We are 100 per cent behind the Canadian Teachers’ Federation in its decision to call on the federal government to take a tough stand on cyberbullying. One hundred delegates endorsed the motion at the powerful group’s annual general meeting held in New Brunswick on Saturday. The president of the federation, Emily Noble, said her group is going to be lobbying MPs for their support in addressing weaknesses in the Criminal Code, especially in the area of harassment and bullying that’s carried out in cyberspace.

Thanks to instant messaging, posts on blogs and, of course, the ever-growing popularity of social networking sites, cyberbullying is a very real issue that needs addressing sooner rather than later.

One can’t imagine the sheer torment some young people and educators feel when targeted by a faceless criminal.

The federation says cyberbullying is a growing problem that affects both students and teachers. We would like to take that statement further and suggest that it can potentially affect anyone at any age in any profession at any time.

But like anything else, you can’t legislate common sense and our communities would be much safer and kinder if parents paid closer attention to what their child or teen is posting on the web.   

While students might not want Mom or Dad reading their e-mails or their postings on Facebook, but that is what is needed if a parent suspects either their child is being bullied or is the perpetrator.

Hateful, threatening words can be frightening. Unflattering or harmful photographs widely distributed are not funny. These are not pranks; it is online harassment.

We hope that the teachers’ federation continues to push this important issue and that it does not become ‘lost’ once the school bell rings in September.