Billy Hawkes outlined how proposed new European laws will increase protection for children online at the launch of a Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA) ‘Guide to Children’s EU Rights in Ireland’.

However, he warned that the laws would not eliminate cyber-bullying.

The issue has come to the fore due to a number of cases where teenagers have died by suicide after being bullied online.

In his address to the CRA seminar, Mr Hawkes outlined how the significance of the new laws proposed by the EU Commission “is the explicit recognition of the need to give special attention to the data protection rights of children”.

EDUCATION

However, he said “data protection is not the solution to bullying”, adding: “Essentially, bullying online is another version of bullying that happens in the playground and I’m afraid the only measures available there are education.”

He said the issue of bullies using anonymous profiles on social networks was of particular concern in Ireland.

Another speaker, Dr Geoffrey Shannon, the Government’s special rapporteur for child protection, said that he highlighted cyber-bullying as “a key issue” in his annual report.

Dr Shannon said it is a “question of the law keeping pace with technology” in terms of legal means to prosecute cases of cyber-bullying.

He agreed with Mr Hawkes, saying: “I think the law is only one part of it. You need a whole school approach (to bullying).”

According to Mr Hawkes, the proposed EU laws would mean the personal data of a child under 13 could not be processed without the consent of a parent or guardian.

He said online companies would have to take reasonable steps to verify such consent.

If you caught your teens texting about “red devils,” “Robo” or “Skittles,” would you know what they were talking about?

What about Snapchat? Ask.fm?

The first three are all slang terms for getting high on cold or cough medicine (yes, teens do that). The second two are social media platforms popular among teens, but also associated with sexting and cyberbullying.

Every year, parents face a growing number of threats to their teens’ well-being, many of which they’ve probably never heard of before. But abusing any of them could be deadly.

Experts say the key is to do your research, don’t be afraid to pry and, most importantly, talk to your child. Often.

“Parents, be nosy,” said Cincinnati police officer Eddie Hawkins, a school resource officer for 16 years and a father. “Lots of times we give kids a little too much privacy. We as adults kind of slacked off in what we do in fear of losing our kids’ friendship. I’d rather say I was a good parent than I was a good friend.”

Parents shouldn’t give up just because they don’t “get it,” said Richard Heyman, a doctor at Suburban Pediatrics in Montgomery who also served as state and national chairman of adolescent medicine at the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Parents just shrug their shoulders because they don’t know what these websites are, don’t get the lingo, don’t understand the concept of tweeting and Instagram and Facebook,” he said. “They need to have open, ongoing discussions. The sex talk is not a talk. It’s an ongoing discussion. Use everyday incidents to talk about it.”

Here are some of the risky things that are most popular among teens this year, what to watch for and what to do to protect your child.

Social media sites

Social media might be a great tool to keep up with old roommates or share vacation photos. But teens are finding the dark side of cyberspace, and it might not be in the places you’d think. A few new apps that have popped up recently are causing a stir:

• Ask.fm: A social networking site where users can post anonymously. The site has been linked to the suicides of five teens who reportedly had been bullied by others on the site. Most deaths were in the United Kingdom. At least one was in the U. S. — a 12-year-old Florida girl who jumped from a platform at an abandoned cement factory after being bullied for more than a year on ask.fm and other cellphone apps like Kik and Voxter. Her mother had been trying to monitor the girl’s social media use, but had no idea the sites existed or that her daughter was using them, according to a New York Times article. The site has since reportedly implemented measures to discourage cyberbullying.

• Snapchat: A photo-sharing tool in which the images disappear from the recipient’s phone after 10 seconds. The short life span of the images gives it a reputation as a tool for sexting, as well as other dubious behavior such as cheating on tests or sharing proprietary information.

But it might not be as private as kids think. There are ways recipients can preserve the images, according to recent reports. Wikr and Poke are similar apps.

Other apps or websites popular among teens are Pheed, where teens can live-stream what they’re doing at any given moment, and 4Chan, an online community that allows anonymous posts, opening the door to bullying. NBCnews.com recently published a list of 11 social media apps that are popular among teens — some innocuous, some not. Others include Instagram, Pinterest, Vine, Reddit, Tumblr and Wanelo.

“Social media is at an all-time high,” Hawkins said. “The average young people will spend 8-10 hours on their Facebook account.”

Cyberbullying and suicide

About 20 percent of teens have experienced cyberbullying in their lifetime, according to the Cyberbullying Research Center. Traditional bullying and cyberbullying have been linked as contributors to teen suicide. According to the 2011 risk survey by the Centers for Disease Control, 7.8 percent of teens had attempted suicide in the previous year.

Parents should monitor what their kids are doing online, even if they seem to be OK, and be alert if their child starts to withdraw into their social media world, experts say.

“If your kid is spending less time in general conversations with you and more time in general conversations with their friends or cellphone, if you’re in your car and there’s no conversation going on with you and your child, that’s a problem,” Hawkins said. “When you’re asking questions and getting those one-word answers, be concerned. They’re finding other outlets.”

