Cyber Bullying 101

Texas School Safety CenterTexas School Safety Center

Center for Safe Communities & SchoolsCenter for Safe Communities & Schools

Technology Today

• “The Internet has transformed the landscape of children’s social lives, moving cliques from lunchrooms and lockers to live chats and online bulletin boards, and intensifying their reach and power.”

Source: Education: Cyberbullying stalks students, Rachel Simmons, November 9, 2003

24/7 Playground

“The Internet is becoming the 24/7 playground for bullies looking to humiliate their peers. Cyber bullying is the latest trend in childhood harassment.”

Source: www.isafe.org, Teri Schroeder, March 2005

What is Cyberbullying?

• “Cyberbullying is the use of e-mail, instant messaging (IM), chat rooms, pagers, cell phones, or other forms of information technology to deliberately harass, threaten, or intimidate someone.

• Cyberbullying is often done by children, who have increasing access to these technologies.”

Source: www.whatis.techtarget.com , March 2005

Other methods to cyberbully

• Cyberbullies pose as their victim, doing things or saying things online.

• They may break into their victim’s friends or even lock the victim out of their own account.

With the click of a mouse cyber bullies are…

• Sending cruel, vicious, and sometimes threatening emails, instant messages, or text messages.

• Excluding someone from an instant messenger buddy list or blocking their email for no reason.

• Tricking someone into revealing personal or embarrassing information and sending it to others.

• Taking a picture of a person in the locker room using a digital phone camera and sending that picture to other.

With the click of a mouse cyber bullies are…

• Breaking into someone’s email or instant message account to send cruel or untrue messages while posing as that person.

• Creating websites to make fun of another person such as a classmate or teacher.

• Using websites to rate peers as prettiest, ugliest, etc.

• Source:www.mcgruff.org/grownups/cyberbullying.htm & www.cyberbullying.org March 2005

Boys vs. Girls Cyber bullies

Girls• Spread rumors

• Make fun of someone

• Exclude others

• Share secrets

Boys• Threaten to fight

• Threaten to hurt someone

• Send message of a sexual nature

Ways to Cyberbully

• Blogs: Widely read diaries that publicly detail the social drama of young lives. They are often scoured for personal mention, and they spare no language of feelings.

• Chat Rooms: A website or part of a web site where people can hold conversations in real time. In most chat rooms, users communicate with each other by typing messages.

• Bulletin Boards• Changing Profiles• Photos

Sources: www.aftab.com, March 2005 & Cyberstalking, Bocij, Paul, 2004

America’s Challenge

• Cyberbullying is emerging as one of the more challenging issues facing educators and parents as young people embrace the Internet and other mobile communication technologies.

Source: www.cyberbullying.org , March 2005

• Cyberbullying can be a complicated issue especially for adults who are not as familiar with using the Internet, instant messenger, or chat rooms as kids.

Source: www.mcgrufforg/grownups/cyberbullying.htm, March 2005

Quiz: Instant Messaging Lingo

LOL PAL

BFF S^

DIKU BU↑BRB B4N

PM CUL

CTN NOYB

IHU URF

PG11 SM

Extreme Cyberbullying Cyberbullying can seem more

extreme to it’s victims because of several factors including:

• Occurs in children’s home. Being bullied at home can take away the place children feel most safe.

• Can be harsher. Often kids say things online that they wouldn’t say in person, mainly because they can’t see the other person’s reaction.

Extreme Cyberbullying, Cont.• Far reaching. Kids can send emails making fun of

someone to their entire class or school with a few clicks, or post them on a website for the whole world to see.

• Anonymity. Cyberbullies often hide behind screen names and email addresses that don’t identify who they are. Not knowing who is responsible for bullying messages can add to a victim’s insecurity.

• May seem inescapable. It may seem easy to get away from a cyberbully – just get offline – but for some kids not going online takes away one of the major places they socialize.

A World of Electronic Violence

Testimonial from a girl bully…

“It’s great! Over the internet you don’t really see their faces, and they don’t see your face. You don’t even have to look in their eyes and see the hurt!”

Source: Middle School Student, Girl Scout Research, April 2003

Let’s Discuss

Many schools decline to discipline “off-campus” behavior, the Internet has become a free-for-all where bullying and cruelty are rampant. What policies does your district have about cyberbullying?

Children Online

“About 45 million American kids ages 10 to 17 are estimated on be online, spending hours every day at their computers. With the click of a button, they can e-mail rumors to scores of recipients for instant viewing, permanently damaging in a peer’s reputation and social life.”

Source: Education, Cyberbullying stalks students

Rachel Simmons, November 9, 2003

Internet Safety Survey• 63% of online teens received e-mails from

perfect strangers• 60% of those ABOVE responded• 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.

• 58% did not report the incident(s) to their parents or another adult about someone being mean or hurtful to them online

• 80% of youth ages 7 -18 receive inappropriate e-mail on a daily basis

• 86% of girls polled, report that they can chat online without their parent’s knowledge

Source: Based on 2004 i-SAFE survey of 1, 500 students grades 4 – 8

Effects of Cyberbullying

Victims of cyberbullying may experience many of the same effects as children who are bullied in person such as:

• Drop in grades

• Low self-esteem

• Change in interest

• Depression

Strategies to protect your children

• Learn about the new technologiesNow is the time to start surfing the web.

• Talk about valuesTechnology has changed, but kindness and decency should still be top priorities.

• Guard passwordsTell your child not to share passwords and to change passwords frequently.

• Talk to your child if you believe he/she is the victim Make sure your child knows he/she is not to

blame for being targeted and should not be embarrassed to report any incidents.

Strategies to protect your children

• Keep copies and documentKeep documentation, it will strengthen your case if you need to report it to school or other authorities.

• Lobby your schoolEven if the cyberbullying happens outside of school, the repercussions spill over into the classroom.

• Stress the internet’s impactAn email sent to one child can be forwarded to hundreds. Encourage your child to think before clicking.

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