One of the best examples of a bully comes in the classic movie ” A Christmas Story.” Scut Farkus is the older boy in the movie who is constantly picking on the younger ones. We see kids go out of their way to try and avoid a confrontation with him. Finally, though this big bad bully gets his when one of the kids stands up to him and Farkus is the one who goes running home crying.

Another classic movie bully comes from the “Back to the Future” series. Biff Tannen may be the king of all the bullies on the big screen. Biff is the one who mercilessly picked on George McFly throughout their school years and on into adulthood. It was McFly who got the last laugh though when he married Lorraine, the girl who Biff was sweet on too.

When it comes to television one of the top bullies was the older brother on the Wonder Years. Wayne Arnold was always pushing around his younger brother Kevin and Kevin’s friend Paul. Another T.V. bully was featured on the animated show The Simpsons. Nelson Muntz used to loved to pick on Bart Simpson but in recent years they have turned into friends.

Thanks to direct.tv, the stereotypical bullies that we see on T.V. and in the movies can be great learning tools. Teachers and parents can point to these well known figures as examples of how not to behave. It is never O.K. to pick on another person and luckily in the movies and on television the nasty bullies end up getting it back in the end.

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Bullying is something many kids have to deal with growing up. It seems near impossible to escape the crosshairs of a bully in your life but with the internet now in nearly every home, it could be almost impossible. Traditional bullying entailed being chased home from the school or the bus stop. The internet, especially Facebook, give a fertile breeding ground for bullies who can post disparaging comments right on a child’s profile page.

There are a few categories of bully that you will want to watch out for in protecting your child. There is the “mean girls” type of bully. This group is usually made up of girls who will choose a target and berate her with recklessness and little remorse. Everything is fodder for these girls, including the way the victim looks, dresses, and who her friends are. It is a goal of “mean girls” style bullies to break a victim down mentally.

There is also the “lash out” bully. These bullies often have a troubled home life and project their unhappiness by trying to ruin the life of a student. The bully will use the same tactics used against them in their home life. Insults, hitting, and various other bullying tactics.

There is also the bully who feels neglected and is just looking for a reaction. In this scenario, the bully will usually stop if you ignore his advances. Should you choose to argue back however, he will step up the bullying to an almost relentless level. The most important thing for a child to do when bullied is to report it to a parent or school staff member. No one should suffer through bullying alone.

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With the rise of the importance of computers and the popularity of internet becoming more widespread, Cyber bullying has become more evident. A few cases have ended with the victim committing suicide. Facts about Cyber Bullying are sadly not widely known, and learning of it leaves many parents baffled with how to deal or identify it.

According to the anti-bullying website “DO SOMETHING” over 42 percent of kids and teens have reported being abused online. Oftentimes they feel as if their is no escape from being bullied as the bullies have access to the internet all the time, long after the school day has ended.

Cyber bullies don’t just lurk on social media websites. They’re in chat rooms and send threatening and demeaning emails as well. A bullies goal is always the same, to hurt and shame their victims no matter what.They don’t care about privacy, and will do almost anything to hurt their victim.

The results and feelings of being bullied are always the same, no matter if they’re being bullied at school or online. These feelings are real and have the same effect of being hunted down and hurt. It doesn’t stop when the school day ends.

Take note of what your child is doing online, and listen to them if they come forward and say their being bullied. Report this to the school, and the police. Take a strong stance against the bullying and put a stop to it before it gets worse and continues.

Filtering Programs

The first way to protect children while they’re surfing online is to use parental filtering programs. These programs are controlled by the parent, with a password protection so that the programs can’t be overridden by your children. This will protect kids from sites such as pornography. It will also protect them from engaging in activities that are for adults-only, such as poker online. These programs are often included in the web browser, though some are very basic. You can also purchase more advanced programs.

Monitoring Online Activity

No program can replace you as a parent. The best thing you can do is monitor your children’s activity online to see what they are up to. This would include viewing history of online activity after your children have been on the computer and if they’re on Facebook, checking to see what they’ve posted. It also helps to have the computer located in a living room or kitchen where activity can easily be monitored.

It may seem like an invasion of privacy to keep such tight tabs on your kids’ activities online, but it’s about protecting your children from predators and others who might hurt them.

As there are no clear cut laws regarding these crimes in many countries, such cyber crimes are increasing every day. Creating awareness of these offenses and protecting online users has become critical. This is more so with children as more and more children are using internet for fun. Internet protection guidelines have become vital especially as crimes concerning children are increasing. Schools and other educational institutes have to actively participate in creating awareness on the importance of internet protection and safe surfing.  When at home make sure you are only going to reputable sites as resources or for entertainment when you are playing poker online.  This will help to increase the protection of yourself and your computer.

Many online users are not aware of phishing scams and other frauds. Creating awareness among them about these crimes is important and to prevent such future scams, reporting such scams is even more crucial. Many countries do not have a separate cyber crime division which hinders the process of reporting such scams and preventing such frauds. Other institutions such as banks and credit card companies should also promote and create awareness among their customers regarding internet protection especially while using internet banking.

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If your child is being bullied online or at school, it helps to understand what causes bullies to behave the way they do. People are not born as bullies; they are conditioned to aggressive behaviors due to the circumstances of life. Understanding the motivations of bullies will help you assist your child to cope effectively with situations where he or she is being treated unfairly.

The Making of a Bully

Many children learn bullying behaviors from their own parents. The way that adults speak to one another and to the child affects that child’s impressions and conclusions about how people should communicate. When a child sees his parents fighting and controlling one another, he internalizes this behavior and resorts to it himself when feeling powerless or in need of control.

Bullying Behaviors

Bullying manifests itself in many ways. Mocking and shunning another person are common bullying behaviors for getting the upper hand in situations. The bully typically comes across as confident and in control and, in reality, he may be quite insecure or concerned about his own image. Putting down another person is a way of feeling better about himself.

Coping With the Bully

When parenting a child who is being victimized by a bully, it’s important to explain that the behaviors are due to weakness and not strength. A confident and conscientious person does not waste time mistreating others. Encourage your child to focus on personal strengths and to avoid situations that create close contact with bullies. Spending time online and at school with the friendly kids is the best way to create a buffer against bullying behavior.

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On-line gambling is spreading quickly over the vast frontier of the Internet and this has opened an easy, fun and convenient way for people all over the world to play poker together. Many people have taken up an interest in the game and want to jump in with no prior experience. If you’re one of these people you might need a crash course in how-to-poker before actually playing the game.

The most common variation of poker online is Texas Hold ‘Em but there are many other variations with different rules. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the rules below depending on the exact game you’re playing. To begin, the two people to the left of the dealer “post the blinds,” meaning that the first person puts in half the minimum bid and the second person puts in the full minimum bid. Then everyone is dealt two cards that only they can see, called “Hole Cards.”

This is followed by a round of betting. On a player’s turn to bet, he or she can put in the minimum bet (Call), put in more than the minimum bet (Raise), or quit the round (Fold). Once everyone calls, the dealer plays “The Flop”–three cards in the middle that anyone can play on. Another round of betting occurs, then another card is flipped and the pattern repeats once more so that there are five center (or Community) Cards, at which point everyone makes their final bet. Players then use the best combination of any five cards from the Community Cards and their Hole Cards to make a hand, with the best hand winning the round.

Sports betting sites and casino sites are hot spots for scams. Scammers often assume if consumers are betting or gambling they have money to steal. Scams may involve using a consumer’s identity or using a consumer’s money or bank account.

Consumers need to be sure the gaming site they are using is a reputable one. Staying away from new sites that are not well known is an excellent step to protecting yourself. It is easy to research gambling sites by asking fellow gamblers where they play or research the site online. Most of the time, if people have been scammed; they are very vocal about it and other consumers can find information on it. Consult a search engine with the name of the site.

If going anywhere on the Internet, but especially gambling sites, the computer should have spyware and antivirus software installed on it. By regularly updating their software and scanning their computers, consumers can protect themselves.

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Sites or consumers offering “extra programs” to help players enhance their play are usually a scam. Consumers should also steer clear of fellow gamblers who ask that money be loaned to them. Some scammers will offer to pay back the loan plus double the amount. These offers are usually scams.

Online gambling can be a fun internet activity if pursued responsibility. Follow these tips and avoid being the victim of a scam.

Ways Individuals are Cyber bullied

• A peer contacting others pretending to be someone else
• Using deceitful tactics to convince individuals to tell personal information
• Making up lies and rumors about people
• Posting pictures of individuals without their consent
• Sending or forwarding hurtful text messages

Proactive Reactions to Cyber bullying

• Blocking all communication with the individual engaging in cyber bullying
• Automatically deleting messages before reading them
• Talking to a trusted individual about the bullying
• Reporting issues to Internet service providers or moderators of websites

Prevention of Cyber bullying

• Refuse to participate in sending cyber bulling messages
• Convince friends to stop cyber bullying
• Report cyber bullying to a trusted adult
• Talk to other individuals such as teachers and school administrators to establish rules against cyber bullying
• Increase the awareness of cyber bullying issues in a school or community by organizing as assembly and distributing informative fliers

Other Ways to Stay Safe on the Internet

• Do not share or post personal information on the Internet including full names, address, telephone numbers, names of schools, names of parents, or bank information
• Do not share Internet passwords with anyone no matter how much you trust them
• Never agree to meet an online contact in person

Victim might block such emails as there are filters available in email to block their id. However, cyber bullies can also resort to public forums and other websites where the contents are not checked.  Usually these are done by rival gang or people who want to cause hurt and humiliation to the other person.  A relationship or friendship gone wrong can trigger such reaction. As it involves young children, the issue becomes complicated. Sharing of personal information and other gory details in the public forum had also lead to cases where the victim commits suicide. Cyber bullying needs to be taken more seriously and laws should be brought to prevent such incidents. However, this is not easy as the news of such information posted spreads like wild fire among youngsters and the damage is already done before any action can be taken. Educational institutes can bring out policies on such crimes and strict action on such people can help reduce such incidents.

There are many crimes reported recently where a person shares photographs and personal details with strangers. These details and photographs are then splashed across various websites causing embarrassment and problems for the person concerned. This is more so with children in western countries who share photographs and other personal details with strangers without the knowledge of their parents or guardians. Online users should be aware that once any personal information or photograph is posted in the internet it will be there forever and anyone can have access to it.

Though there are many filters and privacy settings which an individual can adopt, such crimes are on the rise as many of them accept strangers as their friends and this gives access to their personal information and other files.  File sharing should be done with known friends and family members only. In case of children, file sharing can be done after getting an approval on the content from their parents. Parents should also check whom their children are going to share these file with and on which websites before giving their approval.

Parents should teach their children on the importance of privacy while using internet. There are many cyber crimes in which children are allured and asked for private information by criminals. Children chatting with strangers are a cause for concern as many criminals try to meet these children in private places without the knowledge of the parents. Parents need to set guidelines and take strict disciplinary action if these are not followed. Parents have to make sure that the child understands it’s for their own safety.

Some of the measures to guard privacy are: never give home or school or college address, phone number, personal information as where their parents work, preferably use nickname in chat and not the original name. Most importantly never go and meet strangers alone in any place even if it’s a public place. Another important guideline is never share photograph or use video chat with unknown persons.  Instilling these guidelines in children will help them to be careful and enable them to guard their privacy.

Another way a child’s confidence can be easily broken is bad parenting methods. Bad parenting methods contribute to psychological problems in a child. It is a major driver for many children going astray.  Bad parenting methods can lead to child’s insecurity, not having confidence and depression. It also makes a child adamant and difficult to handle. Or it can have a reverse effect and the child feels lonely and afraid of their parents. Another bad parenting method which parents use to keep the child happy is pampering them as they do not have time for them. Parents buy whatever the child asks to keep the child from disturbing them. This is mainly because parents do not have the time to install good manners or time for disciplining their children. Pampering the child develops a selfish attitude in them. This attitude carries with them through adulthood and creates problems for people surrounding them.

Some of the most common bad parenting methods are: criticizing the child in front of others, not spending time with the child to install good manners and assure them of their love, physical or verbal abuse in the name of disciplining process, use of bad language, not encouraging the child to develop their talents and expecting too much from a child beyond their age. Bad parenting usually starts with parents not following what they preach to their children.

Outdoor activities and holidays help to build the bond between family members.  As each stage of childhood brings new challenges, parents should be open to adopt different methods of disciplining.  Good parenting requires a lot of disciplining but it should be done in a positive way. The best way to address any issue is to be a role model to your child. As your child imitates you and looks up to you for everything, being a role model helps the child to learn good habits from you. Overall, parenting is an on-the-job training and each day brings new challenges to resolve. It can be exciting if parents take time and effort to groom their children in the right way.

