We’ve been educating children about online predators for years, but it turns out our kids are more endangered by classmates than by strangers these days.

Social networking, mobile phones and new communications tools are taking old-fashioned bullying to a new level. Gossip, embarrassing stories and photos spread quickly on the Internet and follow children at school and at home.

That’s why we hosted over 200 teachers, principals and administrators from across California on campus last Friday — to talk about the complex challenges for kids, parents and school leaders around cyber-citizenship. Co-hosted by the California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) Region V, the CyberCitizenship Summit connected educators and national child safety advocates around how to implement policies to prevent cyberbullying.

These educators arrived bright and early to hear from Chris Lehmann, an innovative principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. The high school encourages use of Web 2.0 tools and actually brings the mores of social networking into the curriculum. He cited how the students discussed caustic comment threads generated by adults and what they learned from them. Seems more productive than sweeping social networks under the rug.

School leaders also asked questions about the rights and responsibilities of the schools –- and what district policies can be put in place to help empower students to create a positive online community. And law enforcement representatives shared examples of model community partnerships in the schools.

Hosting this summit is just one of the ways we work to help foster a safer experience for children. To learn more about cyberbulling and tips for prevention, visit safely.yahoo.com.

Catherine Davis Teitelbaum
Director of Policy for Child Safety