Cyberbullying should be a criminal offence.

We are 100 per cent behind the Canadian Teachers' Federation's recent decision to call on the federal government to take a tough stand on cyberbullying. One hundred delegates endorsed the motion at the powerful group's annual general meeting held in New Brunswick. The president of the federation, Emily Noble, said her group is going to be lobbying MPs for their support in addressing weaknesses in the Criminal Code, especially in the area of harassment and bullying that's carried out in cyberspace.

Thanks to instant messaging, posts on blogs and, of course, the ever-growing popularity of social networking sites, cyberbullying is a very real issue that needs addressing sooner rather than later. One can't imagine the sheer torment some young people and educators feel when targeted by a faceless criminal.

The federation says cyberbullying is a growing problem that affects both students and teachers. We would like to take that statement further and suggest that it can potentially affect anyone at any age in any profession at any time.

But like anything else, you can't legislate common sense. Our communities would be much safer and kinder if parents paid closer attention to what their child or teen is posting on the web.

While students might not want mom or dad reading their e-mails or their postings on Facebook, that is precisely what the perpetrator is counting on. Isolating the victim from the family and peers who support them only makes the virtual predator more powerful. Parents must step in if there are any signs their child is being bullied - or is a perpetrator.

According to www.cyberbullying.us, if a child is being harassed or bullied online, they may exhibit some of the following signs: unexpectedly stops using the computer; appears nervous or jumpy when an instant message or email appears; appears uneasy about going to school or outside in general; appears to be angry, depressed or frustrated after using the computer; avoids discussion about what they are doing on the computer or becomes abnormally withdrawn from family members and their usual friends.

Signs that a child may be bullying someone on line: he or she quickly switches screens or closes programs when someone walks by; uses the computer at all hours of the night; gets unusually upset if he or she cannot use the computer; laughs excessively while using the computer; avoids discussion about what they are doing on the computer or is using multiple online accounts or an account that is not their own.

Hateful, threatening words can be frightening. Unflattering or harmful photographs widely distributed are not funny. These are not pranks; it is online harassment.

We hope that the teachers' federation continues to push this important issue and that it does not become 'lost' once the school bell rings in September.