New Facebook Changes Present Opportunities to Cyberbullies, Parents and Teachers

As this month is bully awareness month (if you haven’t yet heard), I’ve dedicated one blog post a week (or at least I’ve tried to) to discussing this very severe, very important subject.

Today, I’d like to bring your attention (if it hasn’t already been brought) to a new change within Facebook’s privacy settings that now allow children under the age of 18 years old to post publicly. Before this change, children from 13-17 were not able to choose to share their posts with a wider audience than friends of friends.

What additional risks does this change present to victims of cyberbullying?

Although there are more risks than what I share below, the two following are the ones that may stir up the most unwanted attention:

• Bullies can now make their abuse public, for the world to see.
• Since hashtags, published in public posts, are searchable across the Facebook platform (and quite possibly beyond) this can amplify the reach of some really nasty, hateful hashtags.

Basically, the risk that immediately makes me tense is the fact that hateful bullying by minors can now be published to a much wider audience – like a billion people wider. This is a BIG DEAL to the innocent child being taunted and victimized; not to mention the risk of the lasting impact of this abuse-made-public. This type of cruelty is not something we want following a child, to be found years later by a Googling academic institution, colleague or employer. However, what happens on the Internet, stays on the Internet and public posts have a heightened chance of being shared and ever-lasting.

Advantages for schools and parents who monitor their teens

Although Facebook was not necessarily thinking of the impact this newly available feature could have on the young victims of cyberbullying, we, as parents, teachers and adults who are aware of the severity of this issue, need to understand and be aware of this new feature and its potentially damaging risks. We also need to be actively aware and do what we can to protect and educate the young people in our lives.

The good news is, for the school boards, school districts and parents who are paying attention, these public posts may make your lives easier when it comes to monitoring and preventing this type of activity.

Social media feature changes are something that we need to keep up on, as it pertains to any type of crisis that we, our organizations, our stakeholders and our loved ones may be affected and/or impacted by. This new Facebook change is something that any adult with young people in their life should be aware of and understand the risky implications of. That said, please feel free to share this post and spread the word. Thanks!