On June 29, the Town of Yorktown and the Alliance for Safe Kids released a cyberbullying video to help parents identify the signs of online harassment. Cyberbullying is defined as bullying or harassment that occurs through digital devices like cell phones, computers or tablets. The bullying can be delivered through text messages, phone apps, social media and gaming platforms where people can view or share content.
“It includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false or mean content about someone else,” said Liz Talbert, the executive director of the Yorktown Alliance for Safe Kids.
Many parents may not recognize the signs of cyberbullying because they were not teenagers during a time when cell phones and social media were a daily part of life.
“When I was growing up in Yorktown, we didn’t have cell phones and we didn’t have social media,” said Supervisor Matt Slater. “So, when you left school during the day and you returned home, you returned to your safe haven.”
Social media has shattered the sense of home as a safe haven, said Marie Considine, executive director of Nami Westchester, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“These days, it’s where a lot of social anxiety is happening, right in their own bedrooms,” said Considine.
Signs that a child is being bullied include:
- Not performing well in school
- Prolonged feelings of sadness
- Decreased self-esteem
- Changes in appetite
- Avoiding school
Yorktown Police Chief Robert Noble said parents who suspect that their child is being bullied should contact school officials because school codes of conduct apply to students even when they are off campus.
“You should work with the school leadership to have them assist you. It is legally mandated in New York state for all school districts to have an anti-bullying policy, so that is where I begin. I would avoid contact the parents of the bully,” said Chief Noble.
A copy of the video is posted on Yorktown’s YouTube channel.
Photo caption: Left to right—Marie Considine, Supervisor Matt Slater, Chief Robert Noble and Liz Talbert. Photo courtesy of Yorktown.
