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Cybersafe wristbands to be distributed nationwide

Monday, 7 October 2013 08:46

A wristband to help teenagers combat cyberbullying is to be rolled out to schools across the country. The Cybersafe wristband has been developed by transition year students from Bishopstown Community School and won the Cork City Enterprise Board’s Schools Enterprise Programme’s regional award last year. The wristband has a built-in USB keyfob pre-loaded with guidelines and tools to help students record incidents of online bullying. It gives step-by-step instructions on how to take a screenshot of a laptop, tablet, or smartphone to capture evidence of offensive posts. It also gives advice on how to deal with, and report, incidents of online bullying; how to block people on social media platforms; and it tells the person experiencing the bullying that they have done nothing wrong. It's hoped the peer-to-peer approach will put the power to tackle cyberbullying back in the hands of the teenagers themselves and that wearing the wristbands will help develop a culture of peer support. The students have now partnered up with the ISPCC to donate profits from the sale of the wristbands to the children’s charity. Audio: Speaking to Cork's RedFM Shonagh Barrett and Stephen Conlon say they are delighted with the reaction. Click the PLAY button above to hear.

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