I recently attended a powerful and informative online session led by Bill Belsey on Cyberbulling. Much of our online discussion centered around the importance of parents and educators being aware and “present” in terms of what their children/students  are doing online.  Keeping communication open in the home and school about online safety and cyberbullying is so important and was the predominant theme during our discussion.  It is a topic that needs to be revisited many times as children get older.

November 12 – 17 is Bullying Awareness Week. 2012 marks it’s tenth year! Please consider what you can do in your home or school to make a difference. Bill is an incredible source of knowlege about this topic and you can find him on Twitter @Inukshuk or @Bullying_org.

As I explored the topic further, I discovered another useful website on Cyberbulling: http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/cyberbullying.html .  What I really appreciated about this site was the section on the sidebar called “Safety Tips By Age”.  It discusses the intellectual changes and developmental stages that are occuring during each age category (for example, ages 11- 13) and the kinds of things that may be of interest to children at that age.  Further, it discusses attitudes toward media and trends for each age category and then lists a variety of safety tips.  It also explains how and why kids cyberbully.  This is definitely a great site to show your children and explore as parents.  I am thankful that I shared it with my son tonight.