Kathy Robinson said she did not want to speak to the kids. She wanted to speak to grandparents, parents and educators about cyberbullying, and on Tuesday at the Foley Civic Center she spoke about the effects and dangers cyberbullying could have on kids both on the attack and being attacked by their peers.

Robinson, a visiting assistant professor at Auburn University’s counseling and education department, told those in attendance that the act of cyberbullying is the repeated harm inflicted to someone through the use of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices; and it started being well known around 2002, but it may have began as early as the mid-1990s.

“Maybe it was under-reported and no one recognized it,” Robinson said.

Robinson listed some of the characteristics of the act, including: lack of supervision; potential sexual harassment and exploitation; an infinite audience; and the ability for the bully to remain anonymous.

“These kids are getting cyberbullied at home,” Robinson said. “It makes it hard for them to walk into their school.”

She also gave some of the signs to look out for if one suspects a kid is being bullied. The signs include: long hours on the computer or a sudden lack of use; fear of leaving the house; sleeping issues and behavioral changes; lowered self-esteem; falling behind on school work; and secrecy about Internet activities.

There is a lot more cyberbullying going on than you would know,” Robinson said, noting kids won’t mention anything to their parents because they are afraid of their privileges being taken away.

While kids being bullied are affected by low self-esteem, academic problems and anxiety issues, the one doing the bullying can garner some negative effects as well, including: vandalism; constant fighting; substance abuse; and even dropping out of school.

“Cyberbully victims are also twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to youth who had not experienced bullying,” Robinson said, noting suicide is the third leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 24 years old. “Nobody is getting a black eye. Nobody is getting a broken arm. But they’’re hanging from a noose in the stairwell.”

Some attendees at the workshop were educators at local schools in Foley, and they discussed how much of an affect the act of cyberbullying has and how it’s tough to monitor as school officials.

“It’s just so amazing how it affects so many others,” Aura Williams, counselor at Foley Intermediate School, said. “It’s not done at school, but it’s brought to school.”

Oliver Sinclair, assistant principal at Foley Intermediate School concurred.

“It happens at home. We can’t control what happens at home,” he said. “I think the core of the problems is the relationship parents have with their children is to be friends.”

However, one attendee questioned if there was a way for parents to limit a child’s use of cell phones and internet without isolating them socially.

“This is their way of belonging,” Steve Horn, director of the Foley Public Library, said.