News | - Part 22

Spotlight on Ask.fm after teen suicide [Channel 4 News, 08/06/2013 ]

The e-petition calls for ministers to “step in and insist that Ask.fm and similar sites help us protect our young people” following the death of Hannah Smith at her home in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, on Friday.

Her father said users of the website, which lets teenagers ask each other anonymous questions, had been taunting Hannah and telling her to die.

Bullies reportedly told Hannah to “drink bleach”, “go get cancer” and “go die”.

The petition had been signed by more than 5,000 supporters within hours of being posted on the government’s e-petitions website.

Hannah’s father Dave Smith has called for Ask.fm to be closed down, adding: “The person that created this website should be done for manslaughter. Any parents that have children please don’t let them go on this site.”

Ask.fm has become very popular with young teenagers since its launch in 2010 and claims to have 60 million registered users, with British teens some of the biggest customers.
The ability to post anonymous questions on other user’s profiles makes the site a hotspot for so-called “trolling”.
It took Channel 4 News seconds to create an Ask.fm profile with a false name. All users are supposed to be over 13 but the only age control relies on users volunteering a genuine date of birth.
It was immediately apparent that users, many of them young girls, routinely suffer insulting, unpleasant and sexually explicit comments.
But users do have the option to turn off anonymous comments and to “blacklist” other members. The website also advises users to use the Report button to flag up “questions that cross the line”.
Ask.fm advises users: “If you receive a question that makes you uncomfortable for any reason, do not respond to the question, tell a parent, guardian or other trusted adult and block the user who sent it so they can’t contact you again.”
The site says anonymity “can be useful if you’re feeling shy or think that the recipient would be more comfortable answering a question without knowing who may have asked it”.
It says anonymity “should never be used to ask questions that are mean or hurtful” and warns prospective trolls that it reserves the right to hand over their identity details to law enforcement agencies if necessary.
Ask.fm also warns users as part of its terms of service: “You understand that in using the ask.fm service you may encounter content that may be deemed objectionable, obscene or in poor taste, which content may or may not be identified as having explicit language.”

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) issued guidance on anonymous messaging sites including Ask.fm last year, saying: “The content Ceop has seen has been heavily based around bullying, however sexual chat and imagery is also apparent.”

But concerns about the site among child protection experts have centred on bullying rather than grooming by adult sex offenders.

Emma-Jane Cross from campaign group BeatBullying said thousands of young people like Hannah “face a daily barrage of online abuse, death threats and harassment”. She said as many as one in three young people are cyber-bullied and one in 13 faces persistent online abuse.

Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: “The cruel nature of cyber-bullying allows perpetrators to remain anonymous and hide behind their screens. This is something that must be tackled before it gets out of hand.”

Other deaths

Hannah’s death comes after at least four other teenagers’ deaths were linked to bullying on Ask.fm.

Joshua Unsworth, 15, from Lancashire, was taunted by bullies on the site.

Jessica Laney, 16, was found dead at her home in Florida in December after anonymous bullies bombarded her with insults and asked: “Can you kill yourself already?”

The deaths of Irish schoolgirls Ciara Pugsley and Erin Gallagher last year were also linked to abuse on Ask.fm.

On Tuesday Ciara’s father Jonathan Pugsley said he sympathised with Hannah’s family and added his voice to calls for the site to be closed down.

Suicide rate stable

Despite worrying reports of young people killing themselves after online bullying, the overall UK suicide rate has remained relatively stable in recent years, according to various official statistics.

The Samaritans, who produced this graph, said in its latest report that there was a small increase in rates between 2010 and 2011, but suicides per 100,000 people remain lower than in 2001.

06_samaritans_MED

Men in their 40s are at the highest risk of suicide. While official statistics are not collected for under-15s, the number of suicides among children and young teenagers is low, according to the Samaritans.

British children ‘more cruel’

The owners of the site, Latvian entrepreneurs Mark and Ilja Terebin, have so far not commented directly on Hannah’s death.

Last year Mark Terebin gave a statement to Irish broadcaster RTE, saying: “We have only this situation in Ireland and the UK most of all. It seems that children are more cruel in these countries.”

In other statements, Ask.fm has said that it monitors content on the site around the clock and has policies in place to prevent antisocial behaviour.

A Facebook tribute page has been set up for Hannah and already had more than 33,000 “likes” by Tuesday afternoon. A small number of trolls had angered wellwishers by posting abusive messages.

