Cyberbullying
Defined:
"Cyberbullying is
an aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or individual,
using
electronic forms of contact, repeatedly over time against a victim who
cannot
easily defend him or herself" (Anti-Bullying
Alliance, 2007)
Some Issues:
“Emotional harm may be
greater than in-person bullying
because …
-
Harm
is on-going 24/7
- Material can be widely
disseminated and difficult or impossible to remove
- Bully may be anonymous or may
involve others
- Teens are very reticent to tell adults about online concerns
- Lack of knowledge of how to stop cyberbullying” (Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, 2007)
Cyberbullying
Roles
“At this point in time, it is likely that
many students who are actively socializing online, have had some
involvement in
cyberbullying in one or more of the following roles:
Bullies. “Put-downers”
who harass and demean others, especially those they think
are different or inferior, or
“get-backers,” who
have been bullied by others and are using the
Internet to retaliate or vent their anger.
Targets. The
targets of the cyberbully, who in some cases may be the bullies at
school, and in other cases the targets.
Harmful Bystanders. Those who encourage and support the bully
or watch the bullying from the sidelines, but do nothing to
intervene or help the target.
Helpful Bystanders. Those who seek to stop the bullying, protest against it, provide support to the target, or tell an adult. One of the most important strategies to address cyberbullying will be stimulating more students to become helpful bystanders” (Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, 2007b).
Cyberbullying Statistics
- “42% of kids have been bullied while
online. 1 in 4 have had it happen more than once.
- 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly 1
in 5 have had it happen more than once.
- 21% of kids have received mean or threatening
e-mail or other messages.
- 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful
things to them online. More than 4 out of 10 say it has happened more
than once.
- 53% of kids admit having said something mean or
hurtful to another person online. More than 1 in 3 have done it more
than once.
- 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online. Based on 2004 i-SAFE survey of 1,500 students grades 4-8” (i-safe, Inc., 2004).
Methods
of Cyberbullying:
- “Text message bullying involves sending unwelcome texts that are
threatening or cause discomfort.
- Picture/video-clip bullying via
mobile phone cameras
is used to make the person being bullied feel threatened or
embarrassed, with images usually sent to other people. 'Happy slapping'
involves filming and sharing physical attacks.
- Phone call bullying via mobile
phone uses silent
calls or abusive messages. Sometimes the bullied person's phone is
stolen and used to harass others, who then think the phone owner is
responsible. As with all mobile phone bullying, the perpetrators often
disguise their numbers, sometimes using someone else's phone to avoid
being identified.
- Email bullying uses email to send bullying or threatening
messages, often using a pseudonym for anonymity or using someone else's
name to pin the blame on them.
- Chat room bullying involves sending menacing or upsetting responses
to children or young people when they are in a web-based chat room.
- Bullying through instant
messaging (IM) is an
Internet-based form of bullying where children and young people are
sent unpleasant messages as they conduct real-time conversations
online.
- Bullying via websites includes the use of defamatory blogs (web logs), personal websites and online personal polling sites. There has also been a significant increase in social networking sites for young people, which can provide new opportunities for cyberbullying” (Anti-Bullying Alliance, 2007).
Types of
Cyberbullying:
Flaming. “Online fights using electronic messages with angry and vulgar language.
Joe
and Alec’s online fight got angrier and angrier. Insults were
flying. Joe warned
Alec to watch his back in school the next day.
Harassment. Repeatedly sending nasty, mean, and insulting messages.
Sara
reported to the principal that Kayla was bullying another student.
When Sara
got home, she had 35 angry messages—some from total strangers.
Denigration. “Dissing” someone online. Sending or posting gossip or rumors about a person to damage his or her reputation or friendships.
Some
boys created a “We Hate Joe” Web site where they
posted jokes, cartoons,
gossip, and rumors, all dissing Joe.
Impersonation. Pretending to be someone else and sending or posting material to get that person in trouble or danger or to damage that person’s reputation or friendships.
Laura
watched closely as Emma logged on to her account and discovered
her password.
Later, Laura logged on to Emma’s account and sent a
hurtful message
to Emma’s boyfriend, Adam.
Outing. Sharing someone’s secrets or embarrassing information or images online.
Greg was changing in the locker room. Matt took a picture of him with his cell phone camera. Within seconds, the picture was flying around phones at school.
Trickery. Tricking someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing information, then sharing it online.Katie
sent a message to Jessica pretending to be her friend and asking lots
of questions.
Jessica responded, sharing really personal information. Katie
forwarded
the message to others with her own comment, “Jessica is a
loser.”
Exclusion. Intentionally and cruelly excluding someone from an online group.
Millie
tries hard to fit in with a group of girls at school. She recently got
on the "outs”
with a leader in this group. Now Millie has been blocked from
the
friendship
links of all the girls.
Cyberstalking. Repeated, intense harassment and denigration that includes threats or creates significant fear.
When
Annie broke up with Sam, he sent her many angry, threatening,
pleading messages.
He spread nasty rumors about her to her friends and posted a
sexually
suggestive picture she had given him in a sex-oriented
discussion group,
along with her e-mail address and cell phone
number” (Center
for Safe and Responsible Internet Use,
2007c).
Effects of Bullying:
- “It can mess up a
kid's future.
Young people who bully are more likely than those who don't bully to
skip school and drop out of school. They are also more likely to smoke,
drink alcohol and get into fights (Nansel et al, 2003; Olweus, 1993).
- It scares some people so much
that they skip school.
As many as 160,000 students may stay home on any given day because
they're afraid of being bullied (Pollack, 1998).
- It can lead to huge problems later in life. Children who bully are more likely to get into fights, vandalize property, and drop out of school. And 60% of boys who were bullies in middle school had at least one criminal conviction by the age of 24 (Olweus, 1993)” (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2007d).
Website Objective:The objective of this website is to provide information about how cyberbullying can be tackled by students, parents, and educators. Website
Goals:
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