“ICE QUEEN” – A Cautionary Tale for Teens About Cyberbullying and Sexting — a Conversation with Felicia Farber
We’ve all read the tragic stories in the news or heard them on television concerning teen sexting, cyberbullying and cyber-harassment. Maybe it’s happened to the child of a friend, or God no, to our own child. It can begin innocently: a girl wants to impress a boy and agrees to text him explicit photos of herself. The photos get shared with others and perhaps posted to the Internet, and the girl becomes the target of cyberbullying and harassment. Reputations may be ruined and a young life impacted forever.
How can an innocent high school junior get caught up in a sexting scandal? This is the story line in Felicia Farber’s latest book, Ice Queen. It’s her timely, contemporary novel written to introduce teens to the social and legal risks of sexting and cyberbullying, and guide them through the dangers of mixing sex with social media.
Between her practice as a lawyer and employment mediator, Farber has become a recognized expert in the patchwork of laws concerning teen sexting and cyberbullying.
The statistics are startling.
According to Farber, in an online survey conducted by researchers at Drexel University, over 80 percent of respondents from age 18 to 82 admitted to sexting in the prior year. In the 18-26 age bracket, almost half have reported having sent nude or seminude photos of themselves to others and two-thirds report having received sexually explicit photos of others.
A cyberbullying research study in 2016 found that 33.8 percent of middle and high school have been cyberbullied in their lifetime. This can include posting mean or hurtful comments, rumors, threats, and hurtful pictures or video, as well as, online impersonations and mean web pages.
With Ice Queen, Farber speaks to teens in a language they understand and through a storyline she hopes will resonate with them. She wants to help teens (and adults) avoid the serious perils and pitfalls of dating in the digital age.
We also chat about:
- The real-life experience of a friend that motivated her to research the myriad laws relating to sexting, cyberbullying and cyber harassment and to write her book.
- Why sexting and cyberbullying have become major issues in the United States, especially among teens.
- How the very laws meant to protect our children could actually turn them into criminals.
- The potential liability parents of sext-tors face for the actions of their children.
- Steps parents can take to protect their children.
- What a parent should be looking for in their child, if they suspect he or she has been a victim...and what a parent can do about it.
- The importance of teaching our children that it’s alright to say “No.”
- And so much more…
Resources
Find out more about Felicia Farber, the perils of teen sexting and, importantly, Ice Queen at FeliciaFarber.com.