May 18, 2010
Youth suicide rates in Australia will escalate if parents and teachers ignore the warning signs of children being cyberbullied, according to one of the country’s leading psychologists.
Launching a free online course today – www.cybersafetydoctor.com.au – to help parents take action against cyberbullying, Dr Darryl Cross says children harassing other children online is a mounting problem with potentially disastrous consequences.
“Research now shows that a quarter of all Australian kids have been cyberbullied at some point, which really is a frightening statistic for parents,” said Dr Cross, an Adelaide-based behavioural psychology expert who specialises in cyberbullying.
“And with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter continuing to grow in popularity, particularly among young people, this figure is expected to rise exponentially in the future.
“Given what we already know about face-to-face bullying, the added incidence of cyberbullying is sending us down a dark path to an epidemic in adolescent depression by 2020 and a rise in youth suicide.”
In a bid to tackle online bullying, Dr Cross has teamed up with leading Australian software development company, the John Temple Group, to develop a new step-by-step course to help parents and guardians recognise signs of cyberbullying.
More importantly, the course recommends positive action that parents can take to help prevent their child from being cyberbullied and what to do should their child become a victim.
“This is the first free online course of its type designed to give parents and guardians the tools and knowledge they need to both recognise and combat cyberbullying,” said Dr Cross.
“Parents need to realise that there is now a one in four chance that their child is being cyberbullied and it’s up to them to take proactive action towards creating a safer online environment for their child.”
A premium course is also available on the website designed for school teachers, administrative staff and students.
“Schools can offer the premium course to teachers and students who will be required to successfully answer a series of questions about cyberbullying in order to complete the course,” said Dr Cross.
“Schools can then keep track of teachers and students who have completed the course and evaluate how well they understood the material.
“Adopting courses such as this will help schools provide a safer learning environment for students and also sends a clear message to parents and their wider school community that they’re committed to preventing cyberbullying."
“At the end of the day, teachers, students and their parents should all be taught what cyberbullying is, how to prevent it and how to get help and www.cybersafetydoctor.com.au does exactly that. Together we can make a difference.”
For more information about the new website and courses offered phone 1800 307 595 or visit www.cybersafetydoctor.com.au
About Dr Darryl Cross
Dr Darryl Cross is one of Australia’s most respected psychologists and has extensive experience working with school children, particularly in the area of cyberbullying. An author, university lecturer and certified personal and executive coach, Dr Cross is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and a member of the College of Clinical Psychologists and Organisational Psychologists within the Society, and he currently manages his own practice, Crossways Consulting, in Adelaide.
About the John Temple Group
Established in Adelaide in 2001, the John Temple Group is one of Australia’s leading software development companies. Among its major software achievements is the award-winning Rapid Induct online induction system for new employees, which is currently used by more than 140 companies worldwide including Ford, Commonwealth Bank, Cadbury, Mirvac and Lend Lease.
