Cyberbullying- A Growing Problem in Modern Society

For the last few months, I seem to be providing workshops at least once, twice even three times a week to parents and teachers of Galway schools on the growing problem of Cyberbullying.
No longer is intimidation of children by their peers and others confined to the school playground or the street. The mobile phone & the Internet has brought this danger into the home and into the bedroom, areas once regarded as places of sanctuary. 
Online Social Networks such as Facebook have been highly beneficial technologies to humankind. But their use particularly by children has oftentimes degenerated into these sites becoming sources of fear and harassment.
This phenomena began in the 1990s with mobile phone texting. 

As Outreach Officer at DERI, I provide parents with guidelines on how to identify and to tackle cyberbullying. I actually recommend them to join Facebook and similar OSN's which in a small way acts as a positive deterrent to their own sons and daughters abusing these facilities. I also educate adults on protecting their children from Internet porn. But at the end of the day, I tell them what is needed first and foremost is good old-fashioned active parenting. There is no substitute for the latter.