Demi Lovato, PACER and Facebook® Team Up to Stop Cyberbullying During National Bullying Prevention Month

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teen star Demi Lovato, PACER's National Center for Bullying Prevention and Facebook want cyberbullying to end. That's why they're teaming up during National Bullying Prevention Month in October to spread the word on how everyone—including teens—can play a part in making cyberspace a safer place.

Sponsored by PACER Center, National Bullying Prevention Month encourages communities, families, schools and students to get involved in bullying prevention by using resources at PACER.org. Lovato, Facebook and PACER especially encourage teens to join the cause and show that they care—because no one deserves to be bullied on or offline.

Teens can watch Lovato's video message about the month on her Facebook Page (facebook.com/demilovato), "Like" Facebook's Safety Page (facebook.com/safety) to find dynamic information about being responsible and keeping safe on the web, and sign the "End of Bullying Begins with Me" petition on PACER's Facebook Page (facebook.com/PACERCenter).

"Educating people about the lasting impacts of bullying is a responsibility shared by parents, teachers, organizations like PACER, and services like Facebook," said Joe Sullivan, Facebook's Chief Security Officer. "We're proud to be collaborating with PACER and Demi Lovato on this important initiative, and look forward to working together in the future."

In addition to using Facebook's many resources on preventing cyberbullying, teens can also take action. They can tell their story at [email protected], start a bullying prevention committee at their school, and find videos, blogs, and a toolkit of ways to address bullying at PACERTeensAgainstBullying.org.

"The National Center for Bullying Prevention and TeensAgainstBullying.org is about teens making a difference, supporting each other, and no longer accepting bullying," said Lovato. "Let's all join this cause and show teens that we care and that they are not alone."

Educators, families, and organizations can join the cause and help prevent bullying by using the free, creative resources at PACER.org/bullying.

"When nearly one in three students is involved in bullying, it's time for all of us to work together and change the culture," said Julie Hertzog, director of PACER's National Center for Bullying Prevention.

"We're so glad that Facebook and Demi care about this issue and are doing what they can to prevent bullying," said Paula Goldberg, PACER's executive director. "Facebook's Safety Page is a great educational tool, and the messages and consequences Facebook uses to discourage online bullying make a real difference. We can all join Facebook and Demi and work together to end bullying."

PACER's National Center for Bullying Prevention educates communities nationwide to prevent bullying through creative and interactive resources.

Based in Minnesota, PACER Center is a national parent center serving all youth, with a special emphasis on children with disabilities. Learn more at PACER.org or call 952-838-9000; 888-248-0822 (national toll free).

Editor: Julie Hertzog, director of PACER's National Center for Bullying Prevention, is available for media interviews on bullying prevention topics.

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

SOURCE PACER Center