Not Black and White: Understanding the Nuances of Cyberbullying

How big a problem is cyberbullying? To judge by media coverage, which frequently focuses on the most sensational and extreme cases, it’s an epidemic, and schools and legislators have often responded with heavy-handed measures. Students, on the other hand, are more likely to say that cyberbullying is less of an issue than adults perceive it to be – though even they, in many cases, overestimate how common it actually is. MediaSmarts’ report Cyberbullying: Dealing with Online Meanness, Cruelty and Threats, the third in a series of reports based on data from our Young Canadians in a Wired World survey, suggests that so far as Canadian youth are concerned the answer is somewhere in between, presenting a portrait of online conflict that demands more nuanced, contextualized and evidence-based responses.

So, you want to become a parenting influencer

If you are a parent and you’ve been thinking of starting a blog, writing for parenting magazines, or becoming a social media influencer in the parent sphere, keep reading.

Family Online Rules

MediaSmarts’ research has shown that kids with household rules about Internet use are less likely to do things like post their contact information, visit gambling sites, seek out online pornography and talk to strangers online. Having a family agreement or set of rules for using the Internet is also a great way for parents and kids to work together on how to be safe, wise and responsible online.

New study indicates Canadian parents are not fully aware of how their children are using the Internet

June 21, 2001 (Ottawa) - Canadian youth are ahead of their parents - and on their own - in their explorations of the Internet, according to research findings released today by the Media Awareness Network.

Diversity and Media Toolbox: Portal Page

The Diversity and Media Toolbox is a comprehensive suite of resources for teachers, students, law enforcement representatives and the general public, that explores issues relating to stereotyping, bias and hate in mainstream media and on the Internet. 

History's Mirror Revisited: Media education and movie history

Since at least the days of Birth of a Nation (1915), Hollywood has turned to history for material. A quick survey of this year's Academy Award nominations shows that this is as true now as ever, with five out of the nine nominees for Best Picture – Argo, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Zero Dark Thirty and odds-on favourite Lincoln – based in history in some way. Their approaches vary, of course, with the history-as-backdrop approach of Les Miserables, the revenge fantasy of Django Unchained, the academic character study of Lincoln, the docudrama of Zero Dark Thirty and the history-as-thriller of Argo.

AOL Canada Inc. Newest Media Awareness Network Sponsor

Ottawa and Toronto, Ontario - May 16, 2001 - The Media Awareness Network (MNet) announced today that AOL Canada Inc. is its newest Bronze Sponsor.

"We are very pleased to welcome AOL Canada as a sponsor," said MNet Co-Director, Jan D'Arcy. "Support to the Media Awareness Network from one of Canada's leading interactive online services gives added impetus and energy to the development of public education in the field of Internet literacy."