Bernie Goldbach in Cashel | Headline in Irish Independent.
OPEN COMMUNICATION CHANNELS between parents and children start early but need nurturing. Effective channels can offset cyberbullying.
When young school students can tell trusted adults that someone was mean to them, the effects of cyberbullying are minimized. Several front page stories in Ireland reveal the pressures young girls felt online before they took their lives. As investigators combed through postings on Facebook and Ask.fm, a pattern emerges of young people facing an onslaught of hurtful comments without the comfort or support of family or friends. I hope our kids never feel they have to absorb body blows in the form of vitriol, derogatory remarks, photoshopped caricatures or snide comments from people they will never meet.
I want to hear about the mean girls before they get elevated powers as cyberbullies.
This is an essential topic in social media, particularly in Ireland where snarky attitudes are often the default mode of communications.
