*Image above is drawn by a child who went through cyberbullying for Norton’s e-book,*
Norton by Symantec, an antivirus and security software for computers and mobile devices, is now protecting the Internet from something besides cyber attacks and viruses: cyberbullying.
In a partnership with advertising agency, Grey San Francisco and Norton launched a campaign to confront cyberbullying and encourage parents to discuss the topic with their children.
“Norton security solutions have protected people and their devices for decades,” stated Milan Martin, Grey San Francisco President in an October 14th press release, that announced the campaign.
“The old saying, ‘sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me,’ tragically, just isn’t true today,” he explained. “We couldn’t be more proud to help Norton address very real, very important issues in our world today.”
The campaign was released just in time for National Bullying Prevention Month, which is in October. According to the 2015 Norton Cybersecurity Insights Report, 27 percent of US parents felt their children were more likely to be bullied online than in the classroom.
In collaboration with Chelsea House and filmmaker, Peyton Wilson, “Raise Your Voice Against Cyberbullying” had children that were victims of cyberbullying share their personal stories as their parents heard about the attacks for the first time.
The film ended with a request for viewers to continue the conversation on social media through #RaiseOurVoices wherever cyberbullying is encountered.
“Online safety, especially for children, is something we take very seriously, we are not just selling products,” said Kathryn Kane, Senior Director of Global Brand and Campaigns, Norton by Symantec. “We want to ensure we’re educating and raising awareness about the most relevant and timely digital threats and we want parents to feel prepared to help their children address cyberbullying.”
Norton also created an e-book for parents to learn more about cyberbullying by sharing illustrations created by children aged 11 to 18 who have personally gone through it, tips on how to recognize signs of it, and a guide on how to start a dialogue around cyberbullying with children.
“This has been one of the most impactful campaigns we’ve ever done, and is incredibly meaningful to me personally,” explained Kane, who is also a mother. She was able to share the campaign with her daughter and start the discussion about cyber bullying.
“It offered me the chance to talk to her about the importance of being a good digital citizen, but also reinforced that if she ever needs me, I am here for her, and that no matter what, I would love her,” Kane said. “To be able to deliver something so powerful to someone I love so much through the work I get to do every day was very special for me.”
