"Kick a Ginger Day": One Mom's Horrifying Account

Do you know what your child is doing online? Well, you'd better. A recent incident of violent behavior has been traced back to disturbing messages on the social media kids live for. If you don't want your child to be a target – or a horrifying bully – you must read one Parenting reader's account of a recent disturbing incident in Los Angeles:

Apparently Friday, November 20th was designated “Kick a Ginger” Day by a group on Facebook inspired by a South Park episode about beating up kids with red hair and freckles. It may sound ridiculous, but unfortunately the idea caught on. Several beatings took place at schools across the country on Friday, and a 12-year-old boy in our area was one of them.

When he was dropped off at school last Friday, a group of kids ready to “kick a ginger” laid in waiting for him. His dad was no sooner out of the parking lot before they starting chasing him – he was kicked in the groin and taken down. As he lay on the concrete ground at school, 15 of his peers, some of them classmates, surrounded him like a wild animal and formed a circle around his body. They proceeded to kick him repeatedly over and over again.

Read the rest of her account -- as well as tips for keeping your child safe online -- at Parenting.com.

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