October is National Bullying Prevention Month
With research showing that 54 percent of teens have witnessed online bullying, Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin is teaming up with Cox Communications to mark National Bullying Prevention Month with a stop at Johnston High School to speak with freshman and sophomores on how to "TakeCharge!" of bullying.
According to the recently released survey by Cox Communications, some 60 percent of teens who admit to being bullied online have told an adult, which marks a 20 percent increase since Cox's 2013 Internet Safety Survey. The survey also reveals a decrease in teens reporting being bullied online: 24 percent of teens reported being bullied online, compared to 31 percent in 2013.
"It is good to see that fewer teens report being bullied online and that more kids are talking to parents about this important issue, but there is still work to be done," said Attorney General Peter Kilmartin. "We have to drive home the message that bullying – online or in person – can have not only serious legal ramifications for those who engage in bullying, but also long term emotional and physical consequences for those who are bullied. The most important lesson we can teach young people is that they have the power to stop bullying by speaking up and standing up against bullies."
Attorney General Kilmartin and Cox launched the TakeCharge! public awareness campaign earlier this year. As part of the campaign, Kilmartin and Cox asked students to take a pledge not to bully and encourage teens and their families to support those targeted by bullies and seeking help if being bullied. The TakeCharge! pledge is available at www.cox.com/takecharge.
"Cox surveyed over 1,300 teens between 13 and 17 years of age and more than half of those teens have witnessed cyberbullying on social media," said Cox Communications Interim Senior Vice President & Regional Manager, Human Resources Vice President Pipier Bewlay. "Of those who witnessed bullying, 35 percent said they tried to help in some way."
At the end of the assembly, the more than 350 students signed the TakeCharge! Pledge to not to bully.
TakeCharge! is a community outreach campaign developed by Cox to empower parents and caregivers to manage their children's access to mass media content. For more than 10 years, this initiative strives to increase customers' awareness and use of the parental controls and filtering tools already available on cable, Internet and wireless services.