A representative of The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recently testified before the United States House of Representatives' Education and Labor Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities at a hearing entitled "Ensuring Student Cyber Safety." The testimony was in support of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

The hearing was chaired by US Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY).

Other experts included:

• Dr. Phil McGraw (‘Dr Phil’), Syndicated Daytime Television Talk Show Host and Best-Selling Author, who testified that “42 percent of kids say they have been bullied on the internet, 35 percent of kids say they have been threatened.” He also stated that children who were being cyber bullied were almost two times more likely to attempt suicide.
• Parry Aftab, Executive Director, WiredSafety
• Dominique Napolitano, teen member of Girl Scouts of the USA's Let Me Know (LMK) program
• Barbara-Jane Paris, Principal, Canyon Vista Middle School Austin, Texas

The full testimonies can be found at http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/healthy-families

Sources:
AACAP Testifies Before Congress on Cyber-Bullying, News Blaze, June 24, 2010
Dr. Phil Takes Stand Against Cyberbullying, OTL, June 25, 2010

Tags: US, cyberbullying