More and more, kids and teens are active participators in social media and online networking. But the more we are connected online, the issue of cyberbullying becomes more of a major concern.
Bullying has always been a problem for kids and teens. As many as one in four teens has experienced bullying within the last year.[1] To make matters worse, 90 percent of teens who have seen cyberbullying say they have ignored it.[2] While most bystanders don’t stand up against bullying, research has shown that bystanders can have a significant impact to stop cyberbullying.
Many teens want to stand up against bullying, but they may not know how or they may fear becoming a target themselves. No one wants to experience the shame, ridicule, or humiliation of a bully. The problem is that just being a bystander can make a big difference. In effect, a bystander acts as an “audience” member which may give a bully the incentive to continue hurting others.
In an effort to empower teens to speak up, the Ad Council on behalf of federal government, non-profit, media and corporate communities have launched the I Am A Witness campaign. “I Am A Witness aims to stop bullying by activating the ‘silent majority’ of kids who witness it each day, transforming them from passive bystanders into an active collective that speak up against bullying.”[3]
The strength of the I Am A Witness resource is that individuals don’t have to face bullies alone. It’s easier to stop bullies when you have a team. The emoji does several things: it empowers teens to take action, it may be used to show support for a victim, and it can be used to spread the word. The emoji can be downloaded from their website to any device for free.
The I Am A Witness campaign brings attention to the severity of cyberbullying. Through the simple and powerful use of the emoji, communities are formed and bullying prevented. Make sure to tell a friend, a teacher, a student to download the emoji.
To learn more on how to be more than a just bystander and help stop bullying check out these resources:
Sources
[1] “Bullying Prevention.” AdCouncil. Accessed September 30, 2016. http://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Campaigns/Safety/Bullying-Prevention.
[2] “11 Facts About Cyber Bullying | DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change.” Accessed September 30, 2016. https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying.
[3] “I Am A Witness.” I Am A Witness. Accessed September 30, 2016. http://www.iwitnessbullying.org/.
Stop Bullies 