Facebook Etiquette to be Taught in School to Avoid Cyber Bullying

Parents and online experts are pushing for an 'urgent' proposal to teach social networking etiquette in schools to tackle cyber bullying.

Using Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites would be taught in schools under this proposal.

The Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations and social networking experts say there is a desperate need that the use of social media be taught in the classrooms.

One school counsellor said she saw a case of cyber bullying at least once a day and often police had to be called, reported news.com.

Thomas Tudehope, a director of social media intelligence firm SR7, has called for social networking skills, online etiquette and role-playing to be taught in the classroom.

Tudehope's call has been backed by the P&C, which states that parents and teachers often lack the ability to know what exactly is going on among children online. A social media 'module' should be introduced into the national curriculum as a matter of urgency, he said. The lack of adequate social media education is glaringly obvious as each week brings a new social media 'scandal' reverberating throughout the web and mainstream media, he added, the report said.

He further said that classrooms should be used as a platform to discuss issues like cyber bullying, Internet safety, privacy and online etiquette.

P&C is in full support for the proposal, and said that schools desperately needed a space for students to receive some instruction on the usage of Facebook and other communications technologies.

With the growing popularity of the social networking sites, it is the need of the hour to introduce a scheme where children can be advised about the pros and cons of the networking sites, and the right way to make the best use of them.

However, spokesman David Giblin feels that a large population of teachers is not in a position to give that instruction.

There's got to be some training. There has been a woeful ignorance by the people who use social media sites, both young and old, about how to protect yourself, he said.

Australian Education Minister Adrian Piccoli's comments could not be gathered. The Department of Education said that the schools are helpless in attaining any kind of control over Facebook and that it blocks the access to social networking sites via school computers.