Do you think schools should punish students if they’re behaving badly and talking about it on social media?

One private company estimates it will be monitoring students’ tweets in over 3,000 schools by year’s end.

Schools find themselves in a particularly precarious position: If they overreach, they can get slapped down. If they don’t monitor social media, they may be plagued by “What ifs”? In 2011, a court ruled that school officials violated the Constitution when they punished students for posting selfies that featured “lollipops shaped like phalluses.” The suicide of Rebecca Sedwick, a 12-year old who killed herself after enduring a particularly brutal and lengthy assault of online bullying, prompted the arrest of two of her alleged tormenters. But the police action was too late to stop Sedwick's suicide.

As a parent of two young boys, I am more than a little wary about cyberbullying. Personally, I can sleep a little better if there are companies like Geo Listening keeping an eye out for warning signs. And I will put up with my boys being pulled into the principal’s office to answer for something questionable they said online — even if it’s something I wouldn’t object to. The sooner kids learn that social media has consequences, the better off we all are! Regular inspection of your child’s texts, Facebook and Twitter may not show whether they’re involved in cyberbullying.Last month’s arrest of two Florida girls whose relentless cyberbullying allegedly drove twelve-year-old Rebecca Sedwick to suicide has, for many parents, refreshed anxiety.
It also points to some glaring blind spots many of us non-teens have.Sedwick’s mother’s, Tricia Norman, thought she knew what was happening in her daughter’s online world because she checked Rebecca’s phone texts and Facebook regularly. Unbeknownst to Norman, Rebecca had signed on to a number of other apps that allowed the bullying to continue under the radar. Experts warn that these apps are propagating at a pace that’s impossible for parents to keep up with.

For parents worried about being in the dark, here are four unfamiliar places where cyberbullies might lurk. If you see these apps on your child’s phone, get familiar with them:

Voxer Walkie Talkie: The main feature of Walkie Talkie is its "push-to-talk" system. This free app lets you send instant texts, audio and photos, and messages can either stream live or users can listen later.
Ask.fm: A social networking site with a Q&A bent. The option of anonymity is particularly worrisome.
Kik Messenger: A texting app that requires only user names (not phone numbers) that allows for group texting. Before jumping to her death, Rebecca Sedwick changed her name on Kik to “That Dead Girl” and sent a goodbye message to two friends.

4chan: One of the original bizarro back alleys of the internet, this imageboard website just celebrated its 10th birthday. Anyone can post images on boards, and anyone can comment, and as far as content, anything goes.