Cumbria teens warned of ‘sexting’ dangers [North West Evening Mail, 05/08/2013]

TEENAGERS are being warned of the dangers of ‘sexting’ as part of a Cumbria police campaign.

‘Sexting’ is when someone takes an indecent photo of themselves and sends it to a partner or friend – via mobile phone or some other form of technology.

The campaign runs throughout the summer holidays and is aimed at educating parents and carers as well as highlighting some of the perils of online communication.

Detective Inspector Stephanie Brown, of the Public Protection Unit at Cumbria Constabulary, said: “Many young people see sexting as a bit of fun, that’s just between themselves and their partner.

“But the truth is once you have sent an image to others you have lost control of it and it can end up anywhere.

“These images could be then used to bully, harass or even locate the person who sent the image.

“My advice is if you wouldn’t like your parents or teachers to see an image – don’t send it.

“If anyone receives an indecent image or text do not send it on and report it to a responsible adult. Technically possessing an indecent image of another minor is a criminal offence and you could be breaking the law.”

Police and Crime Commissioner, Richard Rhodes said: “I welcome the Constabulary’s campaign especially aimed at keeping young people safe online.

“Sexting is not fun and can have significant consequences. It is really important that people use modern technology responsibly.”

Helen Smith, from Children’s Services at Cumbria County Council, said: “I would encourage all teenagers in Cumbria to follow Cumbria Police on Facebook and Twitter for the next two weeks for advice on the dangers of sexting.

“The risk of exposing intimate images of yourself for the world to see is too great a price to pay for a moment’s lapse in judgement.

“If you are concerned about an image you may have sent always tell an adult you trust – which could be your mum, dad, teacher, or a family friend.”

Visit www.cumbria.police.uk/advice-and-information/online-safety for more information.

Bullying costs schools £120k [Express, by Matthew Davis, 04/08/2013 ]

Several schoolchildren have received payouts after being assaulted by bullies (PIC POSED BY MODELS)

Last year, 10 schoolchildren won payouts from councils after being assaulted by playground bullies, making a total of £119,130.The payments include Warrington Council having to pay a pupil £32,500, while another was given £25,000.Surrey paid £25,000 to a pupil who brought a successful claim for bullying; Hertfordshire paid £20,000 to one pupil and £5,000 to another, and Sheffield made separate payments for £1,000 and £1,750.The figures were revealed in a Freedom of Information survey. Department for Education data shows 58,130 children were suspended from school for violence or bullying last year, more than 300 a day, while 860 were expelled.

The data shows 58,130 chidren were suspended for violence or bullying last year (PIC POSED BY MODEL)

Christopher McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: “If schools had proper systems in place to protect pupils from bullying, they would not be subject to claims. Some are failing our children. Firstly, they are not protecting them from assault and, secondly, they are depleting educational budgets to cover payouts to victims of assault.“This is a shameful waste of taxpayers’ money.”For a compensation claim to be successful, the victim must prove that the school authorities were negligent.

Parents underestimate risk of cyber-bullying for teens [ The Sydney Morning Herald, by Lucy Battersby, 2/8/2013 ]

Case study: Girls switched on to the social pitfalls

Nearly 80 per cent of Australian children under 10 years of age use social networks. Among older teenagers – those 16 and 17 – parents underestimate bullying and risky online behaviour. But the most likely candidate for cyber-bullying is a 14 year old girl who checks her Facebook account daily.

All are findings of a federal government survey of teenagers’ social media and internet habits, conducted by Newspoll on behalf of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

The results suggest that parents closely monitor and understand their children’s behaviour online until the age of about 14. After that children tend to take more risks than their parents realise including meeting strangers online and then potentially in real life, posting too much personal information, or sending photos and videos to other people.

By the time teenagers are 16, parents start to underestimate the likelihood of their child being bullied or involved in upsetting experiences. Only 17 per cent of parents said their 16-year-old was bothered by something on the internet, but 26 per cent of teenagers of that age said they suffered through an upsetting experience.

University of Sydney senior psychology lecturer Andrew Campbell said online behaviour changed once children reach puberty.

“The childhood interests are very much around games, or collaboration around something that is fun. Once they hit 14 that is not as important as getting people to like you, so social networks become about being accepted by your peers,” he said.

