Resources available to reduce cyberbullying Published Sept. 30, 2015 By Senior Airman Sarah Hall-Kirchner 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Illinois -- Editor's note: This is the second article in a three-part series examining cyberbullying. For more information on cyberbullying, or other family related issues, contact the Family Advocacy Program at 618-256-7203 or the Airman and Family Readiness Center at 618-256-8668. More than one in three military kids has experienced cyberbullying. The statistics regarding cyberbullying show that it's a growing problem. According to Stomp Out Bullying, 43 percent of students have been bullied online. One in four has been bullied more than once. On top of that, 35 percent of kids have been threatened online and nearly one in five has been threatened more than once. More than half of students surveyed admitted they have said something mean or hurtful to another person online. One in three has done it more than once. Fifty-eight percent said they would not tell their parents or another adult if they were targeted by cyberbullying. Because many children would not feel comfortable telling their parents if they were cyberbullied, the Family Advocacy Program, the Youth Center, and the Healthy Military Children initiative teamed-up to host a cyberbullying discussion for teens, parents, and caregivers Sept. 30 at the Youth Center. "It is essential that parents educate their children about appropriate online behaviors, and monitor their online behavior," said William White, 375th Medical Group Family Advocacy Program outreach manager. "This can be done formally or informally by cultivating and maintaining an open communication with your children, so that they are ready and willing to come to you whenever they experience something unpleasant or distressing online. Parents should reinforce positive morals and values that are taught in the home about how others should be treated with respect and dignity." According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, parents should be aware of what their kids are doing online, establish rules about technology use, and understand the rules of their school for uses of technology. They suggest parents familiarize themselves with the sites their children use and what they are doing online. To build trust, parents should discuss with their children that, as a responsible parent, they need to review children's online communications, especially if there is a reason for concerns. There are monitoring programs to assist parents in monitoring their children online, but the department advises parents do not rely solely on those tools. Ask for children's passwords, according to www.stopbullying.gov, DHHS's website. In Illinois there are now laws that protect students who are being cyberbullied. Illinois House bill 4207, passed in August 2014, aims to protect students from bullying when it occurs online at school or away from school, according to the Illinois General Assembly's website (www.ilga.gov). It also provides guidelines for how schools should write policies that prevent cyberbullying and help students who have been or are being cyberbullied. **Part one of this series can be found at: www.scott.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123459133** **Part three of this series can be found at: www.scott.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123460482**