One thing that really gets me upset is cyberbullying. Kids should not be bullied online or offline. I don't like that kids (or adults) are threatened online.
Cyberbullying is the use of digital technology as a weapon by one minor to hurt another minor and it is a growing problem. The Build-A-Bear Workshop online safety program is geared toward children and parents and has been developed in association with leading cyber safety expert Parry Aftab, executive director and founder of WiredSafety.org, the world's largest cyber safety group that aims to increase online safety awareness by providing families with resources and guidelines.
Build-A-Bear Workshop wants to be part of the solution to stop cyberbullying and to help ensure that its online virtual world, buildabearville.com, is as safe as it can be.
The Build-A-Bear Workshop company-wide Stop Cyberbullying program is comprised of several elements:
· Safety tips for kids (such as Stop, Block and Tell), as well as resources and recommendations for parents are provided online at Build-A-Bearville.
· WiredSafety Pledge -- Citizens of buildabearville.com can take the pledge and receive a virtual safety sash for their avatars.
· During October, Build-A-Bearville is featuring a meter in Town Square that counts the number of “citizens” that click on the Safety Pledge. When the meter is full, all citizens of the virtual world receive a unique Stop, Block and Tell move for their avatars.
**Go check out Build-A-Bear Workshop, and help fight against cyberbullying!