Dr Campbell said that social media sites favoured by children – such as Moshi Monsters, Club Penguin and Stardoll – were monitored by parents and primarily used for games. But he was alarmed that up to 31 per cent of children under 11 had used Facebook, particularly if replaced face-to-face interaction. Facebook is not supposed to be available to children younger than 13.

He said parents should check their teenager’s online profile, internet searches and the sites they visited.

“We need to know that they are actually accessing safe information and correct information. And if they are not, parents are the best placed to teach them how,” he said.

The study found the internet was becoming more entwined in children’s lives. About half of the eight and nine-year-olds surveyed thought internet access was very important to their lives, up from a quarter three years ago. Among late teens, 84 per cent said the internet was very important.

The survey was conducted via an online questionnaire of more than 1,500 young people in June 2012.

Other findings included:

– Only 13 per cent of older teenagers said that they or someone they knew had sexted a video or photo, though 18 per cent said they or someone they knew had received one.

– Mobile phone ownership was nearly universal among older teenagers, but less than 11 per cent of children under nine had one.

– Girls aged 12 to 17 who used Facebook daily were most likely to be cyber-bullied. Within that cohort, 38 per cent had ended a friendship over their bad experience, 32 per cent had a face-to-face confrontation and 41 per cent had felt “nervous about going to school the next day”.

– More than half of the teenagers who had an upsetting experience online also said it had made them feel closer to somebody. Nearly three-quarters said using the web made them feel good about themselves.

Parental talks about sexting should start young: experts [ New York Daily News, by Tacy Miller, 02/08/2013 ]

Experts agreed parental talks about sexting should start young, even before middle school.

Just how early should you talk to your kids about the dangers of sexting?

As soon as you hand them a phone, experts say.

While there are no clear figures on the number of young teens and preteens who have swapped sexually explicit photos with cell phones and other technology, there’s no doubt that it happens.

In Pittsburgh last month, police were alerted to an 11-year-old girl who had been sending topless photos of herself to an older adult.

Months earlier in San Bernardino County, Calif., a 14-year-old girl was issued a misdemeanor citation for transmitting sexual photos on her cell phone.

These cases may be rare, but it often takes only one troubled child to start a dangerous trend among peers, said Dr. Susan Lipkins, a psychologist who specializes in school conflict.

“They’re acting out, needing attention, and there may be some reason,” Lipkins said. “There may be something in the child’s life where they have already been exposed to sex, either by seeing things or hearing things they shouldn’t, or perhaps being abused.

“One child who acts out will be the one with the problem, and the others who are watching may follow.”

Dr. Rebecca Bailey, a family psychologist, agrees.

“There’s a lot of double-daring going on,” said Bailey, author of “Safe Kids, Smart Parents: What Parents Need to Know to Keep Their Children Safe.” “I knew a boy [around 11 years old] who did it to make the other kids stop thinking he was nerdy – that’s a fit-in thing.”

That kids not yet in their teens would send sexually inappropriate text messages is no surprise, she added.

“With kids getting periods as young as 9 now, there may be some that are a little more aware of sexuality,” she says. “They’re also practicing intimacy on some level, too. Some of these kids are ‘going out’ with each other at 11, whatever that may mean. What we’re talking about is wanting to fit in, maybe being somewhat impulsive, and figuring out their identity.”

But even younger children who aren’t thinking about sex are aware what they’re doing is inappropriate, Lipkins said.

“I think people are apt to think ‘oh they didn’t know what they were doing is wrong,'” she said. “They knew; they just couldn’t predict the consequences.”

Experts agreed parental talks about sexting should start young, even before middle school.

Exactly what you say to your children depends on their age – and not necessarily the one that’s displayed on their birthday cake.

Parents need to “understand developmentally what age your child is at,” Bailey said. “Some 11-year-olds are still 9-year-olds. That can vary in a house. You can have twins with different developmental ages.”

Here’s how to start the conversation with your younger child.

Start with the basics. Elementary schoolers can be taught phone safety rules that will help prepare them for peer pressure later on. “Even a younger child can understand, don’t take pictures of anything that’s private, don’t expose your last name or any identifying info,” Lipkins said.

Give them a “dumb” phone, not a smartphone. “The phone you give your child should only have features that child is ready to handle,” Lipkins said. If a child can’t exercise good judgment with photos or texting, parents can and should disable those functions. Most elementary-aged kids only need a basic phone with mom and dad’s number programmed on it, Bailey said.

