Text Bullying: What Educators Should Know and Do to Improve the Lives of Students

“Text bullying is sending mean, embarrassing, untrue, or hurtful messages to or about someone using cell phone text messaging. This can also include sexting, or sending sexually suggestive text messages to someone or about someone” (wordpress.com, 2016).

What is Text Bullying?

9 out of 10 teens have a cell phone

1 in 5 teens will be victims of text bullying

1 in 10 teens engage in text bullying

Text bullying is more common than traditional bullying and less reported

(wordpress.com, 2016)

Know the Facts

Text bullying is happening at a younger age and projecting later into life. “In a recent survey, more than half of fifth grade students had smartphones” (The Times in Plain English, 2013).

Text bullying can lead to depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, violence, and suicide (bullyingstatistics.org, 2016).

“It can happen 24 hours a day, even at home, which is usually a refuge from bullying, so it can feel inescapable” (bullyingstatistics.org, 2016). It is also harmful to the bullies as it can lead to legal action against them and follow them into their careers.

What Can

EducatorsDo?

Setting the EnvironmentIn a Positive School Environment Students…. Do better academically. Attend school more regularly. Feel better about themselves. Engage in fewer risky behaviors like drinking alcohol or using drugs. Engage less in bullying and other problem behaviors

In a Positive School Environment that Supports Connectedness Amongst Staff…

• Teachers and staff feel valued and are more likely to become involved and intervene in a bullying situation.

• Teachers and paraprofessionals report greater comfort levels intervening in a bullying situation.

Feelings of comfort in being willing to intervene are correlated to:• Knowing effective intervention strategies• Knowing that others in the school also are likely to intervene

(Safe and Supportive Schools, 2016)

(Safe and Supportive Schools, 2016)

Setting the Environment

•Set the tone of the classroom•Involve students in establishing classroom norms and expectations•Inform students of the dangers of text bullying and other forms of bullying and set guidelines for reporting and consequences•Discuss differences in a respectful way, offer examples, and model appropriate behavior•Give students opportunities to role play or apply respectful behavior and attitudes in realistic situations•Enforce a strict zero-tolerance attitude and policy for cell phones and bullying

(Safe and Supportive Schools, 2016)

Setting the EnvironmentEducators

•Model appropriate behavior

•Keep consistent behavior between all classrooms and staff

•Be available to listen

•Be positive and authentic

•Consistently reinforce fairly with positive and negative consequences

Instruction

•Raise awareness of ideas and strategies•Give students opportunities to discuss uncomfortable feelings of bullying in each role- bully, victim, bystander•Give opportunities for students to brainstorm common bullying situations and possible solutions•Encourage communication skills and dialogue

Social Emotional LearningAn educational movement that focuses on the systematic development of 5 core social & emotional skills that help students more effectively handle life challenges and thrive in both their learning and their social environments, incorporated into the daily curriculum (CASEL, 2015).

(blog.remind.com, 2016)

Research suggests that school-based prevention programs can be effective. The Task Force on Community Preventive Services stated that universal school-based programs designed to prevent or reduce violent behavior, including bullying, significantly reduced rates of violent behavior and aggression for all grade levels (CASEL, 2015).

Social Emotional LearningSelf-Awareness and Self-Management SkillsRecognize and manage emotions in order to respond to conflict in calm and assertive ways. In order to handle conflicts effectively, children need to be able to recognize when they are getting angry, and learn to calm themselves before reacting (CASEL, 2015).

Social AwarenessBe tolerant and appreciative of differences, and interact empathetically with peers. Children often lack empathy for the victims of bullying, and that they view being different from the social ideal, or social norm, as the cause of bullying. When active bystanders intervened, feelings of empathy for the victim and concern for the well-being of others were motivating factors. (Swearer & Cary, 2007 and Rigby & Johnson, 2006 as cited by CASEL, 2015).

Social Emotional LearningRelationship Skills•Initiate and sustain friendships and other relationships. Victimized children tend to have fewer friends, friends who are also victimized, and have more enemies. Many are socially withdrawn and lack confidence and skills in effectively interacting with peers. Interventions that help peer-rejected children learn how to positively communicate with peers can help them be more accepted by peers, less likely to be bullied, and more likely to be assisted by peers if targeted by a bully. •Resist social pressure to enable, encourage, or directly participate in bullying, and actively defend victims. When bystanders see bullying, they spend most of their time either actively participating in the act or passively encouraging the aggressor by serving as an audience.•Be able to seek help from peers or other adults when needed. Victims and bystanders typically do not seek help from peers or adults when they are unable to solve the problem on their own, rather they “suffer in silence” and blame themselves.

Quoted from CASEL, 2015

Social Emotional LearningResponsible Decision Making“Think through and resolve social problems effectively and ethically. Effective social problem-solving requires an accurate assessment of the situation. Research indicates that children who frequently bully tend to misinterpret social interactions as being more hostile, adversarial, or provocative than their peers do. These children also tend to hold more supportive beliefs about using violence and are less confident about using nonviolent strategies to resolve conflict” (CASEL, 2015).

Bullying typically stops in 10 seconds

when a student intervenes

Fact:

(Safe and Supportive Schools, 2016)

Social Emotional Learning

Areas of Social Emotional Curriculum

Development & Implementation

AssessmentAwareness and Training

Rules & Reporting

Procedures

Discipline Policy

Adult Supervision

Adult Models of Behavior

Promoting Positive Peer Interactions

Classroom Climate

InterventionsParental Involvement

Professional Development (CASEL, 2015)

Battle Technology with Technology

STOPit phone app: allows user to report anonymously and deter themselves from bullying

KnowBullying app: offers advice and communication skills to talk about online bullying

Stopbullying.gov: offers students videos & games about bullying & prevention

OnlineGuardian: allows parents to monitor social networking sites & block messages with bullying phrases

NearParent: sets up network of adult help & forwards questionable content to them

(Crabtree, 2014 and DiProperzio, 2016 and School Tipline, 2011)

Schooltipline.com: allows students to anonymously and easily report bullying to school staff

Inform Parents

Give parents information on the dangers of bullying as well as identifying and preventing it via a school website link, newsletter, monthly school supported brochure, etc. When the appropriate people have a knowledge base they can be proactive to bullying situations or take action when needed. Parents can:•Discuss bullying, bullying scenarios, and converse with children about acts they have had a role in•Encourage teens to think critically of the consequences, including possible legalities before sending certain texts. •Collaborate with school personnel to enforce consistent consequences, stay up to date on information, and create solutions to bullying issues•If your child doesn’t have a cell phone, wait until they are socially and emotionally mature enough (Bullyingstatistics.org, 2016)

Resources

Blog.remind.com. (2015). Social Emotional Learning. Retrieved from

http://blog.remind.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/social-and-emotional-learning-core- competencies.png

Clipshrine.com. (n.d.). Modern Touch Phone Mobile Clip Art. Retrieved from

http://www.clipshrine.com/modern- touch-phone-mobile-13580- medium.html

Hubbell Incorporated. (2016). Hubbell Control Solutions. Retrieved from http://www.hubbell-

automation.com/products/omni_vacancyoccupancy_sensor_product_line

Imgarcade.com (n.d.). Gallery Images for Teenagers Texting Retrieved from http://imgarcade.com/1/teenagers- texting/

Metcalf, Anne. (2013). Family Search Blog. Retrieved from

https://familysearch.org/blog/en/research -lessons-added-familysearchorgjanuary- 2013/

Sonnenburg, Dr. Mandy. (2014). Welcome Back Kotter: Why High School Classrooms Need a Makeover. Retrieved from http://parseprofessor.blogspot.com/2014/03/welcome-back-kotter-why-high-school.html

The Times in Plain English, (2013). Cyber bullying Taking Place Among Younger Children. Retrieved from

http://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/cyberbullying-taking-place-among- younger-children/

IMAGE REFERENCES

Bullyingstatistics.org. (2016). Bullying Statistics: Anti-bullying Help, Facts, and More. Retrieved from http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/text-bullying.html

CASEL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2015). Social and Emotional Learning and Bullying Prevention. Retrieved from

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/513f79f9e4b05ce7b70e9673/t/5367958ee4b0dbc1364dbb 7b/1399297422536/3_SEL_and_Bullying_Prevention_2009.pdf

Crabtree, Carolynn. (2014). Fight Cyber Bullying with Dialogue and Technology. Retrieved from https://www.fosi.org/good-digital-parenting/fight-cyberbullying-dialogue-and-technology/#!

DiProperzio, Linda. (2016). Best Apps and Products to Prevent Cyberbullying. Parents. Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/internet/best-apps-prevent-cyberbullying/

School Tipline. (2011). School Tipline- School Safety Simplified. Retrieved from http://www.schooltipline.com/

The Times in Plain English, (2013). Cyber bullying Taking Place Among Younger Children. Retrieved from http://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/cyberbullying-taking-place-among-younger-children/

Safe and Supportive Schools. (2016). Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment in our Nation’s Classrooms. [PowerPoint]. Retrieved from https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/creating-safe-and-respectful-environment-our-nations-classrooms-training-toolkit

STOPitcyberbully.com. (2015). STOPit. Retrieved from http://stopitcyberbully.com/

REFERENCES