United Way of Morris County Events
Recent Events

Children & Cyber Bullying: Prevention of Cyber Bullying Violence
Friday, September 26, 2008

Over 150 educators, human service professionals, and police officers met at the College of Saint Elizabeth’s Mahoney Library on Friday, September 26, 2008 for a training session on how to prevent cyber bullying violence among children. 

Co-sponsored by United Way of Morris County and Deirdre’s House, and in partnership with the Morris County Child Abuse Prevention Collaboration, the training session brought this emerging issue to the forefront. 

Agent Bill Tsigaras, Internet Safety and Computer Crime Specialist for the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, combined straight talk and humor to shed light on this very sensitive topic.  “While bullying has been around for decades, cyber bullying is a new twist on an old thing.  The anonymity of the computer now means anyone can do this at anytime,” he said.

Attendees also saw several video clips of parents whose children committed suicide as a result of cyber bullying, proving the need for an increase in bullying education in schools and communities in order to prevent these types of tragedies in the future. 

Cyber bullying can take many forms, including harassment through text messages, cell phones, instant messaging, and social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook.  Agent Tsigaras emphasized that parents need to be aware of their tween’s and teen’s online habits; they should provide oversight and encourage open communication. 

“It is critical for police and schools to share policies and procedures around cyber bullying so that when an incident takes place, all parties know what to do to help the victim,” Agent Tsigaras said.

Agent Tsigaras wrapped up the training session by encouraging parents, schools, police officers, and anyone in contact with children to start educating them early about anti-bullying prevention strategies so that all forms of bullying – including cyber bullying – will be stopped before it becomes a problem.

Find out how you can help Morris County’s children navigate this increasingly complex world!
Contact Liz Warner at 973.993.1160, x107 or liz.warner@uwmorris.org to learn more about United Way’s Youth Empowerment Alliance.