Blog and Articles.

Can Empathy Reduce Cyberbullying Based on Race or Religion?

I have been increasing concerned about rising levels of hate speech, hate crimes, racist bullying, and xenophobia – especially when considering how these behaviors online are linked to violence offline against marginalized groups. It isn’t just alarming, it’s frightening – especially being a minority and considering what my children may have to deal with while…

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Child Grooming and the Metaverse – Issues and Solutions

Arguably one of the biggest concerns of the metaverse, especially to law enforcement, parents, guardians, and caregivers of children, is the potential for pedophilia, online grooming, and child sexual exploitation. To be sure, the media is quick to focus on this hazard with any new environment (offline or online) that allows for adults and youth […]

The post Child Grooming and the Metaverse – Issues and Solutions appeared first on Cyberbullying Research Center.

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Summary of Our Cyberbullying Research (2007-2021)

At the Cyberbullying Research Center we have been collecting data from middle and high school students since 2002. We have surveyed more than 30,000 students from middle and high schools from across the United States in fourteen unique projects. The following two charts show the percent of respondents who have experienced cyberbullying at some point […]

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ReThink the Internet: How to Make the Digital World a LOT LESS SUCKY

I recently visited with Trisha Prabhu, Internet Safety advocate and social entrepreneur, to discuss her new book intended to help youth stop hate, lead with kindness, be an upstander, and enjoy their online experiences. I also read an advance copy, and I highly recommend it. Let’s get to our conversation! Trisha, it is so good […]

The post ReThink the Internet: How to Make the Digital World a LOT LESS SUCKY appeared first on Cyberbullying Research Center.

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The Metaverse: Opportunities, Risks, and Harms

We have all been hearing about the metaverse much more frequently over the last few years, and consideration of its promises and perils has picked up tremendous pace in recent months. It is being designed by multiple companies to further connect us to each other and to the experiences we love. And it’s doing so […]

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Michigan Teen Latest Casualty of Sextortion

Seventeen-year-old Jordan DeMay seemed to have it all going for him: he was handsome, athletic, and was finishing his senior year at Marquette Senior High School in Marquette, Michigan. He was Homecoming King. When a pretty girl he didn’t know messaged him on Instagram and asked to exchange intimate images, he was skeptical. After a […]

The post Michigan Teen Latest Casualty of Sextortion appeared first on Cyberbullying Research Center.

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Vicarious Supervision: Preventing Problematic Behaviors Online through Positive Parent-Child Relationships

Lately we’ve been more directly exploring the role of parenting in preventing cyberbullying and other online problem behaviors. To be sure, parents* have a responsibility to be directly involved in monitoring and influencing the early online activities of their children. This could mean occasionally reviewing messages and regularly checking security settings, but should also include…

The post Vicarious Supervision: Preventing Problematic Behaviors Online through Positive Parent-Child Relationships appeared first on Cyberbullying Research Center.

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Forgot to Cancel? Pay Attention to Recent Auto-Renewal Law Changes

As subscription models have gained exponential traction, legislatures are clamoring to ensure that their auto-renewal laws keep up with novel consumer protection issues. Several states have introduced or revised their auto-renewal laws, and the Federal Trade Commission has affirmed its commitment to enforce against unlawful offers. Perhaps most notably, California—already a leader in state auto-renewal…

The post Forgot to Cancel? Pay Attention to Recent Auto-Renewal Law Changes appeared first on Socially Aware Blog.

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The Role of Parents in Preventing Bullying and Cyberbullying

Parents and guardians have always had a powerful influence on the behaviors of children, while research is clear that peers tend to have more sway during the teenage years. That said, our new research published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies identifies that certain positive parenting practices have a strong effect on both…

The post The Role of Parents in Preventing Bullying and Cyberbullying appeared first on Cyberbullying Research Center.

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Facebook rebrands as “Meta;” disables facial recognition capabilities

In late October, Facebook announced that it would change its name to Meta, signaling a shift of the social media giant’s focus toward the metaverse, a virtual space where social media, gaming, augmented reality, virtual reality, and cryptocurrencies converge and allow people to interact virtually with one another. It’s a relatively new concept in technology…

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District Court Enjoins Controversial Texas Social Media “Censorship” Law

Over the past several years, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the federal law that provides social media platforms with immunity from liability for user content and was once hailed as “the law that gave us the modern Internet,” has gone from relative obscurity (at least outside of tech circles) to being a household…

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Social Links: Embedding social media posts can be considered copyright infringement…but is it?

Social Links is our ongoing series here at Socially Aware that rounds up current developments at the intersection of social media, policy, research, and the law. Embedding social media posts can be considered copyright infringement…but is it? A Manhattan federal judge ruled in August 2021 that the practice of embedding social media posts on third-party…

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Cyberbullying in 2021 by Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Race

In May-June 2021, we collected new data from a nationally representative sample of 2,546 US youth between the ages of 13 and 17 to better understand their positive and negative experiences online. This is the type of research we do on a regular basis, and it helps us to keep our finger on the proverbial…

The post Cyberbullying in 2021 by Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Race appeared first on Cyberbullying Research Center.

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Preventing Cyberbullying: Top Ten Tips for Adults Who Are Being Harassed Online

(For a formatted .pdf version of this article for distribution, click on the image above [or click here]). Spanish Translation Available Here Here are a few ideas on how to prevent adult online harassment: 1. STAY UP TO DATE WITH PRIVACY SETTINGS, Social media sites and programs are modifying and updating their privacy settings frequently.…

The post Preventing Cyberbullying: Top Ten Tips for Adults Who Are Being Harassed Online appeared first on Cyberbullying Research Center.

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Responding to Cyberbullying: Top Ten Tips for Adults Who Are Being Harassed Online

(For a formatted .pdf version of this article for distribution, click on the image above [or click here]). Spanish Translation Available Here Here are a few ideas for what to do when adults are being cyberbullied: 1. DO NOT RETALIATE. Those who cyberbully want you to react. The problem is that if you respond angrily,…

The post Responding to Cyberbullying: Top Ten Tips for Adults Who Are Being Harassed Online appeared first on Cyberbullying Research Center.

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