With this additional computer though come additional concerns and worries – especially with the potential dangers involved in allowing children to spend time online. The first thing you need to consider when purchasing a computer for your children is that even though the price tags have gone down significantly, computers are still investments that need to be protected.

In addition to buyer protection plans that extend the warranties of computers you should also consider investing in tools to protect against viruses like PC Tools antivirus program, clean registries, and monitor the activity of your children while online. The combination of these three things can greatly improve the safety of your children while online as well as the life of your computer.

Keep these things in mind as well to make the process as painless as possible for everyone involved.

1) Set ground rules for computer time and acceptable usage.

2) Monitor the activity of your children when online.

3) Keep the computer in a central location so that children do not have unsupervised time online.

4) Pay attention to the behavior of your children while surfing the Internet. Specifically look for signs of distress.

5) Block sites you feel are not appropriate for your children.

These are small things that will make your child’s first computer experience a pleasant one for the entire family.

If you are caught sharing copyrighted files on the internet you could be charged with several different crimes. These charges could lead to thousands of dollars of fines or possibly even jail time.

So, how do you talk to your children about file sharing?  Simple, just tell them not to do it. It is not worth the risk of going to jail or losing thousands of dollars simply to get a free song or see a movie that hasn’t been released on DVD.

Children are very smart and many of them are using complicated file sharing systems or the torrent sites to obtain files for their personal use.

However, just because they are sharing files doesn’t mean it is necessarily illegal file sharing. If they are sharing things like pictures they took, or videos they made themselves, this is perfectly legal. This is only a worry if they are sharing photos or videos that you do not approve of them sharing with their friends and acquaintances.

The easiest way to keep up with what your children are doing on the internet is by not allowing them to get online unsupervised. If you keep the computer in a high traffic, high visibility area they will be less likely to be tempted to engage in risky online behaviors. This will keep them safer and reduce the chances that your family could end up in any danger due to illegal file sharing or other criminal activity online. This may seem complicated, but it is really quite simple to help your child stay out of trouble.

Probably the most important lesson you can teach your child is that of privacy. They need to understand that you do not tell people you meet on the internet private things about yourself or your family. This includes your real name, what school you go to, where you live, or any other facts about yourself.

Children who understand this are much less likely to find themselves in a compromising position with someone they meet on the internet. There may be a case where your child does meet a friend on the internet that they want to meet in real life. This is a situation that you need to handle as a family. If you do decide to allow them to meet an online friend you should find a way for you and your child to meet this friend in a public place.

Make sure you meet this other child’s parents too, so that you can all be certain you are on the same page. Just because you meet a friend on the internet doesn’t mean that you can’t one day be “real life” friends too, anyone who does this simply needs to be very careful so they do not wind up in a situation that is not as it may seem.

Your child may be aggravated at you for having rules and guidelines about internet safety but you only have their best interests in mind. When they get a bit older they will certainly understand why you worried and will be very glad that you did.

If the bullying is happening at school, you should take the opportunity to visit the school and see what is happening. In many schools there are two way mirrors where you can observe the class without anyone knowing you are there. This is good because the actions of the class would likely be different if there was a parent watching then if they class was not being observed.

You will likely want to talk to the teacher and possibly administrators. You do not want this bully to get away with hurting your child or other children. Many times bullies can be reformed, and hopefully this is the case.

If the bullying is not at school you may have a harder time getting it under control. In these cases you will likely have to meet with the other child’s parents and talk about what you can do to nip these behaviors in the bud.

Make sure your child knows it is not their fault they are being bullied and also give them some strategies to help deal with it in case it happens in the future. You do not want your child to get hurt, but you also don’t want them to get in trouble by fighting, even if they are defending themselves.

In dramatic cases you may have to request that your child or the other child is moved out of the classroom or other setting. This may be the easiest way to resolve these situations. If this is possible you may be able to end the bullying with a minimum of confrontation.

There have been several major cases where girls sent nude or almost nude pictures of themselves to other students.

This can be more than a moral dilemma, many people have faced child pornography charges because they kept the pictures that were sent to them. There was a case where a teenager spent time in jail after his football coach caught him with nude pictures on his cell phone.

Surveys have found that around 20 percent of teens admit to sexting. This is a dangerous activity not just because of the legal aspects but because it can lead to sexual encounters that the teens may not be ready for.

A picture that is sent to one recipient can quickly spread like wild fire through a school. There have been many cases where a teen only meant the picture to go to one person but soon the entire school has seen them nude.

If you have not had a talk with your teens about this behavior, you should take the time to talk with them about what you expect. If you catch your children engaging in this risky behavior, you should consider taking away their cell phone privileges and make sure that all the offending material is deleted so that it cannot come back and cause problems in the future.

Many teens simply don’t understand the risks that sexting can pose. You need to make it clear that this is not behavior that you approve of, and give them examples of what has happened in many of these cases. This can be a great way to connect with your teen and help them make choices, not just now but for the rest of their lives.

It’s not a good idea to spend a lot of time rewarding bullies with gifts. Although the attention is positive, someone needs to start showing that kid the positive value of being kind.  Mentors are typically very active in their communities, and they do what they do because they want to see positive change for the disadvantaged.  It would be a great idea to bring that bully along to the next humanitarian activity that you take on.

Bullies need to feel valued as much as anyone.  Part of the power trip is about self-importance and feeling valued.  It’s one thing to tell the kid that no one values those kinds of behaviors, it’s another thing for a mentor to lead the bully to positive behavior such as volunteering, so that he experiences valued behavior first hand.

No one ever tells a bully, “thank you.”  Bullies don’t look for gratitude.  Being appreciated is a much better feeling than being feared, but how many bullies really know that?  Most have never been given the opportunity to try.   Some great places to encourage positive behaviors are animal shelters, food banks, Habitat for Humanity builds, local marathons and walk-a-thons, park clean-up days, and soup kitchens.  There are almost always volunteer appreciation dinners and ceremonies connected to these different kinds of activities.  To be publicly recognized for good deeds can be a huge turning point for a bully.  He will get public recognition as his name is called or his picture is taken.  He’ll get some kind of certificate of appreciation, and he will be very motivated to come back and do it all over again in order to soak up his new found power as a hero.

All kids love positive attention.  Even mean ones.  If that bully comes from a violent household, it is probably the only way he knows how to move through the world.  He just doesn’t know how to negotiate relationships any other way.  He probably has no real friends.  Therefore any child interaction will have to come through negative choices and meanness.  Children need someone to look up to and confide in.  A mentor can be that someone.

