Broad coalition talks cyberbullying on Hill
By: Melanie Ciarrone
Examiner Staff Writer
October 14, 2009
Jeff Johnston defined himself by what he meant to other people. At 15 years of age, after two years of online bullying, he hanged himself using his own book bag strap.
His mother worked three years for the passage of an anti-bullying bill in the Florida legislature. The law, enacted last year and named after her son, prohibits school-related bullying and cyberbullying.
The Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act "makes it a crime in the state of Florida to use a computer to kill another child," Debbie Johnston said Tuesday at the Stop Cyberbullying Coalition Roundtable on Capitol Hill. The coalition -- formed by Internet safety resource Wired Safety -- includes advocacy groups, social networks, governmental agencies, researchers, parents and teens.
Wired Safety defines cyberbullying as "young people using technology as a weapon to hurt each other."
The discussion in the Russell Senate Building involved three panels that each spoke on a different aspect cyberbullying and "sexting": teens sending nude photos of themselves to others electronically that can then be widely circulated.
The purpose of the event was to bring together influential voices to talk about reaching those who could address the problems, said Parry Aftab, Wired Safety's executive director. The first panel focused on identifying the stakeholders in stopping cyberbullying. Representatives from the Girl Scouts, Microsoft, Build-a-Bear Workshop and the iKeepSafe Internet Safety Coalition talked about educating parents, school officials and children on the prevention of cyberbullying.
Education is one of the most powerful tools in combating cyberbullying, said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. Menendez is sponsor the School and Family Education about the Internet Act, which would make Internet safety information part of school curricula.
"We have to reach out to children who are in the virtual universe and who often hurt each other and themselves," Menendez said.
One of Tuesday's other panels addressed online safety, laws, practices and policy. The last panel focused on observing what technology providers, teens and educators are already doing to address cyberbullying.
Locally, Arlington schools offer workshops on cyberbullying for parents and provide information on Internet safety to students in the classroom, said school district spokesman Frank Bellavia. Although Arlington Public Schools has a written policy on bullying, it does not specifically address cyberbullying.
