press that button,” she said.

‘Sexting’ or ‘sex texting’ is sending sexually explicit images or videos via digital means.

Primarily such ‘sexts’ are sent using mobile phones, or social messaging applications such as Snapchat, Viber and WhatsApp.

Many victims of the social media phenomenon are unaware that they are in fact victims of “sexual violence”, Ms O’Dowd told Independent.ie.

“They share intimate photos of themselves, usually with someone they think they can trust, and are in a relationship with. But sadly they are often forwarded on – and many other individuals may see them.

“We believe it is a form of sexual violence, if somebody shares an image in a relationship of trust, and that image is then circulated without their consent.

“Their grandchildren will be able to see these pictures; they’re around forever. They also don’t realise that if they are under a certain age it’s actually a crime and there are consequences.”

She said research on the exact number of those engaging in sexting has not been carried out.

“But we’re increasingly hearing about it from our facilitators – some of them have said half of their work is dealing with this issue.”

She was speaking at the launch of the latest Rape Crisis annual report which shows a “disturbing increase” in sexual violence last year.

Over 12,000 calls were answered by its 24-hour helpline in 2013 – the highest figure since 2009.

Some 43pc of calls related to adult rape.

Most cases of rape and other sex crimes were carried out by someone known to the victim.
– See more at: http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/teens-face-bullying-as-sexting-on-rise-in-schools-30559838.html#sthash.bSpYVHlN.dpuf

VIDEO Fine parents of children who cyberbully- counsellor [Irish Indipendent, 02/09/2014]

Kevin Deering, senior facilitator with Bully4u, said he would welcome “some form” of financial penalty being introduced.

He stressed that its main focus should be to curb the “insidious” nature of cyberbullying.

Mr Deering, a counsellor and a retired garda with over 30 years service, said the scale of the problem was such that “severe sanctions” for repeat offenders were required.

He suggested the introduction of financial penalties would “focus the minds” of those pupils and parents who refuse to meaningfully engage with school authorities.

He proposed penalties of between €50 and €100.

“You have to up the ante with reoffenders; somebody has to take responsibility,” he told the Irish Independent.

He said the long-term effects of cyberbullying on mental health must be considered.

“It’s about learning from behaviour – if somebody doesn’t learn, there has to be sanctions. Parents are responsible for their children if they’re under 18 so educating the parents is crucial,” Mr Deering added.

VIDEO

Twitter chief highlights user role in tackling cyberbullying [The irish Times, by Rachel Flaherty, 02/09/2014]

The best ways to stop the “disturbing” trend of cyberbullying were discussed at a major conference in Dublin yesterday.

The head of global safety outreach and public policy for Twitter said the company’s goal to stop abuse on the site was to empower the user to protect themselves.

However, Patricia Cartes said the reason “eggheads” – accounts with no names or description of who the person is – were allowed was because it was in line with the company’s freedom-of-speech approach.

“There are areas in the world where using the internet is not safe,” she said.

Ms Cartes said as the company did not collect dates of birth, they did not know what ages their users were.

Taking action

“If an account is reported, we will take action on that account,” she said.

Ms Cartes was asked by a member of the audience why the minimum age for social media use should not be increased from 13 years to 18 years.

“Restricting access to under 18s would be a mistake. There are some really positive uses of technology out there,” she said.

Facebook’s director of policy for UK, Middle East and Africa Simon Milner said users had to use their real name on its site but they could not stop people under the minimum age of 13 from setting up accounts.

Proof of age

He said the company took action when an account was reported and Facebook could ask the user to prove their age.

“We know we don’t always get it right, but we have established what are known as ‘Insafe’ helplines around Europe to help,” he said.

He said removing people’s comments or photographs was a “complicated area” as people had the right to express themselves.

“We operate a zero tolerance to bullying and harassment,” he said. “With regard to anonymity, users have to use their real name, if not, we will ask the user to take it down or we can have it blocked.”

Founder of the Digital Youth Council and Kidtech Harry McCann, who had asked a question from the audience about what Facebook could do to stop underage children from using the site, said his question had not been answered.

“It really made me feel that Facebook are taking the lazy approach to ensuring that they are sticking to the guidelines they have laid down. It is simply not good enough,” he said.

Senior facilitator at Bully4u Kevin Deering said children as young as seven and eight were on Facebook.

“I met one little girl who came up to me after a workshop to say she didn’t realise her behaviour was bullying behaviour,” he said.

Cyberbullying

“We need a unified approach from parents, parents council, teachers, young people to tackle cyberbullying and bullying.”

MEP Seán Kelly, a former teacher and GAA president who opened the conference, said young people did not have the life experience to cope with threats and harassment online.

“Cyberbullying is a disturbing trend . . . an epidemic that is growing rapidly,” he said.

National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals director Clive Byrne said that banning smartphones from school was not a solution to cyberbullying.

“It would only drive the issue underground,” he said.

Mr Byrne said all the internet service providers needed to “do more” to stop cyberbullying.

Health and safety law expert David Fagan said specialised legislation for cyberbullying was needed.

“In all instances of bullying, it should be reported to the gardaí.”

image

(Facebook’s Simon Milner, MEP Seán Kelly MEP, special rapporteur on child protection Geoffrey Shannon and Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw)

Parents urged to learn the signs of cyberbullying to protect their children [Irish Examiner, by Evelyn Ring, 02/09/2014]

Colman Noctor, a child and adolescent psychotherapist at St Patrick’s Hospital in Dublin, said the genie was out of the bottle when it came to cyberbullying.

