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Reports and stories in the media tend to focus on Internet predators when it comes to Internet safety. However, the reality is that the biggest threat our children face is cyberbullying, also known as electronic or online bullying. A recent survey of 395 students (11 to 19 years old) found that 28 from 2000 to 2005 - imagine how much more it's grown since then. And another poll puts bullying at #4 on the list of child health issues parents are most concerned about. Don't get me wrong, Internet predators do still exist, and yes, we still need to be wary of who our kids talk to online… but statistically, kids have a much greater chance of being involved in some way with cyberbullying. It is worth noting that most cases of cyberbullying go undocumented because, fortunately, many kids are able to shrug off the harsh words and look the other way/ turn the other cheek. Good! But, of course, there are some cases that make national headlines when they turn into tragedies. The most recent and well-known example is that of young Megan Meier from Missouri, who in 2006 ended her own life after being bullied online ("allegedly") by the parent of a childhood friend. Larger cases like this have prompted several states to adopt legislation that makes online bullying illegal. You have to remember that cyberbullying is an on-going thing. It often continues after school and during the summer months, so it's not something that schools can easily govern. This is not your 20th century schoolyard bully. That's why states are now getting involved and are trying to give more power to local law enforcement to deal with the problem. However, the anonymity offered by the Internet makes it hard to track down the bullies. What parents may not realize is that cyberbullying comes in many forms. It can be as simple as unkind words via instant messenger or through a social networking page, and as serious as vicious life threats. Some bullies may even create a webpage or social network page, pretending to be the victim, and construct a false profile that depicts the victim in an unfavorable way. False profiles and webpages can also be used to carryout Internet smear campaigns against victims. But the sad truth is that kids don't realize the damage cyberbullying causes - not only for victims and their families, but for the bullies too. Once you put something on the Internet, it's there for good. If you are involved in or associated with something that many would look unfavorably upon, you can face consequences for it later in life - for example, being rejected from college or turned down for a job. So what can parents do to help curb this social malady affecting our society's youth? Is there really a solution? YES! You see, us parents are the key to this whole issue. We need to be involved and we (you, because I already do) need to be monitoring the computer and Internet activity of our kids. If you see something that isn't right, you need to act as parents and correct the issue! All parents should be using computer monitoring software. The one that I found, use and trust is http://www.pcpandora.com PC Pandora 5.0. It works like a DVR for the PC, taking sequential snapshots of everything that happens on the computer, so parents can play back and watch all activity. Monitoring computer activity is made pretty easy when you have a detailed visual record of everything your child did on the computer - that is for dang sure! There's no way a parent can play the 'I didn't know' card when powerful tools like monitoring software are available. This basically eliminates every excuse for parents not knowing what their child is doing online, except for pure laziness. A little bit more about this particular monitoring software: it captures further details of user activity in text-based files. All instant messenger chats, emails, websites, keystrokes, peer-2-peer files traded, and programs accessed are recorded and documented for parental review. PC Pandora also lets parents set up Internet filters and program blocks to make sure their kids aren't accessing programs or content that parents find objectionable. There is also the invaluable IRIS feature that will email a busy parent at work with updates on child activity. Here's the bottom line: parental awareness is truly the key to fixing this problem. If your child is the victim - or worse, the bully - it's time to step in. It's not being over-protective; it's trying to stop the current generation from 'virtually' destroying themselves emotionally - and sometimes physically. Monitoring software like PC Pandora plays a vital role in 21st century parenting by providing information needed to be an effective Net-generation parent. With the insight this program provides into a child's daily struggles, parents can begin to put a stop to Internet threats like cyberbullying. I seriously don't know how any parent can survive raising an Internet-active teenager without the aid of monitoring software. A 2-hour trial of the PC Pandora is available at: http://www.pcpandora.com
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