When Bullying Goes Digital: What We Can Do about Cyber-Bullying

Presented by Kevin Hodgson When Bullying Goes Digital Artists Against Bullying True Colors A Tragedy in Western Massachusetts That Resonated Around the World Headline
News

State
Law Cyberbullying “Cyberbullying is bullying through email, instant messaging (IM-ing), chat room exchanges, Web site posts, or digital messages or images send to a cellular phone or personal digital assistant (PDA) (Kowalski et al. 2008). Cyberbullying, like traditional bullying, involves an imbalance of power, aggression, and a negative action that is often repeated.” from Violence Prevention Works! Characteristics of
Cyberbullying Anonymity
Accessibility
Disinhibition
Punitive Fears (of victims)
Potential of Public Embarrassment
Viral Aspect (digital media) Common Forms
of Cyberbullying Harassment
Denigration
Flame Wars
Impersonation/Identity Theft
Outing/Tricking
Cyberstalking Pew Internet Report:
Teens, Kindness and Cruelty on Social Networking Sites * Majority of teens have positive online experiences
* Some get caught in an online feedback loop of meanness and negative experiences.
* Majority of social media-using teens say their experience is that their peers are mostly kind
* Less positive experiences when compared with similar assessments from online adults.
* Girls ages 12-13 have the most negative assessment of social network spaces.
* 88% of social media-using teens have seen someone be mean or cruel on a social network site.
* 15% of social media-using teens have experienced someone being mean or cruel to them personally on a social network site.
* Fewer than one in ten teens report being bullied by phone, text, or online. Personal Classroom Stories * Webcomic Site (the unexpected comment)
* Facebook (the bad and the good) Teaching Strategies * Survey your students to understand their experiences
* Explicit teaching of "netiquette" for online spaces
* Make cyberbulling part of a larger unit of learning around Digital Citizenship
* Engage parents and family members in discussions and activities
* Don't engage in scare tactics Help Kids Find
A Way Out of
the Bullying Maze Even home is no longer a safe zone!