Have access to the phone – and use it. “Parents should be able to see texts and photos, and have the passwords” to any apps, Lipkins said. Privacy “can happen later during high school,” she added. “In middle school, kids still need supervision.”

Ask questions instead of lecturing. “Be a bit of a detective” to find out what’s really going on in your child’s life, Bailey said. “Allow them to teach you,” she said. “Use examples about other kids that you know. Often that will give you more information than hitting them head on.”

Don’t stop at one conversation. “It’s never a one-stop shop” for this kind of parental guidance, Lipkins said. Set down ground rules before you give them the phone, then check in periodically.

Infographic: Cyber Bullying, Virtual Cheating Rampant Among Teens [ PCMAG.com, by Stephanie Mlot, 01/08/2013 ]

In cyberspace, bullies can hide and cheaters can prosper. With a new school year on the horizon, security firm McAfee looked at the disconnect between bullying, cheating teens, and their parents’ awareness — or lack thereof.

Almost a quarter of kids ages 10 to 17 have witnessed online cruelty — 89 percent of which takes place on Facebook. But when only 10 percent of parents are aware of cyber bullying, most teens are left to fend for themselves, often with disastrous real-world consequences.

As a result of online interactions, 29 percent of teenagers have had an argument with a friend; another 22 percent have even ended a friendship with someone. Meanwhile, 13 percent of kids have feared for their safety or been afraid to go to school following an episode of cyber bullying.

Though parents claim to regulate and monitor their child’s online behavior, many admit that they are overwhelmed by technology, outsmarted by their own kids, and simply can’t keep up with online advancements, McAfee said.

That loophole allows kids to find new ways of hiding their activities, which are sometimes illegal or just plain mean.

“Parents must realize that young people are aware of the threats associated with risky online activity, yet will continue to engage in this behavior,” the security firm said. “Therefore, simply monitoring your child’s behavior and implementing parental controls are not enough. Many young people know how to bypass these barriers!”

Instead, parents should engage their kids at a young age in dialogue about how to be safe online, and what to do when they feel threatened or uncomfortable.

McAfee also encourages discussion about guidelines for using the Internet, especially for school-related purposes, as virtual cheating is on the rise. In this always-connected world, kids have to look no further than their cell phone for the answers — no more scribbling math equations on your arm or writing book passages on the bottom of your shoe.

In fact, 15 percent of people ages 10 to 23 have cheated on a test using a mobile device; more than half of all teens and college students have intentionally looked up the answer to a test or assignment online.

“So what do we as parents do to help change this negative behavior?” Robert Siciliano, McAfee online security expert, wrote in a blog post. “We must stay in-the-know. Since your kids have grown up in an online world, they may be more online savvy than you, but you can’t give up.”

For a closer look at cyber bullying and virtual cheating, see McAfee’s infographics below. Also check out a compilation of suggestions for protecting teens from online threats.

Being bullied throughout childhood and teens may lead to more arrests, convictions, prison time [ Medical Xpress, 1/8/2013 ]

People who were repeatedly bullied throughout childhood and adolescence were significantly more likely to go to prison than individuals who did not suffer repeated bullying, according to a new analysis presented at the American Psychological Association’s 121st Annual Convention.

Almost 14 percent of those who reported being bullied repeatedly from childhood through their teens ended up in prison as adults, compared to 6 percent of non-victims, 9 percent of childhood-only victims, and 7 percent of teen-only victims, the study found. When comparing rates of convictions, more than 20 percent of those who endured chronic bullying were convicted of crimes, compared to 11 percent of non-victims, 16 percent of childhood victims, and 13 percent of teen victims. Compared to nonwhite childhood victims, white childhood victims faced significantly greater odds of going to prison, according to the study.

“Previous research has examined bullying during specific time periods, whereas this study is the first to look at individuals’ reports of bullying that lasted throughout their childhood and teen years, and the legal consequences they faced in late adolescence and as adults,” said Michael G. Turner, PhD, of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.

The results also revealed that women who were chronically bullied from childhood through their teens faced significantly greater odds of using alcohol or drugs, and of being arrested and convicted than men who had grown up experiencing chronic bullying.

Turner analyzed data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The survey involved 7,335 individuals between the ages of 12 and 16 as of Dec. 31, 1996. The sample reflected the demographics of the United States.

