Cyber Bullying
'Cyber bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others' - Bill Belsey, creator of www.cyberbullying.ca.
The University of Melbourne study of Australian schoolchildren aged 11 to 17 years (Cyber bullying in Australian Schools - profiles of adolescent coping and insights for practitioners, 2007) found more than one in five had experienced some form of cyber bullying (http://grimbeek.com.au).
Cyber bullying may occur through inappropriate, inaccurate or suggestive messages or images. There are currently different views amongst experts about the nature of the word ‘repeated’ in the definition of cyber bullying, given that the technology allows for easy and instant repetition. It allows anonymity and participants don't necessarily see the distress their actions cause. Technologies such as mobile phones can provide 24/7 access. Social networking sites such as MySpace allow bullying to be seen by a global audience, instantly. Embarrassing or violent images or videos can be shared and commented on.
The capacity for humiliation and hurt from a single cyber incident is real and can cause a great harm and distress. A one off incident such as two students having an argument online may not be considered cyber bullying but can still be upsetting for the students involved and needs to be addressed.
Willard (Cyber bullying: Developing Policy, 2003, cited in Brown, Jackson & Cassidy 2006) identifies five factors contributing to the 'disinhibition' (lack of inhibition and disconnection) that may occur in incidences of cyber bullying:
- illusion of invisibility
- lack of visual or aural feedback from the online abuse or harassment which may result in lack of empathy for the victim
- contemporary social norms - 'other students are doing it'
- avatars (individualised online personas), where responsibility can be shifted from the offender to the avatar
- comfort communicating online (especially victims of schoolyard bullying), with retaliation through the online medium taking revenge and cyber bullying to new heights.
The role of ‘bystanders’ in online harassment or bullying is also an interesting and potentially powerful one. 'Laugh at it you’re part of it’ (http://yp.direct.gov.uk/cyberbullying) is a UK based cyber bullying campaign addressing this passive form of bullying, which might include forwarding the message or form of humiliation.
‘Bystanders’ to cyber bullying can instead become ‘defenders’. The nature of technology actually allows quiet messages of support to be sent to students who have been attacked or humiliated online. The role of the defender is powerful and should be explored with students when discussing cyber bullying and cyber attacks or other incidents.
Cyber bullying can be a criminal offence.
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) has a clear anti-bullying policy and cyber bullying policy through the strategy Safe Schools are Effective Schools. Every student has the right to feel safe from bullying at school. No form of bullying, including physical, verbal or cyber is tolerated at any level in Victorian government schools. More DEECD information on bullying.
A classroom activity
Watch the video Let’s Fight it Together © Copyright Childnet International 2007 (http://www.digizen.org/cyberbullying/fullFilm.aspx)
The film is accompanied by interviews with characters including the student who bullied and the bystander.
- explore the comments ‘just joking’ and ‘it went further than I was comfortable with’ in relation to the characters involved
- develop story boards (and maybe even short videos) expressing the possible views of characters at the end of the film
- share and explore the ideas presented by each character and discuss what they could have done earlier to stop the cyber bullying
- list the actions for each role: a defender can ..., the victim can ... (you could explore the difficulties)
- what excuses can kids who bully use?
The lesson is designed to give students different options if they are ever in the position of being bullied or observing it online. It also openly presents the justifications sometimes given for bullying. This task and all activities exploring bullying should be done without referring to actual incidents and or students.
See also: