Digital Citizenship | Feature Experts say that schools need to
stop worrying about external internet predators and take on the
threat within: cyberbullying In the late 1990s and early 2000s,
as schools first started getting widespread access to the
internet, many administrators saw the potential in this new
technology, but also huge risks and liabilities. While billions
were being spent on hardware and connectivity, the mainstream
media was fueling parental fears with stories of online
predators waiting at every exit of the new information
superhighway. The response from many schools was initially to
teach internet safety in terms of protection from the two P's:
predators and pornography. With funding coming from the
Department of Justice, teacher training was conducted by law
enforcement personnel and student assemblies often included
uniformed police officers. At the same time, numerous well-
meaning nonprofits appeared, seeking to help educators
communicate with parents and students, but still through a len