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*The appropriate use of technology.*
PAUSE & THINK ONLINE:

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

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~You are not the only person out there on the internet
~The internet is much bigger than you think.
~You may not think so, but people you don't even know can have access to your information if it is available on the internet.
~People do not always have your best interest in mind-be mindful of who you trust on the internet. (how well do you really know these people?)

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What is a digital footprint?
*Digital footprints are anything that is posted on the internet about you.
~People can post things about you on the internet- that adds to your digital footprint.
~Once its out there, it is out there forever.
~Think about the negative effects a digital footprint could have on your life.
~Are there any positive outcomes that could arise from a digital footprint?

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

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Cyberbullying is a huge issue among internet users.
*Teaching and practicing good, kind, respectful digital practice is key in ending cyberbullying.
*Your words do have consequences (negative or positive)
*People are behind those screenames and emails-be mindful of what you say to or about them- they have lives, too.
*Good practice: If you wouldn't like it to be said to or about you, don't say it to or about someone else.*

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It could be a fake Instagram account set up to target a teen, filled with altered photographs and nasty posts.

Mean comments can spread through text messages, Instagram posts, fake Twitter accounts and Snapchat, all meant to harass and demean their target. Bullies no longer just roam the school halls. They use social media sites, internet posts and text messages too.

"It's not stranger danger," said Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and professor of criminology at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. "It's not random people online. You have issues at school with someone (and) they carry it over with technology."

One out of three teens has been bullied online, according to the center. Two-thirds of those bullied said it made them feel unsafe at school and negatively affected their ability to learn, Hinduja said.

MORE: Social media: evolution or devolution?

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How can you protect your child from cyberbullies? Press on Your Side asked several experts for help. Here's five things they had to say.

1. Communicate with your child. It sounds pretty basic, but talk with your kids about their day, how they're being treated at school and what is going on in their lives, said Rory Wells, an assistant prosecutor with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office in Toms River.

"A lot of the times, folks will be getting bullied and the parents won't know about it until it's a little bit further down the road or until a major problem develops," Wells said. "You always want to position yourself so as soon as the bullying or harassing begins, you are in a position to handle it."

Watch your child's behavior while they are interacting on their phone or device. "As parents you want to be alert," said Nicole Pormilli, assistant superintendent in the Jackson school district and the district's harassment, intimidation and bullying coordinator. "You are always paying attention when a child is on their phone. You are looking at their facial expression," she said. "Are they smiling? Are they looking sad?" Use it to start a conversation with your child, she added.

How are your children reacting to their online use? That might be a sign of cyberbullying. (Photo: Highwaystarz-Photography, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

2. Know the smartphone apps, games, and social media sites your kids are using. For instance, what are the capabilities of Instagram and Snapchat and how are kids communicating with each other, said Red Bank resident Cristie Ritz-King, a counselor who also blogs at ReinventionGirl.com.

"That's daunting," Ritz-King said. "Too often what I see is ... it's this mystery. It's almost like another language that their kids are speaking and they really have no idea what's going on so they don't really know what to look for."

Here's one way to learn: ask your child to show you how they are having fun, Wells said. "You have to learn it. To say that my kids know all that stuff and I don't ... is not applicable," he said. "It is how they communicate regularly."

Familiarity with technology will convey that a parent is not oblivious, Hinduja said. "It is more likely a child will come to them whenever they receive a message that makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened."

MORE: Lacey Police Chief defends victim of cyberbullying

MORE: Teenage girl pleads guilty to cyberbullying

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3. Monitor your child's activity. If he or she is in middle school that means heavy monitoring. Software can control their device so you can see what is being texted back and forth, Wells said. "You should have access to all the passwords," he said. "At any given time, you should be able to pick up that phone or that device and log on to see what they are doing."

It's not as if you are reading your child's diary. Look through the camera roll, check the search history and see what applications have been downloaded. "Technology use and access is a privilege and not a right," Hinduja said.

4. Encourage good decision-making skills. Basic kindness comes into play here. "Just as you teach your children to be respectful citizens in a community, we look at the online (community) as the same component," Pormilli said. People should respect each other in the digital community too.

"What you put out there in writing doesn't ever go away," she said. A text sent to one person can be forwarded to others. "It's real important that you always keep in mind that your words can be hurtful," Pormilli added.

It's "all the various sorts of things we want to convey in Parenting 101," Hinduja said. "If I can develop my kids to have empathy, to have a moral compass, to delay gratification, to not chase after superficial validation like 'likes' and comments and retweets, then I am going to be helping to develop a decent kid who does the right things offline and online."

5. Cyberbullying can be one instance or happen more than once. State law forbids cyberbullying, which can include posting a nasty comment about someone's appearance or gender to cause harm to someone or put someone in fear of emotional or physical harm. If your child is cyberbullied, report it to school officials, who will investigate, even if it happened off school grounds. Save copies of any texts that were sent or take screen shots of postings and pictures, Wells said.
Do you have a consumer problem that needs solving? Contact David P. Willis at 732-643-4042, pressonyourside@gannettnj.com or facebook.com/dpwillis732.
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Cyberbullying: 5 steps for parents to save kids

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CLOSE It could be a fake Instagram account set up to target a teen, filled with altered photographs and nasty posts. Mean comments can spread through text messages, Instagram posts, fake Twitter accounts and Snapchat, all meant to harass and demean their target. Bullies no longer just roam the school halls.