ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today,
in time for National Bullying Prevention Month, the National Center
for Missing & Exploited Children® and Sprint (NYSE:S) released
a new video aimed at stopping Cyberbullying. The video, "Split
Decisions," shows teens and tweens how to resolve conflict before
it escalates to bullying online
(www.nsteens.org/Videos/SplitDecisions). It's part of the free
Internet safety site, www.NSTeens.org.
According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, on average, 26
percent of students say they have been the victim of cyberbullying
at some point in their lives, and 16 percent admitted they have
cyberbullied others. Cyberbullying might start with an online
rumor, a photo, or a forwarded message—and can escalate quickly,
sometimes to aggressive and cruel
harassment.
"Today children are constantly connected to their peers through
social media and wireless devices, making them feel there is no
escape when they are the victims of cyberbullying, and creating
sometimes long-lasting or even tragic consequences," said
Linda Krieg, NCMEC acting CEO. "We
want to stop cyberbullying before it starts, and with Sprint's
support we created this video to help kids think about the
consequences for themselves and others before they send that text,
make that comment or post that picture."
The video tells the story of two teen girls who are having
trouble getting along. Viewers follow them in two versions of
their story with very different outcomes based on their decisions.
One version of the story ends with them finding common ground and
the other leads to digital drama.
At www.NSTeens.org, the video is paired with discussion guides
and activity cards to make it easier for educators or parents to
incorporate it into a lesson or conversation about digital
citizenship. The site also has additional videos, web comics
and games addressing other topics like online enticement, online
security and digital ethics.
"The first stop to preventing cyberbullying is awareness and
education" said Debby Ballard,
Director of Corporate Responsibility at Sprint. "We feel it
is our responsibility as a wireless provider to ensure the right
tools are provided to address online harassment in this
super-connected and digital world."
NCMEC and Sprint launched www.NSTeens.org in 2007. It's
part of NCMEC's popular Internet safety resource, NetSmartz
Workshop (www.NetSmartz.org). It's funded as part of Sprint's
Internet safety initiative, 4NetSafety (www.4NetSafety.com),
through Sprint's charitable phone-recycling program, Sprint Project
Connect. 4NetSafety is an important part of Sprint Good
WorksSM, an initiative that encompasses Sprint's
community and philanthropic outreach across the country.
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is the
leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working with law
enforcement, families and the professionals who serve them on
issues relating to missing and sexually exploited children.
Authorized by Congress to serve as the nation's clearinghouse on
these issues, NCMEC operates a hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST®
(1-800-843-5678), and has assisted law enforcement in the recovery
of more than 208,500 children. NCMEC also operates the
CyberTipline, a mechanism for reporting child pornography, child
sex trafficking and other forms of child sexual exploitation. Since
it was created in 1998, more than 4.9 million reports of suspected
child sexual exploitation have been received, and more than 145
million suspected child pornography images have been reviewed.
NCMEC works in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice's
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. To learn
more about NCMEC, visit www.missingkids.org. Follow NCMEC on
Twitter (@MissingKids) and like NCMEC on Facebook
(Facebook.com/MissingKids).
About Sprint
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications
services company that creates more and better ways to connect its
customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served more
than 54 million customers as of June 30,
2014 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering
and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless
4G service from a national carrier in the
United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin
Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and
Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk
capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American
Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint as the most improved U.S.
company in customer satisfaction, across all 43 industries, over
the last six years. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index (DJSI) North
America in 2011, 2012 and 2013. You can learn more and visit
Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and
www.twitter.com/sprint.
About Sprint Good WorksSM
Sprint is committed to using our technology, human and financial
resources to help make the world a better place. This commitment
infuses our business and culture, and it drives our Sprint Good
WorksSM program. More than just a name, Good works is
also a belief: Good does indeed workSM. The good works
we perform every day benefit three key subjects: people, product
and planet. For people, we demonstrate good works through targeted
philanthropic initiatives and a diverse and ethical workforce. For
a better product, we harness the power of innovation to help
customers minimize their environmental footprint and increase their
safety and security, and to empower seniors and those with
disabilities to stay connected through accessible
technology. For a healthier planet, we lead the industry with
our sustainable business practices and wireless reuse and recycling
programs. These are just a few of the ways we demonstrate good
works to bring people and resources together for a better world.
You can learn more about our good works at
www.sprint.com/goodworks.
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SOURCE The National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children