The use of kindness as a conscious, very effective grassroots solution to bullying is picking up steam. Where youth are concerned, sometimes the kindness is purely their idea, such as the kind intervention of two high school upperclassmen that sparked Canada's Pink Shirt Day and students' anti-bullying countermeasures in Iowa in 2012. Other times the impetus comes from teachers and school … [Read more...] about Kindness really could be going viral! Just look…
Sameer Hinduja
Beginning of the end of #purge, revenge porn or social cruelty?
We so want to believe it: that the fact that Twitter and Instagram are actively taking down #purge-related accounts signals "the tipping point of this particular phenomenon – and its end has begun," as professor, author and cyberbullying expert Sameer Hinduja writes in an informative blog post. It's very possible we're seeing the tipping point of this week's hot Hollywood premiere-inspired … [Read more...] about Beginning of the end of #purge, revenge porn or social cruelty?
The anonymity trend & self-presentation fatigue
If you follow either tech news or kids' digital media preferences, you've probably noticed the anonymity trend – including Whisper, Secret, Yik Yak and many others. Anonymity has raised plenty of concerns but it's likely not going away. It's part of the connectivity landscape now. Why do I say that? Because it seems to be a solution to and welcome relief from the last source of major … [Read more...] about The anonymity trend & self-presentation fatigue
Safer Internet Day 2014: The global safety collaborative
What do a high school student who's a bullying prevention activist, two criminology professors and Safer Internet Day (February 11) have in common? They're all sending the same message that safety and wellbeing online takes all of us. The student Aidan McDaniel the student activist says school safety happens from the ground (the students) up. Social cruelty both online and offline isn't a … [Read more...] about Safer Internet Day 2014: The global safety collaborative
‘Bullying Experiment’ video: What’s wrong with this picture?
You may have seen "The Bullying Experiment" video that has gone viral (as of this writing, 3.1 million views on YouTube). Two actors stage a bullying incident (the bigger one threatening and pushing around the other) a bunch of times in various locations on a university campus. The "experiment" is apparently about seeing whether unsuspecting observers step in and try to stop the "bullying," and to … [Read more...] about ‘Bullying Experiment’ video: What’s wrong with this picture?