Youth Who Harrass Others Online are More Likely to: 

• Abuse illicit substances
• Engage in delinquent behavior
• Experience a lack of emotional closeness and trust with their caregivers
• Experience less involvement and supervision by caregivers
• Experience frequent discipline from their caregivers, especially nagging
• Be enrolled in high school rather than middle school or grade school

• Female as male

• Experience painful emotions such as distress, frustration, sadness and anger as a result of being harrassed
• Be at-risk for school violence and delinquency
• Commit cyberbullying themselves than non-harrassed youth
• Avoid telling adults when they have experienced cyberbullying
• Report not being supervised by adults when using the Internet

1.  Educate Yourself.  If technology is not your strength, it would be important to educate yourself about current technological trends used in digital communication.  Reading the latest news in the field of technology and communication is a great way to start. Google Fast Flip, a search tool for local and international news, offers up-to-the-minute articles about digital communication and social networking devices.  Click the "Sci/Tech" tab to get started.  In addition, you may want to enroll in an Internet basic skills course online, at your local community college or adult education learning center.  Using the SMS program in your cell phone will give you a good idea about "ins and outs" of texting; and, Netlingo will certainly help you decipher the many acronyms common within the subculture of texting.  Lastly, if you own a Web-equipped cell phone, go surfing! 

2.  Know Your Child's Modes of Cyber-Communication.  Does your child text, e-mail, instant message, or use gaming software to communicate digitally?  Do they have accounts on Facebook or MySpace?  With so many means of accessing cyberspace, it is important to know which technological devices your child prefers.  While every child is different, research suggests that teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to communicate with friends using e-mail and text messaging, and more likely to exhange online information using blogs.  On the other hand, teenage boys are more likely than teenage girls to watch and upload videos.  Knowing what types of technology your child uses can enhance your ability to supervise and "mentor" these activities.   

3.  Build Family Rules Around Cyber-use.  Like anything important to the development and maintenance of a safe and nurturing living environment for children, having rules to mitigate the potential for cyber-abuse is essential.  In short, rules around cyber-use should specify in clear terms what children can and cannot do while accessing the Internet, using cell phones and other digital ware such as gaming consoles.  Consequences for breaking the rules should also be clear and consistently enforced.  The Family Online Safety Institute offers parents a free and downloadable Family Internet Safety Plan that may help you design a safety plan of your own.    

4.  Provide Adequate Supervision.  Avoid being "too strict" or "too lenient" in your efforts to supervise your child's cyber-activities.  For example, a parent who hovers over their child's every digital move, will likely cause them to conceal their technology-based activities to escape the feeling of being controlled.  If balance is key, find a more natural way of enhancing supervision.  Express a genuine and clear interest in your child's electronic devices, and make it a habit to discover their specific interests related to technology-based social networking, entertainment, and learning.  What devices excite them?  What are some of their favorite games?  What have they learned to do that they are proud of?  This will build trust and an openess to communicate with you about their experiences in and out of cyberspace.   

5.  Know the Signs of Cyberbullying.  Unlike certain forms of physical bullying, which may result in visible injuries, evidence of cyberbullying is often subtle.  Look for signs of emotional distress such as anger, fear, depression or a sudden, unexplanable avoidance of friends and social situations.  Victims of cyberbullying may also exhibit suspicious behavior such as quickly closing a computer screen or concealing a cell phone upon seeing a parent or caregiver. Other possible indicators of abuse could be wanting to stay home from school or a sudden or gradual decrease in academic performance.