Most mentors would probably prefer not to have to deal with a so called losing battle, and it could be a losing a battle, indeed.  But to not try at all is a disservice to the victims of the bully, the bully and society as a whole.  As the mentor comes to know the kid, other issues will reveal themselves.  Bullies rarely do well in school.  They are probably emotionally immature, and once the’re in trouble, they may act much younger than they really are. Needless to say, there’s a lot going on for this kind of kid.

As the bully’s mentor develops a comfortable relationship, some gentle guidance on bad behavior can be that little thing that starts to change the way a bully relates to others.  It will take persistence and constant reminders.  It may take some hard facts about criminal charges and jail time.  It may ultimately be a hopeless cause, but we have to try with every kid, regardless of his behavior.

School yard shoving and intimidation is a serious subject due to all the publicized deaths because of it.  As a society, we’re not tolerating this much anymore.  Once upon a time, a juvenile in jail was put there because he knowingly committed an assault.  Bullies know what their doing.  Today, they go to jail, too.

Often schools start the punishment process by removing the bully to in school suspension.  From there it might escalate to an alternative campus for troublemakers.  However, at some point, if the behavior doesn’t stop, the school may find an angry parent filing charges against that bully.  Schools need to impress upon these troublemakers that bullies go to jail.  They need to make sure this kid knows it won’t be the school pressing the charges, but an angry parent.

Bullies rarely think about the consequences of their actions.  They just like the way they feel while they’re being abusive to others.  They never think that a shove could result in a child hitting his head on the pavement.  They never think that accident could kill the child and make the bully a murderer.  They don’t equate injuries with breaking the law.

A good school anti-bullying program should assign mock criminal charges to each incident of bullying.  It could be verbal assault, battery, physical assault, assault with a deadly weapon, and if the kid is rude to the teacher, call it resisting arrest.  They’ll start to get the idea about their behavior.

Probably one of the oldest “insults” that kids have unintentionally made is to tell another child that, “you’re so gay.”  The offending child probably doesn’t mean any harm.  In fact, that kid might not even know a gay person.  Therefore, he probably has no concept of what kind of bullying, verbal abuse and intimidation such a child would be going through.  If a homosexual child happens to hear this so called insult, he may take great offense and emotional pain from it.  It’s best to tell children not to use that phrase.  It’s rude and reflects poorly on the unintentional bully.  It’s also a good opportunity to teach children about homosexuality in a positive and accepting manner.

The N-word is thrown around like it means nothing at all.  It’s typically heard in rap music or among blacks who are joking with one another.  A white child should not think it’s O.K. for him to use it, too.  It will never be O.K. for whites to use that word.  This may seem strange for a child who never experienced the Civil Rights Movement, but those scars run very deep in the black community, and many blacks still suffer the results of racism in their everyday life.  The N-word is truly inappropriate for anyone, including blacks, to use.  It is never anything but a mean insult.

Making fun of another’s appearance is always wrong and will throw a perfectly good child into the unintentional bully category.  Even though it’s a joke, it stings deeply for the receiver of the insult.  Class, ethnicity and cultural practices are never fodder for jokes. Make sure your child knows this.

Children who are abused often switch from introverted to extroverted or the other way around.  It makes sense that a child would withdraw from others if he’s abused, but sometimes he’ll do just the opposite and become very extroverted to the point of being disruptive.  Abused children will become the eternal victim at times.  That means they are always getting picked on or whining about misdeeds done to them.  They’ve learned it is their position in life.  The other possibility is that they’re trying to get  a safe adult to notice their real victim status.

On the other hand, abused children can become the school bully as they search to find some power in their life.  It could be that violence is the only way they know how to move through the world.  It could also be a release of their own aggressions that are built up due to the abuse.  Besides the mean kid, you’ll sometimes encounter the overly clingy or affectionate kid.  This behavior change is due to the fact that the abused child is trying to cling to an adult they think will not hurt them.  Girls who are sexually abused may make this kind of affection somewhat inappropriate because they’ve been taught to be seductive by the abuser.

If children suddenly develop irrational fears of certain places or certain people, that could be a sign of abuse.  It may not be that the person they are afraid of is the abuser.  It could be that the person simply reminds them of an abuser.  Pay special attention to a child who does not want to go a certain place or be around a certain person.

The U.S. is a country that is obsessed with looks.  There are hundreds of glamour and fashion magazines that tell people of all ages how to get gorgeous in five easy steps.  The stars are spokespeople for everything in the world that can make a person look incredible.  The truth is most of us will never be that magazine cover girl or boy, and we shouldn’t feel bad about it.  Somewhere, there has been a disconnect between what we say about love and acceptance and how we actually live that out.

If you have a child who make disparaging remarks about an overweight kid, stop the talk immediately.  Children need to know that all people are valued and have something to offer if only invited to do so.  Fat doesn’t affect someone’s compassion or intelligence.  It doesn’t affect their loyalty to others.  Instead of allowing you child to make fun of the fat kid, encourage him to get to know that kid.  He may find a real friend for life.

It’s hard to make children understand that all that glamorous posturing won’t create lasting satisfaction.  On the other hand, it’s a parent’s responsibility to make sure the children are healthy, so feeding a child a poor and fattening diet not only destroys their self esteem, but it destroys their health.  Loving your children the right way can be tough, but it’s the only way to do it.

They may not like it, and they may also try to find ways to get around it, so watch out for those kinds of things. Many browsers come with settings that you can adjust to reduce the number of ‘dangerous’ or ‘questionable’ sites people can visit on your computer. Be sure to look into making that adjustment. You can get help with that through the company that makes your Internet browser or through an online tech forum if you’re not sure about the settings. That’s also a good thing to do if you have sites that you go to but that you don’t want your children going to, like those that offer online casino games.

It’s great for adults to play them, though, so you might want to spend some time gambling for fun when your kids are sleeping or doing something with their friends. As long as you play responsibly, you can get a lot of joy out of these kinds of games. It’s a good way to relax and find something quiet to do if you just want to unwind for a little while.

That means that gay kids get as much emotional assault from adults as the kids around them.  Maybe even their own parents are abusive because of their homosexuality.  These children live in constant worry, isolation, and even fear.  Most hold in the secret and develop some form of neurosis because of it.  Depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and destructive behaviors are common.  Add a bully or two to the mix and the outcome is painfully played out.

