A Colorado school safety specialist participated Tuesday in a roundtable discussion that will inform national policy on combating cyberbullying.
Margaret Ochoa, a child sexual abuse prevention specialist with the Colorado School Safety Resource Center, provided her expertise to the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse.
“I felt so honored to be able to participate,” Ochoa said. “The experience was very humbling, because there were survivors of violent attacks and online harassment who presented to the roundtable about their experiences, and their bravery was really remarkable.”
The roundtable focused on preventing online harassment and supporting survivors.
“The point that I really wanted the White House task force to take away is that abuse is abuse, regardless of location,” Ochoa said. “So the strategies to prevent bullying and online harassment start with healthy relationships, and if we can incorporate more social/emotional work and better fund our mental health efforts, that will stem bullying wherever it occurs.”
Social media platforms have made bullying remarkably different from the past, Ochoa said.
“There’s no opportunity to get relief from it, and children are heavily invested in social media, and they’re constantly connected,” she said. “Their bully is constantly chirping in their ear, and that can make children feel pretty desperate.”
Ochoa, who works on the Youth Advisory Council at the Colorado School Safety Resource Center, said it’s imperative to consult with young people about online harassment.
“I just have so much respect for the thoughtfulness of Colorado youth,” Ochoa said. “They have great solutions, and they really have a strong understanding of what needs to be done to change culture and climate to make children safer.”
Marie Forsberg-Mare, president of the anti-bullying nonprofit Friends Colorado, said it’s also important to educate adults about online harassment and the nature of some online platforms and apps.
“We’ve asked kids, ‘so why didn’t you tell an adult about this?’ And the kids have answered, ‘it would take too long to even explain what SnapChat is’,” Forsberg-Mare said. “And also kids are afraid that adults will take the approach of ‘oh, you can’t be on that [app] then — we’ll take away your smartphone’ — that’s not going to solve the problem.”
Friends Colorado offers adults resources, classes and guidance on protecting young people from cyberbullying.
“Children who are able to tell adults about things that are going on, are less likely to suffer from cyberbullying,” Forsberg-Mare said. “We adults need to be able to know things so that kids trust us and talk to us.”
The White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse, established in June, is hosting roundtables that will create recommendations for schools across the country, federal agencies, state governments, technology platforms and other entities.