Heyman recommended parents talk to kids about new sites or apps. Ask if they use them. Watch what they’re doing.

“Put the computer in a public place,” he said. “The understanding should be, if I give you the keys to the car, I expect you to call me when you get there. Not because I don’t trust you, but because it’s dangerous out there. If I’m going to give you the keys to the computer, I’m going to monitor. Even though you know more about the computer than I do, it’s my job to keep you safe.”

Teens probably won’t come right out and tell you they’re being bullied, Hawkins said, because they’re ashamed. But they have certain sayings to let you know they’re being bullied, Hawkins said.

“ ‘Coming at my head,’ ‘coming at my neck,’ ‘trying to push down on me.’ That’s their way of saying this kid is picking on me.”

Drugs and alcohol

Drugs and alcohol continue to be big risk factors for teens.

According to the CDC, about 22 percent of drivers in fatal crashes (the leading cause of teen deaths) had been drinking. The CDC risk survey notes 38.7 percent of high school students reported drinking alcohol in the 30 days before the survey and 23.1 percent had used marijuana.

Teens are abusing other drugs, too — cocaine, inhalants, ecstasy, heroin and hallucinogenic drugs showed up on the survey.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s 2012 survey, Monitoring the Future, found marijuana remains the most abused drug by students in grades 8, 10 and 12 followed by Spice/K2 (synthetic marijuana), amphetamines, Adderall, Vicodin and cough medicine.

The survey noted that marijuana use declined in the 1990s and early 2000s but has been on the rise since then.

Synthetic marijuana, which is often marketed to teens, and abuse of prescription drugs are rising problems.

“One of the things we tell parents is to monitor their alcohol and prescription drugs,” said Mary Haag, president/CEO of the Coalition for a Drug Free Greater Cincinnati.

“Keep your alcohol locked up as well as your medicine chest.”

She said most teens do not abuse drugs. But there are warning signs to watch for: changes in behavior, lying, a new group of friends or missing school.

But there is some good news: The use of inhalants, Ecstasy and even alcohol are all going down. The use of alcohol is at a historic low.

Cigarettes are still in the picture, but barely. Teen smoking peaked in 1996-97 and has declined continuously since then. Fewer teens smoke cigarettes than marijuana.

But kids are trying drugs at younger ages, and there are plenty of things out there with names parents won’t recognize, according to the medical website WebMD. Experts say keep an eye out for slang terms when your child is talking to or texting friends. For example, teens may combine LSD with ecstasy, something termed “candy flipping.” “Cheese” refers to a mix of black tar heroin and Tylenol PM. Other slang terms are “Special K” (Ketamine, an anesthetic and club drug), “crank” (methamphetamine) and “kibbles and bits” (Ritalin, the prescription drug to treat attention deficit disorder).

Heyman said perception has a lot to do with a drug’s popularity. As marijana become legalized in some states, the perception that it’s dangerous has gone down, and the use has gone up, even in places where it’s still illegal.

A group in Indiana handed out drug kits to parents earlier this year. Organizers said the kits give teens an excuse to say no if they’re being pressured by friends to try drugs.

What are the long lasting effects of schoolyard bullying? What is the ratio of young people being bullied to those that bully? What are the main causes of bullying and how can they be eradicated?

Those are some of the questions that we have recently answered with our ambitious new project: the Annual Bullying Survey 2013.

Our 22 page report provides you with a wealth of bullying statistics extracted from a sample of over 1,800 British students predominantly aged 16-19. Our report also identifies how susceptibility to bullying can vary between 52 different demographic profiles. This report was recently covered by the Independent, the Telegraph and Radio 1.

According to a recent study by the Cyberbullying Research Center, approximately 20% of kids aged 11-18 say they have been victims of online aggression. In a world of catastrophic headlines and sensational sound bites, these numbers don’t actually sound so bad, but take the time talk to any school-aged technology user (read: just about any tween or teen that you meet on the street) and you will no doubt gather that the danger posed by cyberbullying is not in the breadth of its perpetrators and victims, but rather in the depth of damage that online aggression can cause. Just what is it that makes cyberbullying so bad?

No Rest for the Bully-Weary

Before the advent of social media networks, cell phones and unlimited text plans, young people who were bullied in school could count on hours spent at home as a respite from ridicule. Today, kids are connected to each other 24/7/365. “Relentless” is the word I use when I talk to professionals and parents about the nature of cyberbullying.

Cyberbullies Don’t Have to Make Eye Contact

Spreading malicious rumors online about a person is one thing; saying mean things to a person’s face is quite another. Young people find it far easier to be cruel when they don’t have to look into the eyes of the object of their viciousness. One of the most grave dangers of cyberbullying is that it can occur anonymously, as perpetrators operate from behind keypads and screens, rather than eyeball to eyeball. Kids who cyberbully learn that they can get away with aggression without having to own up to it. For too many, anonymity is a Get-Out-of-Guilt-Free card.