The nation has had several high profile gay student suicides in  recent years.  That, along with hate crimes that go as far as murder, make the bullying of gay children one of the most shamefully ignored issues in the greater social fabric.  Most people don’t think any form of bullying is right, but they may not actively speak out against bullying a gay or lesbian child.  There’s some bizarre idea that these children are making well informed choices to be something that they know will put them at risk of abuse.  It simply makes no sense.

Celebrities have always been the voice of the oppressed, and in recent months, more and more are speaking out to turn the national attention to it’s own shameful complacence.  The message that “it gets better,” and that all of us are valuable, beautiful people has been a welcomed campaign by those who have suffered through bullying as well as witnessed it being done to people they care about; especially children.  If more religious organizations would take a public stance against the situation, we would see real progress.

If in fact, the child is gay, and he’s been told he’s a terrible person by his religious affiliation or his parents, he’s going to act like he’s unacceptable.  Tell an emotionally damaged child he is going to hell, and he might go find it while he’s still living.  When announcing these secrets that will marginalize the child, he probably isn’t mature enough to really understand what the consequences could be.  It’s possible he’s making a broadcast for help or kindred spirits.  It shouldn’t be surprising when the hateful assaults begin.

Adults who witness this kind of phenomenon have a responsibility to protect and support the ostracized kid.  Offer reassurance, friendship and support.  Spend time just talking and listening to the child. The school counselor should be involved in working with the family and even suggesting professional help.  For whatever reason, the kid needs attention.  It’s important that it be good and supportive attention.  Any known bullying needs to be stopped immediately.  If this really is a path to self destruction, also look out for signs of possible suicide.

Do not allow a child like this to become alienated.  Whether they believe it or not, they are worth saving.  Like the ad campaign says, “it gets better.”  Adults who care should constantly deliver that message.

We’ve all heard those great stories where the little guy got fed up and wailed into the bully only to become an instant hero.  Some are very funny, and some are poignant. Sometimes, that’s all it takes and the bully either backs off or tries to be his victim’s new friend.  The problem is that hitting back is just a perpetuation of the problem.  The bully has just learned that there’s someone with more power than him, so he might just go find someone else to beat up.  Your kid has a new found, and dangerous power.  Don’t expect him to put up his fighting gloves forever.

On the other hand, it’s the walking away that just keeps getting the poor kid beat up.  Everyone knows that violence is not resolved with violence, but how can you make walking away work for your child?  Persistence is the key.  After awhile, the bully is going to get bored with the a kid who doesn’t give him any reaction.  He’ll move onto something else.  If the problem just keeps up, and no one is willing to stop the bully, a visit from a police officer can be a nice deterrent for the mean one.  If a violent kids thinks he’s immune from arrest, he’s wrong.  His parents will probably get the message, too.

Schools are notorious for being lax on bullying.  If the school is remiss, start your own anti-bullying campain and help all those kids who are picked on know they are wanted and valuable.  Different is good.  Kindness is better.  Awareness is everything.

You’re paying the phone bill.  You agreed to let your child have texting, so you’re responsible for monitoring that phone at random, unexpected times.  Confiscate it and start scrolling those texts.  If you see some combination of letters you don’t recognize as a familiar acronym, demand to know what it means.  If your kid refuses to tell you, then you’ve just been given license to look it up yourself.

You can do that.  Simply search “sexting acronyms list,” and websites will pop up with lists of sex acronyms.  A few that should really alarm you are:
8 – that means oral sex
1174 – that means nude club
420 – that means marijuana
IWSN – that means I want sex now

Pretty scary isn’t it. Also check for pictures of your child exposing him or herself.  These texts get forwarded and the damage can’t be reversed.  Children have committed suicide over sexting scandals.  It started as a desperate attempt to be popular and it ended in the child being chastised as a slut or prostitute.  Kids are mean, and technology is fast.  Parents have to be technically savvy and on top of those texts and Facebook pages to really protect children from some damaging trap they’ll always regret.

Even if your kid acts like the perfect angel around you, he may be Mr. Hide when you’re not around. We can’t be completely in control of our kids all of the time, but we can be in control of stopping unwanted behavior.  The parents of the bully need to get to the underlying reason this is happening.  Do an honest self-assessment of your household.  How are you and your spouse getting along?  Is there any stress in the home that may make the child feel like he’s not in control?  Sometimes kids will act out against others to feel a sense of power.  Kids don’t really feel in control of their lives always.

It’s good to check with your child to find out if he’s been the victim of bullying himself.  Has assumed his aggressor’s role?  What kind of friends does your child have?  Often times, good kids do mean things because they want to be accepted by a certain group of friends. Or it could be that your child simply isn’t aware of the painful results of his actions.  It might seem fun to him, but it never occurred to him how he was affecting others.

If your kid is the a bully, talk with him and ask him how he would feel if some kid did mean things to him.  Make it clear that you will not tolerate him hurting other children.  If the bullying occurs on the internet, suspend priveledges.  And always make your child apolgize for his actions directly to the victim. There’s nothing like forgiveness to change a person.

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If a child comes from a home where conflict resolution is done through violence, then that’s what the child will know.  They know that any disagreement is best solved with hitting, mean words, cussing and insults.  Whether it’s happening to them or they watch it happen to others, they see how being the aggressor has its advantages.  Certainly, the bully could be a victim of child abuse.  By doing to others what happens to him, the bully gets the power he needs to protect his own psyche.

It’s sad to say, but some kids just feel they’re entitled to bully others.  That’s the irritating brat whose mother considers her little darling to be beyond reproach.  If the parent’s blind to the bullying behavior, don’t expect a kid to be self aware.  There probably won’t be a change in behavior until other kids isolate the bully and refuse to interact on any level.  To get attention, the bully will be forced to behave the way potential friends want him to behave.  Parents who don’t recognize their child’s bad behavior do the kid a terrible disservice that could cause serious emotional problems later in life.

Other parenting problems that might cause a child to bully are divorces, single parents who aren’t home enough, and ever changing boyfriends and girlfriends who constantly sap attention away from the kid.  Teachers and other parents might give positive power to the bully by offering positive attention.

Only a total idiot would continue to be mean to your kid when he knows Mom is watching.  And if you suspect your kid is the cyber bully, you can catch him red handed and start teaching him the importance of being nice to others.  Cyber bullying is a huge problem.  Bullies have always been around, but their access to victims was limited to the school yard.  Today, they can ratchet up their meanness even after a child is in the safety of his or her own home.