The analysis identified four groups: non-victims (74 percent); those bullied repeatedly before the age of 12 (15 percent); those bullied repeatedly after the age of 12 (6 percent); and those repeatedly victimized before and after the age of 12 (5 percent). Accounts of repeated bullying were collected over several periods and the legal outcomes were assessed when participants’ were in their late teens or adults. These relationships were also examined across gender and race. The study followed youths over a 14-year period from early adolescence into adulthood.

“This study highlights the important role that health care professionals can play early in a child’s life when bullying is not adequately addressed by teachers, parents or guardians,” Turner said. “With appropriate questions during routine medical checkups, they can be critical first points of contact for childhood victims. Programs that help children deal with the adverse impacts of repeated bullying could make the difference in whether they end up in the adult legal system.”

Bullied Kids More Likely to Commit Crimes As Adults [ Live Science, By Denise Chow, 1/8/2013 ]

People who were bullied throughout childhood and adolescence are more likely than others to engage in delinquent or criminal behavior later in life, a new study finds.

In the new research, scientists found that about 14 percent of those who reported suffering repeated bullying through their childhood and teenage years — up to 18 years of age — wound up serving time in prison as adults. In comparison, 6 percent of people who did not experience bullying ended up in prison.

“Most studies focus on a relatively narrow period of the life course, but I looked at victimization from birth to age 18 and then associated that with legal outcomes — whether they got involved with substance abuse, got arrested, convicted or were sent to incarceration,” said Michael Turner, an associate professor in the department of criminal justice and criminology at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. [10 Scientific Tips for Raising Happy Kids]

Turner is presenting the findings today (Aug. 1) at the American Psychological Association’s 121st Annual Convention, which is being held from July 31 to Aug. 4 in Honolulu.

Bullying and crime

In his analysis, Turner found that compared with nonbullied individuals, victims of bullying had higher rates of criminal conviction. More than 20 percent of those who were bullied throughout childhood and adolescence were convicted of crimes, compared with 11 percent of nonvictims. Sixteen percent of individuals who experienced childhood bullying, up to age 12, were convicted of crimes, with 13 percent of victims who were bullied during adolescence (from age 12 to 18) experiencing similar legal outcomes later in life.

“Being victimized at any point in time was associated with higher odds of delinquency, substance abuse, arrests and convictions in late adolescence and adulthood,” Turner told LiveScience. “But chronic victims — those who were bullied in childhood and adolescence — had the highest odds of adverse legal outcomes.”

Previous studies have found relationships between young people who bully others and delinquent behavior later in life, but Turner’s study shows that victims of bullying can also be negatively affected in the long run.

“Most studies found bullying and offenders are associated with higher crime,” Turner said. “I found support that being a victim is also associated with adverse legal outcomes. Most research hasn’t found this relationship.”

Growing pains

For the study, Turner relied on data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The survey included 7,335 people reflective of U.S. demographics, who were ages 12 to 16 as of Dec. 31, 1996.

Turner separated the individuals into four groups: nonvictims (74 percent of survey respondents); those who suffered bullying before age 12 (15 percent); those who were bullied after age 12 (6 percent); and those who experienced bullying during childhood and adolescence (5 percent).

The youths were followed over a 14-year period, and victimization reports were collected over several periods. Criminal incidents were assessed when the survey participants were in their late teenage years or early adulthood.

The study did not account for severity of bullying and did not focus on the socioeconomic status of the respondents.

Through his analysis, however, Turner did identify some gender differences. “Majority of the significant gender differences tended to sway in favor of females being more adversely affected than males,” Turner said. He found no significant differences across races and ethnicities.

What to do?

The results suggest bullying is particularly detrimental early in development.

“There are certainly prevention programs out there, for schools and parents, and if you don’t deal with these problems early, they could turn into bigger problems,” Turner said. “Early prevention is always a better outlook.”

And despite relying on data that had been collected in the mid-’90s, Turner does not anticipate major differences had the survey been conducted among youth today.

“The method by which individuals are bullied now is quite a bit different than what existed then,” Turner said. “Specifically, there’s a lot more technology-based cyberbullying. The method is a little different, but it’s still verbal, physical, emotional or psychological.”

Turner plans to submit the research for peer review, prior to publication, at the end of this year’s American Psychological Association meeting.

Stop bullying teachers online, village primary tells parents [ The Telegraph, by Rosa Silverman, 1/7/2013 ]

A village primary school has threatened parents with legal action after “malicious and vexatious” criticism of teachers spread from the playground to social media.

