Cyberbullying, Sexting, and Online Sharing: A Comparison of Parent and School Faculty Perspectives

Schools are pushing to implement more technology use to promote student learning. Yet, adults may not be completely aware of the non-academic online activities students engage in, like cyberbullying, sexting, and online sharing. In this study, parents (N = 663) and educators (N = 548) from four US states were surveyed on their understanding and awareness of their children's/students' online activities. Adult awareness levels and perspectives were compared. Parents and educators were found to be similarly supportive of computer use adding value to student education, but significantly differed in their trust levels of students' computer usage, preparedness to talk to students about Internet safety issues, and comfort regarding students using online social media. Additionally, parents and educators differed significantly in their understanding of how sharing of explicit material occurs online.