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TO BUSINESS, FEATURES, AND LIFESTYLES EDITORS:
Nearly 1 in 12 Parents Say Their Child Has Experienced Cyberbullying,
Says New FindLaw.com Survey
EAGAN, Minn., Feb. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In an era when reports of
cyberbullying among children are prevalent, a new survey from
FindLaw.com, the most popular legal information website, says nearly
one out of twelve parents report their child has been a victim of
cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying involves threatening, harassing, hateful, hostile or
reputation-damaging messages or photos that are sent though text
messages, social networks and emails. According to FindLaw.com, seven
percent of parents surveyed say that their child has experienced such
cyberbullying.
Three-quarters of those parents say they reported the cyberbullying to
others, usually friends, school, relatives, law enforcement, and
church or clergy.
Many states have enacted cyberbullying laws that specifically protect
minors from online bullying or harassment. In addition, other state
laws involving "cyberharassment" and bullying may come into play.
There is currently no federal law specifically addressing bullying in
any form, but other federal laws, such as civil rights and
nondiscrimination laws, may require schools to intervene with certain
types of bullying.
"By some reports, bullying - and especially cyberbullying - has
reached epidemic proportions among schoolchildren," said Stephanie
Rahlfs, an attorney-editor at FindLaw.com. "While our survey indicates
that about one in twelve parents report their child being victimized
by cyberbullying, the survey likely understates the true incidence of
cyberbullying. Many parents may not be aware that their children are
receiving threatening or harassing messages, or that
reputation-damaging posts about their children are being made on
social media sites. Many children may be unwilling or reluctant to
share that information with their parents. However, laws on bullying
and cyberbullying may offer protections that authorize schools and
other authorities, including law enforcement, to take appropriate
action to stop the cyberbullying when it occurs."
Free information on "What To Do If Your Child is Bullied" and "Is Your
Child a Bully?" can be found at the FindLaw section on Bullying & The
Law at
http://education.findlaw.com/student-conduct-and-discipline/bullying-and-the-law.html.
The FindLaw survey was conducted using a demographically balanced
survey of 580 American adults with children has a margin of error of
plus-or-minus 4 percent.
Note to editors : Full survey results and analysis are available upon
request.
CONTACT
Michelle Croteau FindLaw 651-687-5330 michelle.croteau@thomsonreuters.com
SOURCE FindLaw.com
-0- 02/27/2014
/Web Site: http://www.findlaw.com
CO: FindLaw.com
ST: Minnesota
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0000 02/27/2014 10:20:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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