#4 CyberBullying

October is National Bully Awareness  Month. With the increased access to mobile devices and the growing popularity of social networking sites among young kids and teenagers cyberbullying is a real concern at home and at school.  As teachers and parents we can raise awareness and do our part to curb this disturbing trend.

What is CyberBullying?

Cyber bullying is the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages or images done anonymously using a cell phone, chat room, instant message, website or email.

What Can We Do to Prevent CyberBullying?

Parents

Know what your children are doing off and on-line. Depending on the age of your child your should have access to all accounts including email and voice mail.

When you are talking about the family rules for cell phone and/or computer use be sure to address cyberbullying. Go over what it is, why it happens and what your child should do if they see it happening in their friendship circles. 

Be prepared for your child to be the cyberbully as well as the one being bullied. In their 2010 survey of more than 4,400 randomly selected 11- to 18-year-old students Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin found that 20 percent of the students indicated they had been a victim at some point and about the the same number admitted to cyberbullying others.

Resources for Parents

• Cyberbullying: Spotting the Signs from the National Crime Prevention Council click here
• Cyberbullying: Solutions for Parents: video from Common Sense Media click here 
• 5 Things You Need to Know About Cyberbullying from Common Sense Media click here

Teachers

Make sure that your students are aware of your school’s policy on cyberbullying and the consequences if they engage in such activity.


Address netiquette and the appropriate use of social web 2.0 applications.  As communication and collaboration technology tools take on an increased role in the classroom dialogue with students about how to use these tools in a responsible manner.


Take cyberbullying seriously. Raise awareness about cyberbullying with parents, colleagues and administrators. Don't wait for a serious incident to happen before becoming involved.

Resources for Teachers:

• Download the Educator’s Cyberbully toolkit from Common Sense Media click here
• Student interactive on cyberbullying from Childnet International click here 
• Cyberbullying: You’re Not Alone video from CyberSmart (great video for introducing cyberbullying to young students) click here

Reference

Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2011). High-tech cruelty. Educational Leadership, 68(5), 48-52. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.