All over America people are taking as stand to create safe and happy schools for our kids, and now lawmakers in Missouri are calling for better state anti-bullying laws.
Missouri House member Sue Allen from St Louis County said school districts should have specific policies against cyberbullying, and she talked about how students sometimes send text messages, emails or web postings that can be just as hurtful as physical intimidation.
Recently Gwenn O'Keeffe wrote an article for Pediatrics discussing the impact of social media on children, adolescents and families. O'Keeffe defined cyberbullying as "deliberately using digital media to communicate false, embarrassing, or hostile information about another person." The article went on to say that online harassment and cyberbullying are actually different, and that cyberbullying is "the most common online risk for all teens and is a peer-to-peer risk."
I am proud to see lawmakers in Missouri take a stand for their children and propose changes to their state laws that will protect kids at school, and might even allow a victim to take legal action against the person intimidating them.
I know how Facebook has become very popular these days, and even most titleholders in the Miss America Organization are using Facebook and other social networking tools to advance their platform and promote their local programs. I hope everyone using Facebook is careful. I think O'Keeffe states the core concerns very well.
"Using social media becomes a risk to adolescents more often than most adults realize. Most fall into the following categories: peer-to-peer; inappropriate contact; lack of understanding of online privacy issues; and outside influence of third-party advertising groups."
Take a stand today, tell your representatives that you want stronger anti-bullying laws, and be careful and smart when it comes to Facebook and social media.
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