New campaign targets cyber bullies

An anti-cyber bullying campaign has been launched which uses the same tools the
bullies employ to harass their victims.
The Smart Online, Safe Offline (SOSO) campaign aims to educate kids about the
dangers lurking online.
Cyber bullying affects as many as 10 per cent of students between Year Four and Year
Eight, a study from Edith Cowan University has found.
SOSO will use an interactive website (www.soso.org.au), alongside a YouTube
platform, as well as links to social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace
to spread its message.
The National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN),
responsible for the SOSO campaign, says it aims to stop children forwarding hurtful
emails and videos.
"The aim of SOSO is to get young people to think twice before hitting 'send' and
forwarding degrading content," NAPCAN CEO Maree Faulkner said at the launch in
Sydney on Tuesday.
"You're a bully too," if you share it, spread it, forward it or join it, she said.
SOSO project manager Nathalie Philippsen said it was easy for small online incidents
to spiral out of control.
"People that forward on text messages ... it could be a private instant message
conversation, or even it's uploading a few pictures of your friend," Ms Philippsen
said.
"People don't realise how hurtful that can be and how much it can actually snowball."
The SOSO website has links for children to "report a creep" and to report child abuse.
Senator Mark Arbib, a keen supporter of NAPCAN, told assembled media and students
the problem of cyber bullying was a growing one.
"The same sort of criminals that we're seeing in the community are moving onto the
internet," Senator Arbib said.
"Bullying now is so much more dangerous and widespread."
For more information, visit www.soso.org.au.