CYBER BULLYING“What makes cyber bullying so dangerous…is that anyone can practice it without having to confront the victim. You don’t have to be strong or fast, simply equipped with a cell phone or a computer and a willingness to terrorize.”
(King, 2006)
KEY AREASWHAT IS CYBER BULLYING?
EXAMPLES OF CYBER BULLYING
WHAT A STUDENT CAN DO
WHAT PARENTS / GUARDIANS CAN DO
What is cyber-bullying?“Cyber-bullying involves the use of information
and communication technologies such as e-mail, cell phone and pager text messages,
instant messaging, defamatory personal Web sites, and defamatory online personal polling
Web sites, to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that
is intended to harm or upset others.”(Bell Belsey, www.cyberbullying.ca )
Characteristics of Cyber-bullying1. Unequal power2. Repetitive behaviours3. Bully can remain anonymous4. Bully can pretend to be another person5. Bullying can happen anywhere, anytime, given
that cyber-space is everywhere all of the time6. Bullying can take many forms within the cyber-
space environment7. Capacity for instant and limitless sending of
words and images
Vehicles for cyber-bullying Email IM – MSN Social networking sites – Facebook Web sites Chat rooms Virtual learning environments – school work sites Mobile phones Camera phones On line and interactive games Blogs Wikis Bashing site – Rate My School Internet polling – Doodle
I fell out with my friend and she has told all my friends to block me on
MSN messenger.
Someone keeps ringing my phone
laughing and hanging up. I don’t
know who it is
This week I have had 4 texts saying“I hate you”.
Someone took a picture of me being pushed, over on their phone and sent it to everyone in my class.
Someone set up a voting page on how
ugly I was
I told my friend my email password and when we fell out she emailed
nasty messages to my friends so now they are not talking
to me.
I split up with my boyfriend and he posted personal
information about our relationship on
the internet
Someone has set up a hate
page about me
Why cyber-bully? Motivations of anger, revenge or frustration For entertainment or laughs They are bored and have too many tech toys To get a reaction By accident – they reacted impulsively Power-Hungry - to torment others and to boost
their ego or status Students may start out defending themselves
from traditional bullying to find they enjoy the buzz
Often girls do it to sustain their social standing Some think they are righting wrongs or
defending others
Percentage of Bullying per Technology
How does it make children feel? I don’t want to come to schoolEveryone hates me I feel really left out I can’t tell anyone because they will take my
phone off meNo one will understand There is no escapeWho else is involved?
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT VICTIMS
OF BULLYING
What can students do?
Text a friend
Tell a teacher
Look online
and email a website for advice
Speak to an adult
Phone a friend
Don’t reply
Keep the messages as
evidence
Block the bully from your phone, email, messenger etc
Find support and help from websites like
Don’t give your passwords to ANYONE
What can students do?
WHAT YOU CAN DO AS A PARENT OR
GUARDIAN?
WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO ADDRESS CYBER BULLYING?
Generational gap Difficult for parents to understand as they didn’t
experience this as children Lack of knowledge of IT/technology Hard for parents to monitor (a lot happens at night
when asleep) Its moving at a faster rate than our
research/understanding and safety measures
WHERE TO BEGIN?
Spend some time learning about cyber technology
Get involved with your children’s online activities, validate their skills and learn from them
Get on the internet and mobile phone and learn how it works. Ask your children to show you
Talk with other parents
IMPLEMENT SAFE TOOLS NOW!
Have the computer in a place that you can see it (not hidden away in child’s bedroom)
Choose products with parental controls Have a suitable filter on the computer to stop
inappropriate material or sitesEnsure you as the parent has access rights to
your children’s computers and passwords
TALK WITH YOUR CHILDREN
Talk regularly with your child about on-line activities he or she is involved in. Talk specifically about cyber bullying Encourage your child to tell you if he
or she is aware of others who may be the victims of such behaviour
Explain that cyber bullying is harmful and unacceptable behaviour
STEPS TO TAKE IF YOU FEEL YOU CHILD IS BEING CYBER BULLIED
Create a safe environment for technology use Monitor your child’s “cyber” usage Talk with your child about their usage Block future contact from the cyber bully Contact your child’s school Consider contacting the cyber bully’s parents Keep proof of the cyber bullying (e.g., copies
of an e-mail message) in case you need them as evidence
THANK YOU
ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE
