Protecting Our Kids from Bullying and the Escalation of Negative Social Media

Now more than ever, parents need to have a conversation about bullying. Every 7 minutes a child is bullied. 1 million children were harassed, threatened, or subjected to other forms of cyberbullying on Facebook during the past year. It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students.

"By the time a child reaches out to an adult, the vast majority of kids have been dealing with the bullying and trying to ignore it for a long time," says Rosalind Wiseman,  author of Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl World, the bestselling book that was the basis for the movie 'Mean Girls'.  

After their 11-year-old son, Ty, committed suicide, Kirk and Laura Smalley knew the suicide stemmed from bullying. In 2010, a group of students from Oklahoma State University launched Stand for Silent, inspired by Ty's story. Stand for the Silent enables Kirk and Laura to share their story and offer education and tools to prevent their tragedy from happening to another child.

In 2006, Tina Meier's life took a devastating turn when her 13-year-old daughter, Megan Taylor Meier, took her own life after experiencing cyberbullying. Afterwards, Tina founded the Megan Meier Foundation  to create awareness regarding internet safety, and educate others on the consequences of bullying and cyberbullying.

Tune in to Kids in the House's live TV episode, '#EndBullying' on Friday, February 17^th at 11 a.m. PST at http://www.kidsinthehouse.com/livetv/endbullying

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SOURCE Kids in the House

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