Within the last year, perpetrators created two harmful Instagram social media sites meant specifically to harass, bully or discriminate against high school students in Steamboat Springs.

Those sites were created to disparage or attack the ethnicity or physical appearance of specific students. One of the cases led to disciplinary action by school officials, while the second case is still under investigation, according to School Resource Officer Lisa Eifling.

The targeted social media bullying frustrates Eifling, who is passionate about her job to help keep kids safe and make students feel safe at school.

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“The extensive use of social media platforms has really created another dimension to bullying,” said Eifling, a police officer for 11 years. “With bullying, sometimes we feel Steamboat Springs is our own little world, but we are dealing with the same things that the rest of the nation is facing.”

The Steamboat Springs Police Department officer wants all students she serves on the three campuses within the city limits to feel comfortable coming to her if students are attacked, bullied or harassed either physically, verbally or through social media. One focus this semester is to educate possible perpetrators to avoid insensitive social media actions before they happen. Eifling wants teens to know the harm they may cause others with their online actions.

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Educators are emphasizing that students “Stop and Think” to ask themselves to think before posting on often-used social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat or X (formerly Twitter). Students are asked to Stop and Think: T is it true? H is it helpful? I is it inspiring? N is it necessary? K is it kind?

Eifling also wants parents to educate themselves about commonly used social media apps, including secret or disguised apps such as My Eyes Only on Snapchat, and to learn how to monitor students’ online activity.

One local program that helps students is It Takes Courage, the anti-bullying program for middle school students through REPS, or Reaching Everyone Preventing Suicide.

“Bullying does not have to be the stereotype of being shoved into a locker or pushed down in the hall or laughed at in front of your peers,” said Anna Allsberry, REPS communication coordinator. “It can be subtle, micro-aggressions, demeaning comments, feeling excluded. Cyber bullying is as real as being bullied in person and sometimes even worse as there is no escape. People are more likely to say hurtful things when they are typing on a screen instead of talking to someone face to face. Comparison through social media is very impactful and can be devastating to someone’s mental health.

“Bullies are not equipped with the proper tools and resort to putting others down. We are working on combatting this by promoting mental health accessibility and awareness, teaching youth how to know when they or a friend are struggling, how to reach out for help, what resources are available, how to be an upstander and not a bystander, and how important kindness is.”

Eifling and police department Civilian Criminal Investigator Patty Oakland say sexting is another increasing problem for area students.

“I am seeing that sexting is prevalent here; kids feel a need to send a photo of themselves, even if doing it in a relationship,” Eifling said.

If someone has a nude photo on their cell phone or device of someone under the age of 18, keeping or sending those photos can be considered possession or distribution of child pornography.

Police officials said teens texting nude photos unfortunately can become an “everybody is doing it” social pressure, but those photos may be used later in cases of harassment, exploitation or blackmail such as “revenge porn” after a bad breakup.

Oakland and Student Resource Officer Stephen Harbison with the Routt County Sheriff’s Office presented an eye-opening session on sexting and keeping kids safe online during the Parent Connection Summit in December, presented by the Routt County Youth Services Coalition.

Harbison noted cases of sexting as young as seventh-grade students, but middle school online problems generally involve harassing or bullying language. He has seen students as young as third grade “talking really bad to each other over school email.”

“Beautiful community can be felt online, but it can’t be your only community and connectivity,” Oakland advised. “We have to balance the safety of this connection and this belonging at the same time. There are a lot of secret apps and chats out there, and we don’t always know who they are communicating with.”

Oakland suggests parents ask their kids to teach them about the social media platforms they are using in order to start conversations about online safety. Child safety experts recommend, for example, that children do not communicate online with anyone they do not already know face to face as a trusted friend or acquaintance. Parents should know their children’s phone and social media passwords, and social media profiles should be set to private.