Dr. Phil & Cyberbullying

Tv's Dr. Phil McGraw took his show on the road this week, appearing before congress to speak out on the issue of cyberbullying.

Dr. Phil said many kids around the country suffer from being bullied by peers on the internet. "I get tens of thousands of letters at 'The Dr. Phil Show' of kids asking for help about this, It is a serious crisis -- 42 percent of kids say they have been bullied on the internet, 35 percent of kids say they have been threatened."

Children will sometimes not tell their parents about the abuse because they feel embarrassed by it, so they don't get the help they need. This sort of abuse online makes committing suicide twice as likely, according to some reports.

"We have to give educators, administrators and parents the tools that they need to prevent this and to intervene once it happens," Dr. Phil told the government panel. "I really hope we add language to address cyberbullying to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, because we can raise awareness and give teachers the tools they need to tackle this problem."

Dr. Phil & Cyberbullying
cnn

Talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw tackled the subject of cyberbullying on Capitol Hill on Thursday. "It is so out of control," said McGraw. McGraw spoke during a House Education subcommittee hearing examining safety concerns for children and teens using the internet, social networking and other technology. Cyberbullying has increasingly been in the public eye as high-profile cases surface in the media and the courts. In March, nine Massachusetts teenagers were charged with involvement in a months-long campaign of bullying that prosecutors say led to the suicide of a 15-year-old girl.

Dr. Phil & Cyberbullying