It would be easy to just tell your kid he or she can’t have a Facebook account, but that’s like telling your kid he or she can’t have any friends and they have to stay in their room all the time.  Parents have to let their kids be kids in this day and age.  Not all cyber contact is bad.  Just tell you kid that they’ll have to friend you if they want the account.  Who knows, you may see some cyber bullying going on against another child, and you’ll have the opportunity to inform those parents.

Preventing all bullying will be impossible, but by checking in and even posting on the bully’s wall, you can slow it down and protect those who are bullied.  You don’t have to be mean with your post.  Just a little hello to let the mean one know you’re there and you’re aware.

The practice of exchanging flirty messages electronically is known as sexting. It could be a sexually suggestive comment or a nude photo. If your teen is hiding his phone from you or shutting down the computer when you approach, he may be involved in something that is inappropriate. Even if you have installed internet filters on your computer a savy teen can find ways around it.

If you think your teen would not engage in sexting, think again. A recent national study reveals that 20% of the teens asked have sent electronically or posted online nude or semi-nude photos of themselves. The survey also revealed that one third of all teen boys who were asked say that they have received a nude image from someone else. Add in the fact that almost 80% of teens have cellphones with cameras and you can see that there could be a potential problem.

The best way to check up on your teen is to monitor their use of the computer and cell phone. Go back through old text messages or emails and find out if any images have been downloaded. Your teen may object to having his privacy invaded but as a parent you must make it clear that checking up on them is a condition of having a phone or access to the internet. They may end up being mad at your for awhile but at least you know that they are safe.

It does not necessarily have to be the victim who ultimately stands up to the bully. It takes a great deal of guts for a young person to stand up for themselves against someone who is trying to intimidate them. If they can not do it on their own then they need to seek out the help of someone in authority. It could be a parent or a school administrator or even an older sibling.

If you are the parent of a child who is being bullied, encourage them to try and ignore the behavior. It is very likely that the bully is trying to get attention or a reaction and if the behavior is simply ignored, it may stop. If not, then confrontation is required. While it is appropriate to say “Stop” in a clear loud voice, it is not appropriate to threaten the bully with violence or physically lash out.

Often times, when you stand up to a bully that bully will back down. He is used to being able to intimidate people and when that does not work he will often walk away. Standing up to a bully means standing your ground even though it may take every ounce of courage that you have. If standing up to a bully does spark a physical confrontation, the victim needs to run away instead of engaging in a fight. They should find someone in authority and let them handle the situation on their behalf.

Using these social networking hubs to harass people has become the favorite past time of cyber bullies. These people hide behind the accounts of others or set up phony accounts to spread vicious rumors and falsehoods about people. The identity of the people perpetuating the gossip is often never known, making it very difficult to stop them. The damage that is done by these cyber bullies is so severe that it has prompted a number of teen suicides.

One of the best ways to prevent cyber bullying is to make sure that you have not engaged in any type of behavior that can be exploited. Some of the most horrific cases have involved girls who send sexy photos to a boyfriend only to have them circulated on the web after they break up. Drunken behavior at parties has also caused some of the cyber bullying instances because the victim was captured in party photos while drunk.

Behaving properly is one aspect of preventing cyber bullying but there are cases where the victim can not be faulted in any way. These types of cases are usually sparked by someone who is very jealous of their target and does everything they can think of to make that other person look bad. In theses cases, the parents of the teen should be confronted and if they will not step in to stop the behavior then the victims family needs to contact school administrators or the police. This type of activity should never be tolerated.

The first thing that parents should do is to explain to their child what exactly what bullying is. It could be physical intimidation or threats, name calling and teasing. The National Education Association (NEA) estimates that more than 150 thousand children stay home from school every day to avoid the bullies who are tormenting them. Their research also shows that the victims of bullying suffer from depression, low self esteem and perform poorly in school.

If you suspect your child is being bullied, ask them about it. Often, kids are too embarrassed to bring it up on their own. If you find out that your child is being bullied at school, it is wise to discuss this with their teacher or an administrator before trying to confront the bully or his parents. Most schools now have zero tolerance policies for handling this type of behavior and will take immediate action to protect your child. Make sure you encourage your child to walk away from the offensive behavior and avoid at all costs a physical confrontation.

You should also encourage your son or daughter to stand up for other kids who are being picked on. If they see someone being bullied, tell them to notify a teacher or someone else in authority. While it is most common at school, your children need to be alert to possible bullying on the playground or on sports teams as well. 75% of kids asked by the NEA say they have witnessed bullying behavior.

The most literal interpretation of the law is to handle the cases under child pornography statutes which carry very severe punishments. Even though these laws were intended for pedophiles who prey on young children, they have been used many times to prosecute teens who were engaging in what they thought were harmless activities. Critics say it is not fair to handle these cases in the same way that prosecutors handle child pornography cases because most of the teens meant no harm.

In many cases, prosecutors have filed child porn charges against teens involved in sexting to try and send a message that the practice can have severe consequences but later they are more than willing to plea bargain the case down to a misdemeanor. The prosecutor will typically hold a news conference for the media and try to get a great deal of attention for the case and threaten the teens with years in prison and the prospects of having to register for the rest of their lives as a sex offender.

In an effort to avoid having sexting teens being treated like other sex offenders, a number of states are adopting new laws that specifically address cases where one teen sends a nude photo to another. Lawmakers are recognizing that teens who do that should not face the same consequences as those who exploit and prey on children. The new laws do not require that the offender be labelled as a sex offender which could impact where they live and what they do the rest of their life.

The suit has been filed by the parents of Tyler Clementi who claim in the lawsuit that Rutgers University failed to implement or enforce school policies aimed at preventing cyber bullying on campus. After the video surfaced, Clementi jumped to his death off the George Washington Bridge in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The two students who hid the camera and circulated the video are facing criminal charges and have withdrawn from Rutgers University. The school says it should not be held responsible for the actions of the students and issued a statement saying that they sympathize with the victim’s family.

The death has brought a review of policies regarding internet security and privacy at Rutgers University and other schools across the country. The suicide prompted a new anti-bullying campaign by the group WiredSafety. The group is training people to work as Teenangels to stand up and fight on behalf of victims of cyber bullying at schools across the country. Not only are they trying to prevent future cases of bullying, they are also trying to show victims that suicide is no solution to the problem.

WiredSafety has also called for tougher criminal penalties for the bullies who are behind the offensive behavior. Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei are the two former Rutgers University students charged in connection with Clementi’s death. They are accused of invasion of privacy which carries a potential punishment of five years behind bars. Prosecutors chose not to charge the two with hate crimes saying it is tough to prove that the video was shot because Clementi was gay.

