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With classes, sports,
homework and other activities, weekdays are action packed
for kids. Unfortunately, some students deal with an
unwelcome addition to their daily routine -- bullying. An
estimated 13 million students are bullied annually,
according to government statistics.
With online social media
so widely available to kids today, bullying doesn’t
necessarily stop after school, and often takes place
round-the-clock. The repercussions can be missed days of
school, depression and even suicide.
Fortunately, kids are
getting more help these days as bullying prevention efforts
are growing nationwide.
Cartoon Network has been a
pioneer in this space and its “Stop Bullying: Speak Up”
campaign has been empowering bystanders to put a stop to
bullying since it launched in 2010. On average, more than
100,000 people visit the initiative’s website monthly to
learn prevention strategies.
“Speaking up to a trusted
adult is the safest, most effective way for victims and
bystanders to bring an end to a bullying situation,” says
Alice Cahn, Cartoon Network vice president of social
responsibility. “Bystanders in particular can be powerful
agents for change when they report incidents.”
Support for Cartoon
Network’s award-winning pro-social effort has come from such
diverse organizations as Facebook, Boys & Girls Clubs of
America, LG Mobile, and CNN. President Obama even invited
Cartoon Network to the first Bullying Prevention Summit at
the White House, and later introduced the initiative’s first
documentary, "Speak Up."
This year, Cartoon
Network’s Speak Up Week (Sept. 29 - Oct. 3) kicks off
National Bullying Prevention Month in October and is a great
time to review ways that adults and kids can stand up to
bullying:
• Cyberbullying: Don’t
contribute to the problem by sharing, saving, forwarding or
reposting information. If you’re on the receiving end,
resist the urge to get back at the person or fix the issue
online -- both can make the problem worse. Get offline and
deal with it in real life. Parents can help prevent
cyberbullying by monitoring kids’ use of computers, mobile
phones and tablets.
• Don’t stand by: Research
has found that when bullying occurs and a bystander
intervenes by speaking up, more than half of bullying
situations stop within just 10 seconds.
• Share your voice:
Cartoon Network is recruiting 1MM students, parents,
teachers, legislators and anyone concerned about bullying
prevention to submit user-generated videos that feature
individuals declaring the phrase, “I Speak Up!” You can use
a smartphone or go online to upload your own video to the
www.StopBullyingSpeakUp.com website.
Participants are also
encouraged to use the hashtag, #ISpeakUp to share videos via
their own social media platforms to help spread the word and
enlist friends to take part in the 1MM challenge. Select
videos will appear on-air as part of new campaign spots for
Cartoon Network, its digital platforms and Boomerang.
• Listen: Parents should
check in with kids periodically to make sure they’re safe
and happy at school, on the playground and online. If you’re
an adult and a child tells you about a bullying situation,
listen. Either let the school know about the issue or talk
to the other children’s parents about putting a stop to the
behavior.
Whether you’re a victim, a
bystander or a concerned adult, don’t sweep bullying under
the rug. By speaking out against cruelty, you can help end
bullying.
Courtesy StatePoint
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