Introduction
Students have fully embraced the internet and other mobile
communication technologies, such as cell phones and PDA's for
communicating with friends, making new friends, seeking
information, and creating their own websites and blogs
(interactive web journals). While most internet use is fun and
beneficial, there are increasing problems of students using the
internet or other mobile devices to send or post harmful or cruel
text or images to bully and harass others.
The stories are heart-breaking. Students who are:
* Sending cruel, vicious, and sometimes threatening messages.
* Creating websites that have stories, cartoons, pictures, and
jokes ridiculing others.
* Posting pictures of classmates online and asking students to
rate them, with questions such "Who is the biggest …….. (add a
derogatory term)?"
* Breaking into an e-mail account and sending vicious or
embarrassing material to others.
* Engaging someone in IM (instant messaging), tricking that
person into revealing sensitive personal information, and
forwarding that information to others.
* Taking a picture of a person in the locker room using a digital
phone camera and sending that picture to others.
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is sending or posting harmful or cruel text or
images using the internet or other digital communication devices.
The various ways in which cyberbullying may occur include the
following:
* Flaming -- Sending angry, rude, vulgar messages.
* Harassment -- Repeatedly sending a person offensive messages.
* Cyberstalking -- Harassment that include threats of harm or is
highly intimidating.
* Denigration (put-downs) -- Sending or posting harmful, untrue,
or cruel statements about a person to other people.
* Impersonation -- Pretending to be someone else and sending or
posting material that makes that person look bad or places that
person in potential danger.
* Outing and Trickery -- Sending or posting material about a
person that contains sensitive, private, or embarrassing
information. Engage in tricks to solicit embarrassing information
that is then made public.
* Exclusion -- Actions that specifically and intentionally
exclude a person from an online group.
Cyberbullying is occurring through all forms of web publishing
and electronic communications.
Is cyberbullying a serious concern?
It is well known that face-to-face bullying results in long-term
psychological harm to victims. This harm is reflected in low
self-esteem, depression, anxiety, anger, school failure, school
avoidance, suicide, and school violence.
The psychological harm inflicted by cyberbullying may be even
greater. There is no escape for the young person who is being
cyberbullied. The cyberbullying is happening 24/7. There is a
wider scope of dissemination. Sometimes bullies are anonymous.
Many students appear reticent to tell parents or teachers about
cyberbullying for fear that they will not understand or will
overreact or that reporting will lead to retaliation.
There are already emerging reports of youth suicide and school
violence associated with cyberbullying.
How does cyberbullying related to in-school bullying?
There is frequently a relationship between in-school bullying and
cyberbullying. Sometimes, the cyberbullying is a continuation of
in-school bullying, with the same victim being targeted in both
environments. But sometimes, what appears as cyberbullying is
online retaliation by the victim of in-school bullying. Make sure
you know who the real victim is.
What can or should education leaders do about cyberbullying?
School leaders may be hesitant to respond to off-campus
cyberbullying because it is occurring outside of the bounds of
their responsibility. This ignores the fact that cyberbullying
may be having a very damaging impact on on-campus activities. It
is also highly possible that some cyberbullying is occurring
through the school's internet system and via cell phones used at
school.
In recent years, schools have been developing and implementing
effective strategies to address violence, bullying, and suicide
prevention. We can apply the best practices learned from these
activities to address this new concern. In the US, the Center for
the Study and Prevention of Violence has established a Blueprints
for Violence Prevention approach that evaluates violence
prevention programs. It is at
http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/index.html. One of the most
comprehensive programs was developed in Norway, the Olweus
program.
Because much of this activity is occurring off-campus, a
community-based approach is essential. The essential components
of such an effort include:
Step 1: Comprehensive planning
This issue needs to be addressed
by a committee responsible for safe schools and student
discipline. This committee should include active participation of
community law enforcement and mental health organizations. The
other essential addition to this committee is the district (or
local education authority) educational technology staff. It is
necessary to bridge between the management of the school's
internet system and the coordination of concerns over student
safety and responsibility.
Step 2: Needs assessment
How big of a problem is cyberbullying in
your school and for your students? A needs assessment survey is
on our website (see end of article).
Step 3: Policy and practice review
The management of student use
of the internet and cell phone policies and practices must be
reviewed. Too many school districts have come to rely on
filtering software, which will not be effective in addressing the
cyberbullying concern. It is time for a more comprehensive
approach.
It is also important to set up an anonymous reporting system so
that students can report instances of cyberbullying that may be
occurring to them or that they may witness on or off-campus. A
planned approach for how reports of cyberbullying incidents will
be handled is necessary. Some reports may raise concerns about
threats of violence or suicide.
Step 4: Professional development
The safe schools planning
committee and all potential "first responders" (principals,
counsellors, educational technology staff) will require a better
understanding of the concerns of cyberbullying. All other
educational staff should be made aware of the concern.
Step 5: Parent and community outreach
Parents must be better
educated about this concern and encouraged to address this issue
with their children. Parents should be encouraged to make it
clear to their children that engagement in cyberbullying is not
acceptable and should encourage their children to report an
instances of cyberbullying that are directed to them or that they
witness. A Parent's Guide is on our website.
Educating mental health professionals in the community is also
essential. They should know that if they are working with a child
who is depressed or potentially suicidal, it is essential to find
out what is happening to that child online.
Step 6. Student education
Issues of cyberbullying need to be
addressed in the context of bullying prevention educational
activities.
Step 7. Evaluation and assessment
Because this is a new concern
and a new school-based initiative to address the concern,
evaluation and assessment must be built into the planning and
implementation process.
Because cyberbullying is occurring in the hidden online world of
youth, it is imperative that responsible adults create "sunlight"
to begin to address these concerns. Schools are key to providing
the community leadership necessary to bring educators, parents,
students, and other community members together to address
cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying is a new concern that educators must address in the
context of preparing youth for citizenship in a global,
information and communication technologies world.
By Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D.
Center for Safe and Responsible internet Use
http://csriu.org
For a UK-oriented article on the same subject, please go to:
http://www.terry-freedman.org.uk/artman/publish/article_346.shtml
Nancy Willard is the Director of Center for Safe and Responsible
internet Use. She has a background in working with "at risk"
youth, law, and technology in schools. URLs: http://csrui.org and
http://cyberbully.org (where there are further resources available).
This article was first published in Computers in Classrooms #14.
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