ASTON — Local experts and law enforcement officials discussed the dangers of cyber problems, including inappropriate messages on social networking websites and sexual text messages, during a cyberbullying summit at Neumann University on Tuesday.
“You cannot erase something that goes into cyberspace,” said Dr. Kathleen Conn, a nationally recognized expert on cyberbullying and assistant professor for Neumann University’s Division of Education and Human Services. “You don’t know where it will go.”
Cyberbullying includes insulting and threatening messages on social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. “Sexting” includes text messages with sexual language and nude pictures.
Conn said victims of cyberbullying may act angry or depressed and usually avoid talking about these incidents with other people.
She added that the students might stop using technology or get jumpy when they receive a text message, email or message on social networking sites.
Conn stressed the need for parents to be involved in their children’s online activity. She also noted that computers should be left in common areas of the house and children should not be allowed to bring computers into their bedrooms where their online activity could go unmonitored.
Neumann University teamed up with the Delaware County District Attorney’s office for the summit.
“When you take a picture and put it on the Internet, you can’t take it back,” said Assistant District Attorney Joseph Lesniak, a member of the Special Victims Unit. “When it’s out there, it’s out there. You can’t take it back.”
Lesniak recommended that parents become “friends” with their children on Facebook. He said this will allow parents to monitor their children’s behavior and may deter their children from participating in inappropriate activity. Continued...
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