The Pain is Viral

Physical, verbal and even relational bullying almost always occur as a 1:1 encounter between a child who bullies and his target. Even when bystanders are present, the audience is limited to the number of peers who can sit at the lunch table, jeer from their bus seat or eavesdrop on the phone line. In cyberbullying, however, the potential audience is almost unlimited. Cruel posts, embarrassing photos, humiliating videos and vicious messages can be shared endlessly and remain online forever. With the simple touch of a “Send” button or click on a “Status Update,” instant and almost unimaginable damage can be done.

You Can’t Take it Back

Because of the nature of technology, what happens on the Internet stays on the Internet. When I talk to school-aged kids, I often compare cyberbullying to squeezing toothpaste from its tube, explaining that once the paste is out, it is impossible to get it back in. Verbal apologies notwithstanding, once an item is posted online or sent via text, it remains available to anyone who received it and can be forwarded again and again.

Proximity is Not an Issue

Physical bullying requires two people to be within striking distance. Social exclusion is most painful in real-time. Cyberbullying, on the other hand, thrives on after-hours and distance. Even when a young person is safely nestled at home, with the care and support of family, she can be simultaneously under attack online by her peers. There are no time or space boundaries with cyberbullying.

Anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label surveyed 10,008 people aged between 13 and 22 and found levels of cyber bullying were much higher than previously thought. A massive 69% of young people have experienced cyber bullying. Of this number, one fifth described it as ‘very extreme’

According to the research, social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, and the anonymous Q&A website Ask.fm, were the most likely sources of cyber bullying. Over half (54%) of those respondents who use Facebook reported cyber bullying on the site.

Commenting on the findings, Ditch the Label founder Liam Hackett said: “We found that cyber bullying was a growing trend within the sphere of bullying and we were naturally inclined to investigate further.

“We have identified that cyberbullying is not just a passing phase and is having a profound impact on the lives of millions across the country.

“Cyber bullying is seriously damaging the self-esteem and future prospects of young people and is an issue we cannot afford to overlook.”

If you are worried about your child being safe online, here are our tips from our partner, BeatBullying for you to discuss with your children:

1. Save and print out any bullying messages, posts, pictures or videos you receive. Make a note of the dates and times, along with any details you have about the sender’s ID and the URL.

2. Always report anything abusive you see online to the site concerned. Flag it, report it, or talk to someone about it.

3. Never respond or retaliate, as this can just make things worse. Instead, block any users that send you nasty messages. You can find a guide on how to do this on specific social networking sites at Beatbullying.org/safety/specific.

4. Think very carefully before posting photos of yourself online. Remember that once your picture is online, anyone can download it and share it or even change it.

5. And lastly, don’t pass on cyber bullying videos or messages about other people. Don’t just ignore it. If you see cyber bullying going on, report it and offer your support.

ONE in seven teenagers has been cyber-bullied in the last three months and almost 10pc have bullied someone online.

The worrying picture will be presented tomorrow to a meeting in Dublin Castle of the British Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology.

Dr Stephen Minton, TCD Lecturer in Psychology of Education, will tell attendees that the government decision not to bring in laws earlier this year was “a mistake and a missed opportunity”.

“The tragic cases of suicides linked to cyber-aggression and bullying have demonstrated the consequences,” he will say.

MATURITY

These consequences gripped the country under a year ago when 13-year-old Erin Gallagher, from Ballybofey in Co Donegal, took her own life because of cyber-bullying. She was followed two months later by 15-year-old sister Shannon.

Ciara Pugsley (15), of Dromahair, Co Leitrim, had committed suicide six weeks earlier for the same reason.

Mr Minton believes that while adolescents may be technologically adept, their ability outstrips their maturity. He will call for increased education and will urge parents to closely monitor their children’s online activities.

“If the law is unclear, and if the response of technology providers is intermittent, it puts the onus on parents to smarten themselves up,” he will say.

“There is no excuse to say ‘oh this is all beyond me, we didn’t do computers in school’.

“My feeling is if you move into a new neighbourhood, you get to know the landscape – where you do and don’t want your children playing.

“Employ the same logic to the cyber landscape. Get to know the sites and keep communication open with the child. It can be difficult in the teenage years, but it is a better safeguard than any legislation or technological device.”

He will explain that with other forms of bullying, girls tend to exclude people, while boys usually go for physical forms of intimidation.

But when it comes to cyber-bullying, the balance is roughly even.

“Most of our data relates to 13 to 16-year-olds,” he will say. “We can’t say with great confidence whether kids grow out of it or not because we don’t have the hard numbers.

DIFFICULTY

“But our experience of working with young people, teachers and parents would seem to be that this sort of thing seems to be a difficulty associated with early teenage years.

“We also find conventional and non-cyber forms of bullying peak at 13 years of age.”

But Mr Minton will also claim that there is light at the end of the tunnel, with certain social media sites taking steps to combat cyber-bullying. But others continue to allow it, often affording the bully anonymity.

The conference has been brought to Ireland by Dr Orla Killeen and the National Centre for Paediatric Rheumatology at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. It is the first time it has been held outside the UK.