“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.

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

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.

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

When cyberbullying happened to Elizabeth Peace’s son, he did something completely unexpected, which made her proud and sad at the same time.

I didn’t think he’d ever want to talk about that day. He was so quiet on the topic when it happened, aside from his angry outbursts after finding out about the video. He didn’t want me to tell his grandparents or his little brother, or even my husband who he often goes to for advice on life and being a boy, basically the things he doesn’t think his mom would understand. He didn’t even want to tell me – a sad reminder to me that ever since he has become a teenager he needs me less and less (at least he thinks so anyway).

But then he started talking about it in a way I never expected: at his new school, in front of his entire class via a short movie he made. He told me he had to do a project about his life. Something short, not all that detailed or grand, and he had decided to write, film and edit the project. I thought it was a brilliant idea. Other kids were making posters, mine was using iMovie, even if it was just an excuse to get more computer time on a school night. (Although I like the posters, too, because I’m not all that crafty and I find it impressive when others are.)

I helped him add a few final touches to his project, sound effects, extra broll for the film, etc. I was really proud of how much he has learned about editing. But even more, I was proud of him for deciding to talk about something, however brief, that he had once refused to discuss.

Children are bullied every day. I know that this is a fact of life and I recall going through it as well in elementary school. I know how brutal it can be. Many of us who remember bullying as a child can often look to the moment when it all got better, whether it was after school or after graduation. But today, our children don’t have the “out” we did. They don’t have the escape because everything that happens in junior high/middle school and beyond ends up on the internet or passed around from one classmate’s cellphone to the next.

He was doing well in school, had good friends, was on the soccer team and then in track. He was thriving at his school. It only took one day, one moment, one cellphone capture for it all to crumble.

And that was how it happened for my child. He was doing well in school, had good friends, was on the soccer team and then in track. He was thriving at his school.

It only took one day, one moment, one cellphone capture for it all to crumble.

For the privacy of my son, I won’t say what was on that cellphone, which, of course makes it sound worse than it was. To society’s standards, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but for my son it was devastating. But not as devastating as the aftermath.

It started a few weeks earlier, unbeknownst to me. A couple kids on the basketball team (which my son had tried out for) decided my kid was their next target. They made comments to him in the hallway, pushed him, stood in his way, basically anything to get a rise out of him. Why him? I don’t know, but I wasn’t surprised to hear from my son that he wasn’t the first kid they picked on. I was sad to hear that it was known that these kids do this and the basic attitude at school is “as long as it’s not me.” Thankfully, my son doesn’t feel that way anymore.

I also was not surprised to hear they were considered “popular kids.” Even the administration was shocked when they found out and the parents, I believe, pretended their children’s behavior was abnormal and a “one time thing.” But it wasn’t. My son had been picked on daily until they crossed the line. And that’s when one of them took a video of it on his cellphone. One of the mother’s left me a voicemail saying she wanted to talk, maybe apologize, but she never returned my phone call.

My son reported the incident, not knowing about the cellphone video. He didn’t tell me and being a Stewards of Children facilitator, I know how common that is. I’m not surprised he was too embarrassed to tell me, but I was angry the school didn’t tell me or take any action. It wasn’t until the next day when kids started teasing my son about the video that I got a phone call.

The kids involved were suspended for one day and then back in school. True to their word, they left my son alone. But their friends didn’t. Every day my son was yelled at and teased by other kids for turning in the “popular ones” and getting them in trouble. He was told he had to tell the administration it was a lie and it didn’t happen although the cellphone proved it did. After a week, I had to pull my son out of school and homeschool him for the month that remained in the school year. Then my job took us to another state where he got a chance to start over.

According to this news report in CBS, and according to what pretty much everyone knows, cyber-bullying is very real, although I don’t think many adults take it very seriously. But we have children committing suicide over this. I was very worried about my son because not only was he being targeted daily, all of his feelings and anger were coming to the surface and I was worried about his emotional well being. He, of course, is not perfect. He’s a teenager still learning about life and he was started to act out after the constant daily teasing. He did not handle the bullying well, but he certainly wasn’t out there bullying others and taking cellphone video of it. He was easy to anger, grumpy to be around and stopped doing his schoolwork.

