Go to Google and type in anything about teen bullying and social media and you’ll find no end of results of tragic stories.
From “normal” school bullying (though there’s nothing normal about any kind of bullying) to being harassed for your sexuality, the ability to easily bully teens online seems to be at an all-time high.
Which is why a new Facebook app from SafetyWeb could be a key tool in combating the issue.
Find Help on Facebook
Conceived by leading web-based monitoring company SafetyWeb, the Find Help app makes it incredibly easy for teens to connect with the right channels for their immediate needs.
By installing the app on Facebook, any teen can report abuse, bullying, sexual harassment and other issues directly to Facebook officials.
Additionally, they will also be connected to professionals and counselors in the area of help they need, from drug abuse, alcohol abuse, cyberbullying, child sexual predators and more.
Teens will get access to the likes of The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, as well as The National Suicide Prevention Hotline and Facebook’s own Abuse Reporting help centre.
Why Find Help Is Important
While we often look at social media as a great place for connections to business and customers, it’s easy to forget that there’s a huge teenage market out there too.
MySpace is a perfect example where teens can be easily approached, due to its demographic audience of teens and their favourite indie music bands. Facebook is also hugely popular with this audience, sadly highlighted by recent news stories about teen suicides as a result of bullying on Facebook Groups. Something not helped when school officials themselves are the bullies.
We’ve all been teens and remember how it wasn’t easy to talk to our parents about everything. Add to that the “shame” often felt when kids see themselves as different in any way, and you can see why so many teens feel alone online.
The new Find Help app for Facebook from SafetyWeb is a huge step in helping teens through what is often the most difficult time in their lives. It’s a shame that it’s needed at all, but sometimes the bad has to happen for the good to win out.
What’s your take – is this something you can see working? And what else would you like to see in place to help teens online?