Facebook creates "culture of respect" with new anti-bullying tools

Last week, the White House took a new stand on cyberbullying by releasing a video by the President and the First Lady (parents of tween daughters) as a kick off to the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention. Did you know out of 15 million children's IM accounts, 5.6 million kids received cyberbullying messages according to Crisp Thinking, a digital watchdog agency?  Did you know 19,000 attempted suicides occur each year in the US because of cyberbullying?

No longer an unavoidable part of growing up, YOU can join the movement and help technology allow us to connect - with respect.  Student, teachers, coaches and parents can share these resources below, and visit StopBullying.gov.  Our president says "because stop bullying is a responsibility we all share."  


Other partners in the conversation at the White House included Facebook Security and its "Find Help" app to report cyberbullying; MTV and its "Thin Line" series, and many more - all people who care about putting an end to bullying, and cyberbullying, which can span a tween's school, phone and personal life. 


Finding the tools is the first step.  Saying something if you see someone being bullied (or yourself) is critical.  As parents and tweens working together with these larger partners, let's make bullying no longer a "normal part of growing up" but something this generation will look back on as we do with slavery, racism and other forms of discrimination that are no longer acceptable in our culture. 


What say you? Post a comment below and tell us if you've ever been cyber-bullied, or know someone who has, and share with us your experience, good or bad.  And visit Dan Savage's YouTube Channel, "It Gets Better," all addressing bullying directed at GLBT youth.