Bullying and name-calling have traditionally been described as part of a child's rite of passage growing up, but educators believe it is a problem that needs to be addressed for its damaging effects on the child and the school community.

For years, governments, schools and courts have been trying to find ways to address this issue, understanding the duty of a school to maintain a safe learning environment for students, but also balancing that with a student's right to privacy and free speech.

Dealing with this has been difficult enough, but now add to this the new insidious ways bullying is taking place, having mutated into our lives through the use of electronic media. It has been well-documented that low self-esteem, depression, poor academic achievement, truancy and suicide are all associated with being bullied. In cyberbullying, the targets may be subject to additional distress due to the pervasive nature of modern technology, such as irrevocable messages being circulated far and wide in an instant.

In order to combat cyberbullying one must first understand what this new term means. The definition of cyberbullying can be best defined by the co-directors of the Cyberbullying Research Center, Dr. Justin W. Patchin and Dr. Sameer Hinjuja, who for the past several years have been exploring social networking and cyberbullying, as the "willful and repeated harm inflicted through electronic media."

Cyberbullying makes use of electronic media (Internet, cell phones, MySpace, etc.) in a "willful" or intentional way, sometimes seen by others as just a "joke." It is "repeated" in that it reflects a pattern of behavior rather than an isolated incident, and this repetition may come in the form of multiple people viewing/forwarding a single incident as well as one person repeatedly harassing a target.

Sadly, in some cases, grave unforeseen consequences have resulted. We are all too familiar with the stories about children and teenagers driven to desperate, even suicidal, acts after having been exposed to repeated harassment in cyberspace.

One of the most effective ways of combating the effects of bigotry, prejudice and other forms of hate is through education. The regional Anti-Defamation League in Santa Barbara helps to put anti-bias training programs directly into the school setting with cyberbullying and anti-bias workshops for middle and high school educators and students.

This training not only raises awareness of the dangers and effects of cyberbullying, but also provides practical information to help schools, teachers and administrators to develop comprehensive plans for prevention and for creating and maintaining a safe learning environment for students.

Many adults are unaware of the problem due to a lack of fluency in new technologies, limited oversight of youth online activity, and strong social norms among youths against disclosure of online behavior. For this reason, bringing awareness to educators, parents and caregivers to identify cyberbullying is crucial.

The ADL believes that when a cyberbullying incident occurs, it is important that schools, teens and families work together to minimize the potentially damaging consequences. To help, we have created a cyberbullying tip sheet to circumvent these issues if and when they occur.

We can keep our schools and communities safe from online and real-world hate. But, first, we must be aware of the problem and take the time to be educated about cyberbullying. We must act now to ensure that those who would engage in harassment or bullying — whether at school or in cyberspace — will face real-world consequences for their actions.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.