The effort to stop cyberbullies may now be led by students, as Oregon students in Beaverton have developed the T.H.I.N.K poster to stop cyberbullies.
T.H.I.N.K is an invention by the students, imploring their peers to stop cyberbullies and consider their actions before taking them.
T.H.I.N.K stands for:
- T stands for ‘is it true?’
- H is for is it ‘honorable.’
- I is for ‘inspiring.’
- N is for ‘is it necessary?’
- K is for “is it ‘kind?’
The effort is still in its infancy and it remains unclear if the students’ action will help to stop cyberbullies. But some educators have high hopes.
“The T.H.I.N.K poster says it perfectly because it makes the children stop and think about what it is they’re actually about to put on social media” said Valley Catholic teacher Mary Donovan.”Think before you hit the send button.”
The T.H.I.N.K poster primarily works to prevent social media and text-based bullying. Moreover, it is intended to drive down impulse-driven bullying, which comes when kids send messages without thinking about the consequences. More pernicious, premeditated bullying efforts will take deeper campaigns to eliminate.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the T.H.I.N.K poster campaign is the grassroots support it has received from students. While many national campaigns to stop cyberbullies often follow a top-down approach and are not widely embraced by kids and teens, this campaign has drawn thousands of fans and followers on Facebook and a groundswell of support. That support, at least early on, appears to be producing change.
“There’s definitely a lot less bullying going on,” said student Madeline Henningson.
