Elementary Schools Participate in Cyber Safety Day New York City as part of the Center's Bullying Prevention Month efforts

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, October 21, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Clearwater based nonprofit Center for Cyber Safety and Education (Center) provided 1,172 elementary students in New York City with free cyberbullying prevention materials during the first-ever Cyber Safety Day New York City, as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Bullying Prevention Month.

“Cyberbullying is no longer an isolated issue among teenagers. Children are getting their first cell phone at the age of 8, but they lack online etiquette. Garfield communicates important messages like “Being Kind Online” in a fun and engaging way that makes the younger children listen,” says Patrick Craven, director of the Center. “The sooner we teach children how to be good and kind digital citizens, the brighter our future will be.”

Cyber Safety Day is a one-day event for schools and communities to join forces and ensure elementary children receive the tools to become a responsible digital citizen with Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures free of cost. Schools that registered for Cyber Safety Day received the multi-award-winning Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures lesson on cyberbullying for free. The cyber safety program was conducted Wednesday city-wide adopting a hybrid approach of virtual and in-person lessons.

“Social responsibility is important. It is part of being a good citizen. Living in the digital age requires us to understand what that means digitally,” said a teacher participating in Cyber Safety Day New York. “Children don't understand the potential harm that exist digitally because the impact is not always immediate or in your face. It is important that students learn and understand that.”

During the lesson, children learned internet safety best practices with an emphasis on how to be kind online. Youth were presented with an engaging and fun Garfield cartoon where Nermal jokingly posts an embarrassing picture of his friend, and later realizes he was taking part in cyberbullying. Children learn to identify cyberbullying scenarios and steps they must take to report the incident to trusted adults.

According to stopbullying.com:
- One of every five students reports being bullied during the school year.
- Online, the percentage of individuals who have experienced cyberbullying has nearly doubled in the last decade.
- Among students ages 12-18 who reported being bullied at school during the school year, 15 % were bullied online or by text.
- An estimated 14.9% of high school students were electronically bullied in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Click here to learn more about Cyber Safety Day.

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About Center for Cyber Safety and Education
The Center for Cyber Safety and Education (Center), is a non-profit charitable trust committed to making the cyber world a safer place for everyone. The Center works to ensure that people across the globe have a positive and safe experience online through their award-winning educational programs, scholarships, and research. Visit www.IAmCyberSafe.org to learn more.

About Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures
Introduced in the fall of 2016 by the Center and legendary cartoonist Jim Davis, Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures include cartoons, comic books, posters, trading cards, and stickers that show Garfield and friends tackling cyber safety issues such as privacy, the dangers of posting online, online etiquette, cyberbullying, and more. A study of over 1,000 students who participated in Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures saw an, increase in their cyber safety knowledge by 36 percent. The series won the national Learning^® Magazine 2019 Teachers’ Choice Award for the Classroom, the 2019 Academics’ Choice Smart Media Award, and the 2020 Modern Library Award. Teachers and librarians chose the Garfield materials for their ability to engage elementary children and foster retention of core cyber safety lessons.

Beatriz Parres
Center for Cyber Safety and Education
+1 727-339-6648
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