As a parent, what makes you worry most about your kids’ safety? A recent Care.com survey found that one in three parents fears bullying and cyberbullying more than any other danger. Cyberbullying isn’t necessarily direct physical harm – compared to kidnappings, car accidents, or suicides – but it’s one of the most likely things that could happen. Kids can easily bully from anywhere they have computer access, making cyberbullying such a serious issue.

The surveyed parents also gave schools Ds or Fs for educating kids on the seriousness of bullying. While schools can take action against bullying, parents have to know what’s going on with their kids. Dr. Sameer Hinduja of the Cyberbullying Research Center thinks “parents need to be equally involved in their [kid's] online life. In many ways the kid’s online life is a more important part of their lives these days.”

Parents can help control cyberbullying using SocialShield technologies. Incidentally, Rowan Sutherland of the Family Values Cinema blog recently cited SocialShield as “a welcome weapon in the fight against cyber predators.” It’s important to recognize the online problems out there, and to understand how we can prevent these dangers.

What is your biggest fear for your kids? How would you handle a situation in which they were bulled, either online or offline?