Bullying is an unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that results in a perceived power imbalance (stopbullying.gov). Cyberbullying is bullying through electronic means. Unlike normal bullying that only lasts while a person is at school or away from home, cyberbullying can continue unabated. Since most young people have access to computers and cell phones with Internet connections, it is easy for bullies to harass someone anonymously and continuously. As parents we need to understand that cyberbullying is happening and can cause great emotional damage to our young people. As a parent of two teenage children who have an active "computer" life, I believe it is very important to monitor their email and social media sites. As the father of a son who can be described as socially awkward, I can further understand the importance of asking questions about what is happening to them. Children, especially teenagers, tend to be very closed-off when it comes to bullying and if you accept their "there's nothing wrong" response at face value, you risk overlooking bullying in one form or another. At present, only 7% of US parents are concerned about cyberbullying, even though 43% of teenagers admit to being victims of it (Internet safety). Even if a young person is not online, it is still possible for them to be bullied. In today's tech-savvy world, it's not difficult for someone to impersonate someone or hack into their email or social media site and make malicious posts. Cyberbullies are as creative as they are cruel and use every means possible to degrade someone. So what do we do to protect today's youth from this growing trend? First we need to figure out what I have... middle of paper... them too. If the cyberbullying includes threats of violence, anything sexually explicit including child pornography, a violation of someone's privacy, or what could be stalking or a hate crime you should report it to law enforcement. If the bully is at school, he should also be reported to school. Most states now have laws regarding schools addressing cyberbullying (stop the bullying). The most important thing that comes to mind is to provide support to the person involved. Cyberbullying can have a strong and negative impact on a young person and it is important that they know that they care and that you are there to support them. Gone are the days of being told to just ignore the bully, they will go away. We must all do our part to ensure the physical and mental safety of our young people. One child lost because of this is one too many!