Why aren’t kids telling their parents if they’re being bullied online?
A lot of kids feel threatened discussing cyberbullying with their parents and are afraid that if adults understand the full scope of the threat, they’re going to turn off the technology. [In the Meiers case] kids were very angry about an adult being involved. By putting the adult face of harassment on cyberbullying, [the Pledge organizers] were able to get so many people involved. They want a million people to take the Megan Pledge before the end of 2008. Facebook is on board with the program. So are Xanga, Bebo, AOL, Yahoo. What does the pledge consist of? “I promise to ‘take five’ and not react badly online if something upsets me, and hurt other people. I promise to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. I promise to recognize that suicide is never an option to anything. I promise to help other people being tormented online. I promise to report things when they’re serious to an adult who can help.” I read that Virginia had become the first state to mandate Internet safety