“It is very hard to avoid it so we have to put interventions in place to help young people deal with it,” said Mr Noctor.

It was up to parents to be vigilant about their child’s online behaviour and there were a number of signs that they should watch out for.

“The child might act very territorial about their mobile phone or flip down the laptop when you come into the room,” he said.

Parents also needed to look out for signs of emotional upset such as sleep and appetite problems.

The child might also lose interest in activities they would normally take part in and opt out of engaging with friends.

Mr Noctor, who addressed the conference on cyberbullying held in Dublin Castle yesterday, said parents were often surprised that their child was being cyberbullied.

“Unfortunately, cyberbullying is a manifestation of bullying behaviour that has being projected into another forum,” he said.

Mr Noctor said parents also needed to show children how to manage technology.

Research also showed that young people who were depressed were more likely to spend more time online.

Colm Human, 18, who described himself as a “cyberspace techie”, told how he helped a friend who was being cyber-bullied.

Colm, who has just finished the equivalent of the Leaving Certificate in Toronto, Canada, has come to Ireland to study film at a Dublin college.

He said his friend was repeatedly sent malicious text and video messages.

“I got very upset as my friend was considering suicide as a way out,” he said.

Colm identified the perpetrator and told him to stop bullying his friend.

He knew it was probably not the best way to deal with the situation but had found from personal experience that teachers were not helpful in dealing with such issues.

“I am not saying go out and fight the bully but make them realise that you can stand up for yourself and cannot be pushed around,” said Colm. “I helped him make a difference.”

Schools want modules to tackle cyberbullying scourge [Irish Indipendent, by Claire Mc Cormack, 01/09/2014]

A dedicated classroom module on cyberbullying should be introduced to tackle growing concerns at junior and senior levels, according to school principals.

Speaking at today’s National Cyberbullying Conference, school leaders will demand more government funding and training to combat the growing problem.

Clive Byrne, Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), said a timetabled module on cyberbullying and the specific guidelines for concerned parents should be rolled out as part of the academic curriculum.

“Our schools can become pivotal to stamping out cyberbullying, provided both teachers and parents are equipped with the right tools and resources to identify and deal with cyberbullying,” he said.

Referring to their annual survey on cyberbullying, Mr Byrne highlighted an increase in student reports of being both victims and perpetrators.

Cyberbullying ‘at risk of spiralling out of control’ with 33pc rise in one year

The national survey, which also asked participants how schools should respond to the issue, found that 70pc said schools should ban smart phones, more than 60pc want a ban on social media, almost 80pc said students should be advised on internet safety and more than 70pc want school guidelines on cyberbullying.

Mr Byrne also urged school leaders to use their influential role in shaping the lives of young people to foster an environment of tolerance in secondary schools.

“NAPD research has consistently shown that parents want greater help with the problem of cyberbullying and look to schools and teachers to fill the information deficit which exists”, he said, adding the issue has impacted upon morale in schools across Ireland.

“The detrimental consequences of cyberbullying, on the lives of our young people in particular, mean that we can’t ignore the problem or fail to adequately resource it”, he said.

The conference, at Dublin Castle, will be co-hosted by Bully4u and the National Anti-Bullying Centre at Dublin City University.

Teachers want cyber bullying on curriculum [Irish Examiner, by Catherine Shanahan, 01/09/2014]

Tackling the modern-day scourge of cyberbullying should be part of the school curriculum and more funding is needed to combat growing levels of online aggression, teachers have warned.

Such is the impact of cyberbullying on morale that school principals want a dedicated classroom module as part of the Junior and Senior cycle, although not as an exam topic.

The call comes from the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, whose director Clive Byrne believes schools can play a pivotal role in stamping out online abuse if teachers and parents are given the right resources.

“Increased training for educators and parents is key to this objective. All resources in the education sector have been stretched in recent years,” said Mr Byrne. However, the detrimental consequences of cyberbullying on the lives of our young people in particular, means that we can’t ignore the problem or fail to adequately resource it.”

Research into cyberbullying suggests that it is likely to exacerbate already existing mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression. In 2012, cyberbullying was suggested as a factor in the suicides of three teenage girls in Ireland.

Mr Byrne’s call for greater resources to identify and deal with the growing incidence of online aggression will be aired today at a national conference on cyberbullying at Dublin Castle entitled ‘Understanding and Managing Cyber Bullying’.

Mr Byrne is specifically asking for an increase in the Department of Education’s budget to provide training to parents on cyberbullying and the development of school guidelines which can be utilised by parents.

Last year, the department awarded €60,000 to provide training sessions for parents in how to deal with the internet threat but the NAPD said this was “a drop in the ocean” in terms of what was needed.

Mr Byrne said NAPD research “has consistently shown that parents want greater help with the problem of cyberbullying” and that they “look to schools and teachers to fill the information deficit which exists”. In this context, more funding and training was needed for school leaders, he said.

A NAPD survey carried out earlier this year found 78% of respondents felt schools should advise students on internet safety. More than 70% wanted schools to ban smart phones, 63% wanted a ban on social media usage and 73% wanted school guidelines on cyberbullying.

In May this year, the Government-commissioned Report of the Internet Content Governance Advisory Group recommended the establishment of an inter-agency working group to identify “appropriate mechanisms to ensure that internet safety and digital literacy skills are taught as a core element of the curriculum at both primary and post-primary levels”. It also recommended that further support be given to training directed at parents.

Today’s conference will hear from a range of experts in the areas of child protection, psychology, education and law. Liva Biseniece, director of external relations with controversial online social network site Ask.fm, will also address the cyberbullying conference.