ABC Family's "Cyberbully" clicks with kids

The Twittersphere is lighting up today with chat about Selena Gomez's shout out to fellow shiny pop star Emily Osment's original movie "Cyberbully" (ABC Family), which aired Sunday July 17th. And a well-deserved shout out... I heard that the movie was terrific (watching ABC's channel on Hulu for a posting of the episode).  Seems like Emily, 19, has come a long way since her tween days as goofy sidekick to Hannah Montana!



The original movie is a great way to highlight a public service campaign kicking off to shine a spotlight on a hidden form of bullying: cyberbulling (online, texting, chat rooms, etc.) The "Delete Digital Drama" campaign is a joint effort by ABC Family and Seventeen Magazine to help rally teens to "delete" secretive cyberbullying - which happens everywhere, not just in school. ABC stars have filmed videos and Emily Osment's song "Drift" encourages kids to think, talk, report, support each other, and most importantly, find themselves, and to know help is out there. Various stars report, "The only person who can define you is yourself... if you see negative words, don't spread it, just delete it because it hurts."

Here's a downloadable guide for parents on cyberbullying, created just for the show.  The guide includes conversation starters with your child and is written in a very friendly, non-academic tone. Check it out and let us know what you think!