If your child has been a regular internet user or frequently communicates with friends by cell phone and stops suddenly, that could be a warning sign that there may be a problem. An abrupt change in their online behavior could be an indication that they are the target of a cyber bully. Ask your child if there is a problem because they may be too embarrassed to come to you to talk about it.

Changes in behavior are another indication that there might be something going on. Does the child seem withdrawn or preoccupied? Do they get nervous when their cell phone rings or an email comes in? This could be another sign that they are being bullied on the internet. A sudden drop in grades or a lack of interest in school activities may also be an indication that there is a problem.

In order to protect your child, it is important that you visit the sites that your son or daughter goes to. Do not be embarrassed to check out their postings on Facebook or other similiar sites to try and gain some insight into what might be going on. It is also justified to check their phone to see what type of text messages are being exchanged and if they have any inappropriate photos stored in the media gallery. Tell your child that you being able to monitor their phone and internet activity is one of the conditions of their having the privelege to use the devices.

Sexting is the sending of sexually explicit messages or photos over the phone and a new survey reveals that 20% of the teens asked have admitted to doing it. While the activity initially starts just between friends, there have been tragic results when the images end up in the wrong hands. There have been a number of cases of sexting where photographs that were just intended for one person ended up plastered all over the internet.

The message that parents must communicate to their children is that the images can cause great embarassment if they get out and get out they will. A boyfriend might forward the picture his girlfriend too his friends to show off. There have also been cases where the image is posted on the web after a bad break up between the former lovers. Your child may not think it could happen to them but as a parent you need to make them aware of other cases where teens felt the same way but ended up getting burned.

The story of a Cincinnati teen who committed suicide after a racy photo of her was circulated has been well documented in the media. The mother of the girl even went on the Today Show to warn other parents about how harmless fun can turn tragic. Jesse Logan was a student at Sycamore High School and was tormented over photos she sent to a boyfriend which were distributed to all of her classmates after they broke up.

One of the reasons that it is critical to confront your child over bullying is because research shows that kids who are bullies tend to get into serious trouble as adults. If you nip the behavior before it becomes too prevalent you can head off the criminal trouble that later in life follows some bullies. Experts say by asking yourself a few simple questions you can identify kids who may be at risk.

The first question you must ask and honestly answer is does the child frequently disobey you. This is a real warning sign that there could be bigger problems. Has the teacher or someone at school informed you that they have seen your child pick on someone else or exhibit antisocial behavior? These are important questions to consider in trying to evaluate if your child is acting out as a bully. The other obvious sign that your child may be a bully is if they have been involved in a fight at school.

If you have answered in the affirmative to any of these questions, you need to do some more investigating. If you suspect that your child is exhibiting some of the traits of a bully, make it clear to them that this type of behavior is not appropriate and will not be tolerated. It is important to try and figure out why the child may be acting out, it could be that they are being picked on by someone else. It also could be the result of the violent video games they are playing or the type of music that they are listening to.

One of the best programs to protect your kids as they go out onto the world wide web is Net Nanny. This internet filter software program will block access for your children to social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. It will monitor discussions in chat rooms and immediately cut off any inappropriate talk. It will provide parents with a complete report on which sites your child has visited and is an excellent tool to allow your child to go online safely. The software is not only available for PC use but also works with a wide variety of mobile devices.

Windows itself will allow you to set up internet protections so that your children do not have access to the same websites that you do. Each family member can be given their own log in name and password with profiles on what type of material they can access. By using the program, parents can limit the sites that their children can visit and the types of games that they can play.

Be advised that a computer program can not take the place of a parent however. It is absolutely essential that after you install the safeguards on the computer you continue to monitor how your child is using the internet. If they have an email account, check and see who they are corresponding with and what the subject matter is. If images have been exchanged, you need to make sure that any photos which have been downloaded are not pornographic.

The reason that a parent is struggling to control an unruly child is probably because of parenting mistakes that have been made in the past. Perhaps they were too permissive or inconsistent in how discipline was handled in the past. That is something that must change if the behavior of the child is going to change.

One mistake that many parents make is that they threaten discipline which they never carry out. A child becomes used to the threats and knows that you are not going to follow through on them or will later give in. It is imperative that if you say you are going to take the video game system away for a week that you really disconnect the machine if the child breaks your rules.

Experts will tell you that to control an unruly child you must set clear rules for what is acceptable and what is not. If the child does not conform then there will be clear consequences for their actions. For example, if you say they must turn in all homework to be eligible to play on a sports team, then you must block them from participating in the next game if an assignment is missed.

It is very difficult as a parent to do something to a child that is going to make them unhappy but it is the only way to teach them that they are responsible for their own actions. If sports are important to them, they will do their homework.

The “Stop Bullying Now” campaign has its own website where it lists the warning signs that your child may be being bullied. The government publication says to look for torn or ripped pieces of clothing and other signs that your child has been in a fight. If your child suddenly shows disinterest in school or has started a new route to school, these could be signs that he is being picked on.

If you notice any of these warning signs, parents are encouraged to confront their children about their suspicions. In addition to talking to the child, it is important to talk to teachers and administrators about your suspicions and inquire if they have noticed anything that could signal a problem.

Unfortunately, too many kids who are picked on by bullies are too embarrassed to say anything about it or tell anyone. For this reason, the government campaign encourages others to speak up on behalf of the kids who are being picked on. Research shows that the effects of being bullied can lead to anxiety issues, depression and even suicidal thoughts.

The wrong way to confront a bully is to tell your child to stand up to them and fight back. Most school districts have clear policies that deal with bullying and violence is not the answer. Instead, encourage your child to avoid the bully and work through the proper channels to confront the aggressor. If there is trouble involving a bully at school encourage your child to seek out an adult so that it can be reported to the proper authorities.

Internet bullying is tough to police because people can hide behind made up names or nicknames. Anyone can establish a MySpace account or get a Facebook Address and you do not have to use your own name. It is even hard to stop people who use their own names from spreading ugly rumors or disseminating incriminating photos that can be very embarrassing.

The most publicized cases of internet bullying have involved girls who sent a nude photo to a boyfriend only to later have that photo fall into the wrong hands. It may have been an angry boyfriend who sent the photo to his friends after a break up or a jealous girl who got her hands on the image and sent it out with the label slut.