Parents are thought to have criticised teachers on Facebook. Photo: AP

The board of governors at Goodleigh Church of England primary, near Barnstaple, north Devon, sent a letter warning that “bullying and harassment of staff” would not be tolerated and accusing some parents of “seeking to undermine the reputation of the school.”

It is thought to have followed messages posted on Facebook by a mother and father who told parents in the playground that they were unhappy with the way their children had been treated.

Research has shown that parents are increasingly using social networks to criticise teachers, and the National Association of Headteachers has said its members should be prepared to take action if parents make potentially libellous comments on websites.

Many parents of Goodleigh children were shocked and surprised to receive the letter and were at a loss to explain what had provoked it.

The governors wrote: “It has come to our attention that certain individuals have been seeking to undermine the reputation of the school and its staff.

“We, as governors, will take seriously any malicious and vexatious gossip within the school community and the wider environment. This includes anonymous letters, texting and comments on social media.

“We, the governing body, view this as a grave concern and will not hesitate in taking legal action to eliminate the bullying and harassment of staff.”

After receiving the letter, one parent claimed that the school had become “insular” and said there were serious problems with communication and intimidation of parents by staff.

Writing anonymously to the local newspaper, the parent said: “I’m sure you would agree this letter is a classic example of how not to communicate with parents. As well as the threatening tone it’s very intimidating.”

Others suggested a “problem family” might have been insulting staff in the playground and on social media.

The school, which has about 60 pupils, has shut for the summer holidays.

Residents in Goodleigh praised its excellent reputation and said the head teacher, Clare Grant, had fostered high standards. Julia May, 43, whose 10-year-old son attends the school, said she did not know why the letter had been sent.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the school,” she said. “The headmistress and her team are exemplary. She’s amazing and the educational standards are amazing. You can walk in there and say ‘hello’ and just go and have a chat.”

Another source in the village said some parents were “scared” and confused by the letter. At least three sets of parents were said to have approached Ms Grant about the letter and were told that the matter had been dealt with.

A study in 2011 found that parents were responsible for a quarter of the online abuse of teachers, with one headmistress left feeling suicidal after becoming the target of an internet hate campaign.

Facebook battles to beat the cyberbullies [Herald.ie, by Cormac Murphy, 31/7/2013 ]

FACEBOOK is trying to improve its reporting tools to combat cyber-bullying and other unsavoury online activities.

However, the social network giant with 1.1bn users worldwide does not keep data on complaints it receives.

It also said every complaint is assessed by a Facebook employee who then decides whether action is needed.

The briefing at the company’s Hanover Quay premises – its European HQ – took place amid ongoing controversies about users’ privacy and criminal activity online.

It emerged yesterday that bosses at Twitter could be hauled before MPs in Britain over actions to safeguard people from explicit and violent messages after a feminist campaigner and a Labour MP were sent rape threats.

Separately, Facebook has had to deny it allowed the National Security Agency in the US access to its servers.

The briefing heard Facebook received 9,000 valid requests from law enforcement officials in the US in the six months until the end of December 2012.

The reasons ranged from national security to a sheriff trying to locate a missing child.

In total, 19,000 users were affected, but Facebook is “very aggressive in pushing back against law enforcement requests” to protect subscribers’ privacy, according to its global chief privacy officer, Erin Egan.

No data was available on how many requests were made by gardai. It was reiterated that no access to the company’s servers has ever been granted to law enforcement officials.

Facebook has rules for investigating bullying, but distinguishes between offensive comments and direct bullying.

The company said it can’t solve cyberbullying but accepts it has a responsibility “to work towards that”.

“If someone is being bullied and they report it to us, we’re very strict on bullying, we take it down,” Facebook’s policy communications manager Linda Griffin said.

British PM David Cameron said he was worried about children running up large bills on online purchases, as well as the consequences of young people putting too much information on social media sites.

He said he would let Nancy (9), Arthur (7) and Florence (2) sign up to Facebook when they are older, but said he would warn them against damaging their career prospects.

Meanwhile, the company has no plans to cease hosting the controversial ask.fm app, which has been at the centre of a string of bullying cases.

Ask.fm founder Mark Terebin has rejected any link between the website and teenage suicide.

Bullying, Cyber Bullying & Digital Safety Workshops For Primary & Secondary Schools

Category: News