Postmedia - Kids need primer on defamation: researcher

Most children don't learn about child pornography and defamation of character, but perhaps a primer is needed, says a leading researcher on technology and the law.

Shaheen Shariff, an associate professor in McGill University's department of integrated studies in education, said people growing up in the Facebook age are so used to sharing their every thought and action online that they don't think about the potential legal ramifications of their communication.

Shariff is one of four winners - picked from among 100 applicants - of a $50,000 grant, as part of Facebook's Digital Citizenship Research Grants for her groundbreaking work on cyberbullying. The grants are to be announced by the social media giant today.