Cyberbullying: Thorny new parenting problem

As some of us know only too well, technology's instant and macro-level results (via the Web, IM, etc.) mean two things to pranksters and the grownups in their lives: They've "all but erased the reflection time that once existed between the planning of a silly prank - or a serious stunt - and its commission" and "made it nearly impossible to contain a regrettable deed - because once committed, there's almost no way to retrieve and destroy all evidence of it in cyberspace," writes Mark Franek, dean of students at Philadelphia's William Penn Charter School, in a Christian Science Monitor oped piece. A mean instant message to 140 kids on a child's buddy list can not only hurt the subject of that IM but can be archived for Googling by her future acquaintances, employers, etc. An inappropriate photo taken by picture phone in a school locker room and posted in a blog can be found and circulated around the Net indefinitely by total strangers who could be criminally prosecuted for doing so. "Schools, technology companies, and parents need to educate themselves and take responsibility for getting this growing problem under control," Mark writes. He provides some helpful tips for schools and parents. Our street smarts can help protect tech-whizkids from making big mistakes with technologies that not only enable but magnify and broadcast those mistakes.

For an email conversation with Bill Belsey, Canada's top expert on the subject, see "The growing cyberbullying problem" in the 2/6/04 issue of my newsletter.