Cyberbullying

According to the US-Cert, cyberbullying refers to the new, and growing, practice of using technology to harass, or bully, someone else. Bullies used to be restricted to methods such as physical intimidation, postal mail, or the telephone. Now, developments in electronic media offer forums such as email, instant messaging, web pages, and digital photos to add to the arsenal. Computers, cell phones, and PDAs are new tools that can be applied to an old practice.

Help avoid cyberbullying with parental controls found in our all-new McAfee Security Suite!

Cyberbullying can take on many forms. Often, cyberbullies will adopt more than one tactic to harass a child. Some real life examples include:

• A website which places votes for the ugliest, fattest, or most popular child.
• Hacking into a child’s account or computer, stealing personal information, and posting it online.
• A hateful message or death threat sent over email or on a social engineering site.
• The unsolicited distribution of thousands of text messages to a child’s cell phone to run up the monthly wireless bill.

Cyberbullying may initially seem humorous, but it can have serious long-term effects. It is important that children understand that the Internet is not anonymous and everything posted online leaves a digital footprint that can be tracked and viewed by others including law enforcement, educational institutions or future employers.

According to the National Crime Prevention Council, 43% of teens have been victims of cyberbullying in the last year. Only 11% of teens reported the incidents of cyberbullying to their parents, which is why Comcast wants to enable parents to recognize and respond to this growing threat.

Comcast offers the latest technology and education at no additional cost to help parents prevent and respond to cyberbullying:

• Keep the computer in a public place and supervise your child's activity. Comcast offers the highly-acclaimed McAfee Security Suite ($120 value), which includes comprehensive McAfee® Parental Controls , at no additional cost, to help manage control your child's online access.
• Instruct your child to avoid posting personal information online. Print out Comcast's top 10 online safety checklist and keep it handy for quick reference.
• Inquire about and try to visit your child's online communities and discuss the values demonstrated by those who participate.
• Educate your child on cyberbullying and instruct them not to retaliate if they are targeted and to save the evidence (e.g., emails, web logs, etc). This may help local law enforcement or Comcast with investigating the matter.
• If your child is in immediate danger, contact law enforcement immediately and report the issue to ensure physical safety. Learn more about how to report online safety issues by clicking here.