Taking Aim At Cyberbullying

-Diane Carver

Think quick – what’s the most prevalent danger facing your students on the
Internet today?

If your thoughts immediately turned to sexual predators, then you may be
in for a surprise. According to surveys of high school students, educators
and parents conducted in Canada, the United
States and the United Kingdom, one in five middle school and
high school students report being a victim of cyberbullying. 1 2 3

The prevalence of Internet use among young people has opened up a new stomping
ground for the playground bully, a playground where there are no teachers
and few adults to help draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable
behavior. The ease with which most teenagers use technology like cell phones
and computers makes it far too easy for one child with a grudge to turn life
into a living hell for another student.

What Is Cyberbullying?

“I was online one night talking with friends when I got an IM from someone
I didn’t know. It said they saw me leaving the library at 2 o’clock, and
described what I was wearing. Then they logged off. It really creeped
me out.”

-        Nicole, 19

“Some girl thought her boyfriend liked me so she pretended to be me and
gave my phone number to a bunch of guys on a chat line. I got like 40 phone
calls all day long from complete strangers. And I couldn’t be mad at THEM
– they thought I asked them to call.”

-        Emilee, 15

“When I broke up with my girlfriend, she gave the address of my deadjournal (a
popular alternative blog site among teens ) to her new boyfriend and a
bunch of his friends. They started spamming the comments with death threats
and calling me a fag and other stuff. It got so bad I had to move it and
get another name there.

-        John, 16

In a nutshell, cyberbullying is the use of email, text messaging, web sites,
discussion forums and other technological means of communication to intentionally
hurt, defame or intimidate another. Any of the following may be used to bully
another via cyberspace:

• Sending threatening, intimidating or derogatory emails, instant messages
  or phone text messages
• Posting derogatory comments about classmates on an internet bulletin
  board
• Using comments to a classmate’s blog to make fun of them and encouraging
  others to join in
• Creating a web page or web site devoted to insulting another classmate
  or classmates
• Posting personal information about another student on a public web site,
  or sharing it via cell phone or email
• Using another student’s email address or IM name to send messages that
  make the student look bad or will get them into trouble
• Posting embarrassing photos of another on a web site for others to view

What Fuels Cyberbullying?

Cyber bullies are motivated by the same things that motivate their offline
counterparts – bullying gives them power over the victim. Cyber bullying
also carries fewer consequences and risks for the bullies. They can hide
behind the anonymity of a screen name or online persona. They can carry out
their attacks from the privacy of their own bedroom or cell phone. The risk
of being caught is slight – and the havoc that can be caused is enormous.

Because size and physical strength aren’t a factor, girls are as likely
to join in the cyberbullying as boys. Girls and boys also seem to be equally
victimized by cyberbullies, except in cases where the harassment is specifically
sexual. In that case, girls are twice as likely to be victims as boys. 4

Psychologists also believe that teens are more likely to join in and engage
in cyberbullying than in real life. Because the bully doesn’t see or hear
the effects of his taunts and threats, there is less empathy. Students witnessing
an incident of real world bullying often report feeling uncomfortable about
it, or sorry for the victim. Often, when the bullying takes place online,
there’s less connection with the victim because it’s more impersonal.

What’s The Harm?

At the same time, cyberbullying can be far MORE personal to the victim.
The threats and taunts invade his personal space – his email box, his cell
phone, his own bedroom or the kitchen table. Unlike schoolyard bullying,
there is no ‘safety zone’ when you’re the victim of a cyberbully. It’s almost
impossible for the victim of a cyberbully to control the situation by walking
away from it. The effects of being virtually bullied are every bit as real
as those of being made the laughingstock in a real world situation.

What Can You Do To Stop Cyberbullying?

1. If your school or school system isn’t already addressing the problem
   of cyber-bullying, get it on the agenda. Discuss it with the school’s guidance
   office, the principal or the department. Point them to the resources at
   the end of this article to help them understand the scope of the problem.
2. Evaluate the problem. Get the subject out in the open. Survey the students
   to find out the extent of cyber-bullying in your classroom or school (There’s
   a good survey at that
   you can download to use. If it’s too ‘old’ for your class, use it as a
   base to create one of your own that’s easier for younger students and teens
   to understand.)
3. Talk about cyberbullying to your class. If you’re not sure how to introduce
   the subject, you’ll find an excellent lesson plan to open the discussion
   here. It includes printable activity sheets and guided discussion suggestions.
4. Walk the walk. Set clear guidelines for acceptable use of the internet
   in class, and clear consequences for misuse, and enforce them.
5. Strike at the assumption of anonymity that fuels a lot of cyber-bullying.
   Explain to your class how identities of users can be tracked through IP
   addresses, email headers and other information. No one is REALLY anonymous
   on the web – there are always ways to track malicious users down. Make
   sure that your students understand that if they send email, post on a bulletin
   board, send text message or otherwise harass another student, they CAN
   be caught.
6. Attack the notion that ‘it’s all just a prank’. Students should be aware
   that it is illegal to make threats of physical harm via email, text messaging
   or the internet, and that it may be illegal to post derogatory information
   about someone with the intent of doing them harm.
7. Emphasize kindness and courtesy in all communications. Bring the effects
   of online bullying home in a way that students can understand. Use news
   stories about cyberbullying to open discussions with students and ask questions
   like:

How would you feel if this happened to you?

What would your mother think if she knew you were doing this?

How would you feel if you posted a web page like that, and the newspapers
reported that you did it?

8. Make it easy for students to report cyber-bullying that they witness
   or are part of without fear of retaliation. Provide a way for them to report
   abuse anonymously. Let them know that any report made – anonymously or
   not – will be taken seriously and investigated, and that their privacy
   as a reporter will be respected.
9. Educate parents about the seriousness of cyberbullying. Send home literature
   and suggested reading about bullying and cyberbullying to all parents.
10. Make lessons about internet safety a part of your regular curriculum.
    Don’t stop with ‘don’t reveal personal information’, though. Make sure
    that students know the steps to take if they are being harassed, intimidated
    or targeted for ridicule through IMs, email, text messages or on web sites.

The internet opens new worlds for investigation, communication and cooperation.
Your actions in the classroom can help your students to take advantage of
all the opportunities it offers without fear of becoming a victim.

Resources for the Classroom Teacher:

Some places to get lesson plans, information and handouts regarding cyberbullying

http://www.cyberbullying.org/

http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/lesson_plans/

http://www.bullyonline.org/schoolbully/mobile.htm

Cyberbullying In The News

Some stories to get the discussion started in your classroom

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/bullying/cyber_bullying.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/21/earlyshow/living/caught/main681867.shtml

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1230/p11s01-legn.html

References:

1 NCH
The Children’s Charity (UK)

Putting U In The Picture – Mobile Bullying Survey 2005

Available at http://www.nch.org.uk/information/index.php?i=237

2Crimes
Against Children Research Center(US) – Online Victimization – A Report On
The Nation’s Youth

Available at http://www.nch.org.uk/information/index.php?i=237

3 Media
Awareness Network Young Canadians In A Wired World Survey (2001)

4Crimes
Against Children Research Center(US) – Online Victimization – A Report On
The Nation’s Youth

- TheCanadianTeacher.com Staff Writer (copyright 2005) news(AT)thecanadianteacher.com