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CYBER KIDS, CYBER

BULLYING, AND CYBER A Staff

BALANCE Development
created by
BY BARBARA TROLLEY AND CONSTANCE Martha Littles
HANEL

Image: corwin.com
WELCOME TO THEIR WORLD

Our students live in the digital world.


87% of US teens (21 million) use the Internet.
This is a 73% increase since 2000.
It is our responsibility to enable them to move
safely and with respect for others in this
world. This is called “digital citizenship.”
POSITIVE USES FOR TECHNOLOGY

Instantaneous communication
Search for information quickly and easily
Everyone has a voice
Socialization – especially for those who find
face-to-face communication difficult
Children can stay in touch with parents
Fosters connections between people
CHALLENGES

PERMANENCE
 Words and images cannot be retrieved or taken back
 Information becomes a permanent record to be
shared, repeated, manipulated, and possibly used
against you
 Others can record, distribute, and even alter what
you’ve said or written
 Teach students - If you wouldn’t say it to their face,
don’t say it online. Chances are, they will see it
eventually!
CHALLENGES

IMPULSIVITY
 It’s very easy to type a quick response without
thinking that will have lasting consequences
 Teens and younger students are very impulsive and
often unable to think through the possible
consequences of their actions

Image: healthtap.com
CHALLENGES

Anonymity/Emotionally Removed
from Others
 Empathy is removed when you can’t see the person’s
reaction to your hurtful words.
 “A sense of invisibility, coupled with inexperience,
sets the stage for tragedy.”

Image: sobernation.com
CHALLENGES

 Lack of af fordability/access
 Learning curve – leaving older generations behind
 Loss of productivity/focus at work and school
 Long term ef fects of texting and tech lingo on writing skills
 So much information is available – do young people actually
know how to access it and are they motivated to do so? Do
they access quality, reliable sources?
 Misinterpretation of communication without facial and
nonverbal cues
 Breaches of confidentiality
 Exposure to pornography
 Parents are not as tech savvy as their children – lack of
supervision
CYBERBULLYING - DEFINITIONS

Being cruel to others by sending or


posting harmful or embarrassing
material using technological means
The use of any electronic means to harm
another individual

Image: cnn.com
HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM
“TRADITIONAL” BULLYING
 Technology allows cruelty to be exponentially more
far reaching and cruel
 Empathy is removed when you are shielded from
seeing the face of the person whom you’ve harmed
 Often occurs off school property – more difficult to
monitor
 Cyberbullies often have good relationships with
adults and teachers
 Illusion of anonymity and the ease of responding
without the physical presence of the other person
allows children the “freedom” to do things they
might not otherwise do.
CYBERBULLIES’ TECHNOLOGY

Blogs
Email
IM
Chat rooms
Smart phones
Personal web sites
STATISTICS
STATISTICS

30%

25%

20% Grade 4
Grade 5
15%
Grade 6
Grade 7
10%
Grade 8
5%

0%
I have received mean or threatening email or messages
Taken from an i-SAFE America survey of students nationwide
STATISTICS

 Girls are more likely than boys to spread rumors


 Boys tend to physically threaten peers online
 Up to 90% of youth who have been cyberbullied do not
tell an adult
 Fear of losing tech privileges
 Cyberbullying behaviors peak in middle school and high
school
 Seventh grade is considered a key transition point
 peer conflict
 Cliques
 rapid hormonal changes
 increased academic responsibility
IT’S A GRAY AREA

 Cyberbullying is not black and white.


 Friendly one-upmanship banter turns ugly?
 A negative email is sent to a peer who has physically bullied another
student?
 Negative song lyrics are typed and sent to a peer?
 Many incidents can often be perceived by one party
but not the other as cyberbullying.
 Often cyclical – only partial documentation is
presented to make one child seems like a victim and
one the instigator when it is often a cyclical process.
CYBERBULLY CATEGORIES

Vengeful angel
Righting wrongs
Protecting themselves and others

Image: glogster.com
CYBERBULLY CATEGORIES

Power-hungry
Want a reaction
Control others with fear Image: etcjournal.com

Revenge of the nerds – getting back


online when they can’t do so face-to-face
CYBERBULLY CATEGORIES

Mean girls
Bored
Ego based
Image: examiner.com

Often group based


Cannot work in isolation
CYBERBULLY CATEGORIES

Entitled
Put down those to whom they feel
superior
Feel they have the right to harass and
demean others who they deem different
or inferior

Image: babble.com
CYBERBULLY CATEGORIES

Inadvertent Bully
Does not realize it’s wrong or harmful
Role-playing
T YPES OF CYBERBULLYING

Flaming
Online fights using messages with angry
and vulgar language

Image: whatknows.com
T YPES OF CYBERBULLYING

Harassment
Repeatedly sending offensive, rude, or
insulting messages
T YPES OF CYBERBULLYING

Denigration
“dissing” someone online
Sending or posting cruel gossip, rumors,
or pictures about a person to damage his
or her relationship or friendships

Image: standard.co.uk
T YPES OF CYBERBULLYING

Impersonation
Pretending to be someone else and sending or
posting material online that makes a person
look bad, gets that person in trouble or
danger, or damages that person’s reputation
or friendships

Image: sfgate.com
T YPES OF CYBERBULLYING

Outing and Trickery


Sharing someone’s secrets or
embarrassing information online
Tricking them into doing the same
T YPES OF CYBERBULLYING

Exclusion
Intentionally excluding someone from
online groups or “buddy” lists

Image: successforkidswithearingloss.com
BYSTANDERS

Teach students to become more involved


and stand up for what is right
 Often, it is the bystander who reports
cyberbullying
Problem Bystanders
encourage or support the bullying or do
nothing to help
Solution Bystanders
speak up against bullying, provide support to
victims, tell adults
SIGNS OF CYBERBULLYING

