Las Vegas, NV -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/12/2013 -- The cyberbullying epidemic has grown at such a rate that one expert says that now over 25 percent of school age children have been repeatedly taunted by bullies using video, pictures, and text transmitted via smart phones -- while their parents remained clueless.

“According to statistics, more than 50 percent of adolescents and teens have been bullied online; more than 1 in 3 have experienced cyber threats online; and the majority of this cyberbullying goes unreported to parents and school officials,” says bullying prevention expert Gabriella van Rij, president of We Open Doors.

Van Rij says the majority of teen suicides (four-per-week nationally) are due to cyberbullying, and a majority of those victims are girls.

“The escalating numbers of suicides is truly alarming, but even more alarming is the fact that parents don’t realize their child is being subjected to cyber-bullying or when their child is an actual perpetrator of this dangerous behavior.”

As a popular lecturer and consultant to students, parents, and educators, van Rij’s boots-on-the-ground approach for addressing cyberbullying begins by encouraging parents to jump on the social media bandwagon.

“Every night for ten minutes let your child teach you about one smart phone app,” says Van Rij.

“Smart phones are truly used as weapons and are fueling cyber bullying. The sooner our society realizes this, the sooner we will see a decline.”

ABOUT GABRIELLA VAN RIJ
Gabriella van Rij is an author, international activist, and bullying prevention expert who emphasizes the importance of “picking up the dropped ball of human kindness” in our present culture. Her first book, With All My Might, tackles head-on the topics of bullying, racism, intolerance, belonging, identity, individuality and acceptance. Her second book, I Can Find My Might, was especially written to inspire younger readers to acknowledge and celebrate their own individuality as well and the individuality of others. Gabriella is also the founder of We Open Doors, and through this organization she travels, lectures and delivers her message of inspiration to audiences around the world. She is the president of “Gabriella’s Foundation and has been an invited guest on numerous radio and television talk shows.