The administration wasn’t taking it very seriously as my child began acting out – like most kids who’ve been victimized start acting out. Luckily, the school had one counselor there that I worked with quite a bit who really understood. Children who become victims often act out themselves. We wanted to teach my son that while bad things happen, that doesn’t mean we can have bad behaviors and we can still lead a wonderful life without feeling or acting like a victim. I didn’t want this one moment in junior high to define his life. But I also didn’t want to take away his right to be angry over what happened to him.

Technology has given us some of the best tools for our daily lives, but also some of the worst – especially in the hands of children who don’t have enough maturity to understand the responsibility of it. Heck, we have adults who don’t have the maturity to handle Facebook, SnapChat and iPhones either. But when adults don’t take swift action when a child bullies another, especially cyber-bullying, it spreads like a disease. And according to the CDC, it’s a very deadly disease. Children who are cyber-bullied are twice as likely to consider killing themselves. That is such a final decision that children should never have to consider making.
Children who become victims often act out themselves. We wanted to teach my son that while bad things happen, that doesn’t mean we can have bad behaviors and we can still lead a wonderful life without feeling or acting like a victim.

And many times, parents of bullies want to act like it’s a normal part of childhood or that it’s not as bad as it sounds. They want to excuse their children’s behavior and think a one-day suspension is too harsh. They are unknowingly raising predators and teaching their children they don’t have to take responsibility for their actions. This is victim blaming in it’s infancy.

Children can’t protect themselves, as we teach in Stewards of Children. That is an adult responsibility. That is why children are minors until the age of 18. But since we have so many adults unwilling to protect our children (i.e. refusing to report child sexual abuse and “handle it themselves”), others have chosen to come forward with tools to help children make the adults do their job and protect them. One in particular is an app for schools called “Stop It” that allows students to report bullying by capturing it on your phone and sending it to adults so it can be stopped.

I understand that sometimes, parents just don’t know what to do. Sometimes, parents have no idea it’s happening. And sometimes, parents are so caught up in their own victimization that they are emotionally or mentally unable to do anything. I know, I’ve been there. And I want to help others who need to get through it, too. Lets stop building a culture of victims and bullies, victims and predators, victims and offenders. Lets build a world where people can get their voice back, where we stand up against someone who is hurting someone else and stop people from being hurt in the first place.

When society no longer tolerates such behavior, the behavior must end.

My son got his voice back. He feels safe in his new school and his teachers and principals don’t just tout the “no bullying policy” to which parents always applause, I mean literally applause in the auditorium during every back to school night. His new school actually lays down the punishment for it when it happens and they take it seriously. They review the school cameras to see when it’s “kids just being kids” and when it’s kids bullying kids. And my son, for the first time, openly told his entire class that he had been bullied, but he’s OK and life is good.

I’ve never been more proud to be a mom than knowing my child knows how to speak out, help others and continue living his life to be as happy as he can.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio –

Mahoning County now has a program designed to keep children from growing up to become bullies.

Mahoning County juvenile authorities and the county prosecutor have implemented the Cyber and Relational Diversion Program (C.A.R.D.) to address the personal, emotional and legal consequences of inappropriate behaviors with teens and their parents

Judge Theresa Dellick says the program is an effort to proactively respond to the growing problems associated with the increased incidences of teen sexting, cyber-bullying and sexual harassment.

Judge Dellick is encouraging Mahoning County parents, school systems and law enforcement to consider the Court’s Cyber and Relational Diversion Program as a primary prevention tool to divert and intervene early to prevent potential legal ramifications as well as prevent the emotional and physical victimization of others.

Assistant County Prosecutor for the Juvenile Division, Anissa Modarelli says, “Parents are often not aware of recently enacted laws and the serious consequences inappropriate behaviors present. While parents may have a tendency to dismiss them as normal teenage behavior, our experience and legal system are not as forgiving and is compelled to protect victims and society.”

The diversion program was developed and is facilitated by licensed counselors. Mahoning County youth, ages 12-17, are eligible for the program and can be referred by the court, parents/guardians, schools, community groups, and law enforcement.

Youth currently on supervision or probation or who are currently being held in detention are not eligible for the program. Parental or guardian involvement is required and completion of the program includes participation in a 5 week series of classes and workshops by the child. All potential candidates will be screened for eligibility.