 Victims –
 Displays frustration or anger after computer use
 Avoids discussions about computer use
 Displays anxiety over instant messages or emails
 Change in mood or disposition
 Stops using computer
 Avoidance of friends, school, or other activities

 Instigators –
 Avoids discussions about computer use
 Unusual agitation when unable to use computer
 Excessive computer use
 Use of multiple accounts that may not be their own
 Closes programs or does not allow you to view the computer screen
LEGAL ISSUES

 Fine line between “freedom of speech” and balancing school


safety.
 States are in the process of defining new laws to handle
online crimes
 Morse decision – schools can reach out into situations outside
of school for student safety
 School of ficials can be held liable for being deliberately
indif ferent to harassment of which they have actual
knowledge that is so severe that it deprives the victims of
access to an education
 Parents are financially liable for the actions of/harm caused
by their minor children
HOW TO RESPOND

DO NOT turn incidents back to the families


DO NOT react with zero-tolerance policies
Each situation must be examined individually
and assessed carefully
 Is the “victim” really the instigator or vice versa?
 Was it cyclical?
HOW TO RESPOND

 Situations must be therapeutically addressed


 The one “caught” is frequently disciplined severely
while the others remain untouched
 The behavior is deemed wrong, but the needs behind
the behavior are not addressed – dooming them to
repeat
 Cyberbullies were frequently once victims of bullying,
and that must be worked through to stop the cycle
 CYBER BULLIES NEED HELP, NOT BANISHMENT
TEAM APPROACH

Families and schools must work together to


identify, resolve, and prevent cyberbullying.
This requires acknowledgment of
responsibility from all parties and a
cooperative approach.
The key is education for all.
SCHOOLS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

 Involve an attorney attuned to cyberbullying for creation of


policy
 Add cyberbullying to current bullying policy
 Add cyberbullying to the Acceptable Use Policy regarding the
proper use of school computers
 Remember that if it appears to have been initiated of f school
property, the roots could be school based
 Educate parents
 React individually to each incident and look to support all
parties concerned
 Measure the level of cyberbullying in school, when it is
occurring, and through what means
 Educate staf f on cyberbullying
PARENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

 Introduce children to internet safety at home


 Educate themselves on changes in technology
 Foster communication and trust with children
 Communicate the responsibilities and dangers that go along
with the privilege of using the computer, as well as
consequences for misuse
 Monitor children’s use of the computer, smart phones, and
devices
 Keep the computer in an open family area
 Limit computer, phone, and other device time
 Work with the school as a partner to solve problems
 Mediate between children and the school when necessary
YOUTH RESPONSIBILIT Y

 Understand that the use of technology is a privilege


that comes with associated responsibility
 Be cautious about sharing personal information or
visiting questionable websites
 Understand that words do hurt, even if you cannot
see the recipient's response
 Develop empathy for peers
ASSESSING AN ALLEGATION

 Fill out an incident report and a cyberbullying student


assessment form
 Do not rush to judgment - often the party reporting the
incident or saving documentation is deemed the victim when
it is often a circular event
 Collect as much data as possible
 Determine any potential threat or harm
 Suicide
 Homicide
 Impersonation must be considered, but not accepted at face
value
WHAT’S NOT EFFECTIVE

 Zero tolerance
 Three strikes and you’re out
 Anger management in isolation
 Skill building in isolation
 Self esteem building

 Why?
 Unwillingness to report
 Self esteem is often not the problem
 Acquisition of more negative behaviors and feelings
HOLISTIC APPROACH

 Address the school and the community


 Interventions must occur at the parent/community, school,
classroom, and individual levels
 It takes a village
 Character education – creating a caring school environment
 Move beyond isolated disciplinary responses which are often
determined beforehand with no thought to the individual
situation with no comprehensive assessment
PEAS PROGRAM

Psychological, Educational, and Social


Response
 Directed to meet the needs of all the parties affected
by cyberbullying
Two main components
 Assessment
 Therapeutic response
Proactive rather than reactive
“P” - PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE

The school counselor is needed to:

 Follow up on the assessment of the cyberbully


 Provide therapeutic intervention to help address the issues of
the cyberbully
 address the need that the bullying satisfied
 work through emotional conflicts
 development positive thought and behavioral patterns
 Of fer a forum of mediation between the bully and victim
 Prevent future events through development of healthy,
adaptive skills in a multitude of areas
“E” - EDUCATIONAL RESPONSE

Media Specialist/Teachers/Administration are needed to:

 Educate all members of the community to the specific nature


of cyberbullying in order to ef fectively detect and address the
situations that occur
 Parents
 Teachers
 Staff
 Community members
 Use classroom settings, assemblies, and continuing education
programs for education
AND “S” - SOCIAL RESPONSE

School Counselor/Teachers are needed to:

 Teach youth to relate to their peers in positive ways through


friendships and conflict resolution
 Teach social competence and social skills

Parents/The Community are needed to:

 Provide access to moral and supportive role models


 Provide constructive outlets for free time
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION…

Model correct behavior


Keep lines of communication open
Teach youth to respect technology
Cyber kids need to have clear, definable
boundaries and an action plan at home and
school to navigate cyberspace safely
Working on impulse and thinking later is
not an option when every action is
documented.
STOP, SAVE, AND SHARE

Teach students to Stop, Save, and Share


when confronted with something
unfamiliar or upsetting
 Stop what you are doing. Do not react. Do not be impulsive.
 Save what you’re working on. Do not delete.
 Share the information with a trusted adult.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Trolley, B. C., & Hanel, C. (2010). Cyber Kids, Cyber Bullying,


Cyber Balance. Thousand Oaks: Corwin.

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