Combating cyberbullying: 'We want kids to know they can get help'

SEATTLE -- Cyberbullying is a growing problem for children as they prepare to go back to school, but there are resources available to help families.

Washington state recently received an "A--" because of some of the laws and requirements regarding cyberbullying. A huge responsibility is placed on schools to educate and to investigate -- and determine if law enforcement needs to get involved.

“It is a problem, and it’s certainly, with the advent of computers and the expansion of smart phones and devices, it’s becoming a bigger problem,” said Captain Mike Edwards with the Seattle Police Department.

Edwards works in the Internet Crimes Against Children unit and says even though it’s a problem, there are many misconceptions of what constitutes cyberbullying.

“Making comments about someone’s appearance , things like that, something that hurts someone’s feelings, the same sort of thing that would happen in any playground, any office environment, bullying is bullying but that’s not really what cyber bullying is,” Edwards said.

In fact, under Washington State Law, cyberbullying is actually called cyber stalking. When it hits that level, the I.C.A.C. units gets involved.

"Cyberbullying is elevating it to another level where there is a direct threat, a menacing criminal act," Edwards said.

Recently, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children put together tips for law enforcement agencies to use when investigating these kinds of crimes. The goal is to spotlight a growing problem for cops as well as kids.

“We want kids to know they can get help. There are places they can turn, there are services available, there are programs out there to help everybody understand there are devastating effects of cyberbullying," said Nancy McBride, executive director for the Florida region.

If your child does become a victim of cyberbullying, Captain Edwards says there are a few things you need to do.

“One of the big things for us is evidence,” Edwards said.

He says to keep and maintain records of what happened and who sent it. Getting screenshots or save images or messages to your hard drive or external media devices is also helpful. And if it happens on a social media site, often times, they will help you as well.

“If it’s Facebook, if it’s Twitter, if it’s others, you can notify them and they also on their end can capture and preserve it,” Edwards said.

The next step is to notify your school.

“Report it. Report it to your teacher, report it to your councilor, report it to your school administrator so they can start immediately to evaluate it and see exactly what they have going on, and then get parents involved as needed,” Edward said.

And if violence is threatened, report it to your local law enforcement agency.

Finally, if you’re a parent, Captain Edwards says to take time and educate your kids.

“What we’re seeing in law enforcement is more and more children engaging in activity today that ten years ago, absolutely would have never had any thought to do. But today, they don’t even understand why it’s a big deal.”

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