There have even been cases where people used the social networking sites to play a cruel hoax on an unsuspecting person. One of these cases involved Megan Meier who killed herself after news of the prank pulled on her became public. A neighbor of the teen posed as a teenage boy who acted like he was attracted to Megan. Once the woman posing as the boy earned her confidence she began to attack her and make fun of her. The women pulling the cruel hoax was the mother of another girl Megan’s age and that girl and another person got involved in the smear campaign. While the case was investigated by police in Missouri, no criminal charges were ever filed against the people who made up the phony MySpace account.

The town where Megan lived was one of the first to address the need for a law to cover cyber bullying. It made harassing someone over the internet a crime punishable by up to 90 days in jail. It defines harassment as causing substantial emotional distress. It not only covers communications on social networking sites but also text messaging by phone and email.

The Missouri legislation has lead to similar laws being adopted in other states however a national cyber bullying bill has been stalled in Congress. Named for Megan Meier, the cyber bullying prevention act was introduced by a California lawmaker who wanted to make it illegal in engage in intimidating behavior over the internet but critics say it was too vague and potentially unconstitutional.

Even though the law failed though, the Meier case has increased awareness across the country of the problem of cyber bullying and has police and prosecutors using existing laws to try and curb the behavior. The woman who was responsible for bullying Meier was eventually brought up on federal criminal charges in California where MySpace is based under the computer fraud and abuse act. Initially, Lori Drew was convicted on three charges of unauthorized use of a web site but eventually the conviction was overturned on appeal. As other cases of cyber bullying go to court they are sure to face legal questions as well over whether the things posted online are covered by the Constitutional guarantee of Freedom of Speech.

There are three basic types of bullying behavior; physical intimidation, verbal harassment and exclusion. Each can be devastating to the person who is being targeted. The harm that is inflicted, whether it be physcially or emotionally can scar a person for life which is why it is so important to establish an environment at school that is free from all types of bullying behavior.

It is the responsibility of the school district to provide a safe and secure environment for all children and that means one where bullying of any type is never accepted. First, the children should be taught exactly what bullying is and told that it is never to be tolerated and should always be reported. Encourage students to stand up for each other when they see this type of behavior and inform someone in authority.

The children who are typically picked on by bullies may have some type of physical or mental disability which makes it even more important to protect them. At school, the behavior can start as early as kindergarten with some children purposely excluded from games on the playground. It also manifests itself in teasing with kids making fun of other children who are different. This is where teachers need to intervene to stop the behavior and encourage activities that are more inclusive of the entire class. It is the responsibility of the teacher to teach lessons of tolerance and acceptance as part of the regular classroom curriculum.

The state of Georgia has what is believed to be the toughest anti-bullying law in the country. The bill was prompted by the suicide of an 11 year old child who committed suicide after being teased at school for being gay. The Georgia law not only covers typical bullying behavior at school or on the playground but also covers instances of internet bullying which involves the use of email or text messages. This law requires any staff member in a school to immediately report any suspicion that someone is being bullied and hands down severe consequences to those who fail to report it. It also requires that parents be notified.

The Georgia law also requires a series of workshops in the schools across the state to train employees how to identify bullying. Once an instance of bullying is reported to the school principal, a thorough investigation must be launched. This requires interviews of the students involved and any adults who may have witnessed it. The law requires that teh investigation be completed within ten days so that swift justice can be handed down.

If there is evidence discovered to confirm that bullying has taken place, the principal has several options for punishing the people responsible. They can require counseling for behavior modification, a suspension from school and even an expulsion if the circumstances merit it. The same punishment can be handed down against anyone who purposely makes a false allegation of bullying against another student.

The practice of exchanging flirty messages electronically is known as sexting. It could be a sexually suggestive comment or a nude photo. If your teen is hiding his phone from you or shutting down the computer when you approach, he may be involved in something that is inappropriate. Even if you have installed internet filters on your computer a savy teen can find ways around it.

If you think your teen would not engage in sexting, think again. A recent national study reveals that 20% of the teens asked have sent electronically or posted online nude or semi-nude photos of themselves. The survey also revealed that one third of all teen boys who were asked say that they have received a nude image from someone else. Add in the fact that almost 80% of teens have cellphones with cameras and you can see that there could be a potential problem.

The best way to check up on your teen is to monitor their use of the computer and cell phone. Go back through old text messages or emails and find out if any images have been downloaded. Your teen may object to having his privacy invaded but as a parent you must make it clear that checking up on them is a condition of having a phone or access to the internet. They may end up being mad at your for awhile but at least you know that they are safe.

Most parents probably do not even know what sexting is. It has become very popular among teens with the prevalence of camera cell phones. Images are simple to take and send. 20% of the teens asked in a recent survey say they have sent a nude or semi nude photo of themself to someone and the number jumps to 60% when young adults are asked.

When you find inappropriate material on a teenagers phone it is important to confront them about it. If it is a nude image, explain to them the law and how people who send or receive nude images of anyone under 18 can be sent to prison for child pornography. There have been a number of cases where teens have been brought up on criminal charges.

You also need to explain to your teen that even though they meant for the photo to be private and only seen by a boyfriend or girlfriend, there is no guarantee that the image will remain private. There have been a number of cases where a teen has sent a boyfriend a picture and then after they break up he forwards it to their friends causing a great deal of embarassment. Other teenage boys have forwarded what was intended to be a private image to their friends as a way of showing off.

There are other consequences that the teen may not consider. What if the image surfaces later when they are applying for a job? Many companies routinely now run a Google search on prospective employees to make sure that there is nothing embarassing in their background.

Verbal harassment is a very common form of bullying and should be considered every bit as serious as physical bullying. Name calling and teasing can have serious long term side effects that can scar the victim for life. This type of bullying usually attacks some physical attribute that the victim has or their race or religion. In schools, it is very common for girls to be teased about their weight even by adults. Two thirds of all teens surveyed say they have been bullied verbally or know someone who has been picked on in this way.

There are other types of indirect bullying which also should not be tolerated. It could be through exclusion or by spreading rumors behind someones back. Not allowing someone to participate in a playground game or not letting someone sit at their lunch table is a form of indirect bullying. This is harder to spot but is just as harmful.

Cyber bullying is another type of this offensive behavior. It has become very easy through electronic communication to spread gossip and lies about other people. There have been a number of cases where teens have been driven to suicide because of text messages that were sent by cell phone or posts made on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. The anonymity of the web gives the offender a chance to hide their identity and make up whatever rumor they want. In some cases, they have used the internet to spread embarassing photos that were supposed to be private. This type of bullying is spreading the fastest.