Cyberbulling

Cyberbullying:

In this new cyber age, it seems as though the dynamics between tweens and their social interaction are dramatically changing with facebook, IM, text messaging and email. It occurs most often with middle school students, and as many as 15-35% of students have been victims (Hinduja and Patchin 2009, 5).  Anyone who works with youth should be aware of the development of “Cyberbullying”.

 Cyberbullying is a new form of bullying through internet and technology mediums. This includes spreading nasty emails, creating “hate pages” pages on facebook, or sending unwanted text messages. It is a way to threaten, harass, or intimidate another student (Hinduja and Patchin 2009, 4). Often, students do not realize that they are a cyberbully because they feel as though the text or harassing email is a joke, and is a way to act out.

Consequences have a negative impact on victims. The reality is that cyberbullying is like any other form of bullying that can lead to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or even lead to suicide. (Hinduja and Patchin 2009, 4) Minors (perpetrators) involved can also face legal penalties for harassment.  

Here are some quick tips from the website : http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/index2.html   that I found useful:

-Keep personal information private: remind youth to never share their passwords or information online that they would not want public (this includes facebook and myspace profiles)

-Reminding youth to keep the golden rule, it’s always important to treat others with respect

-Don’t participate in cyberbullying: Don’t forward mean emails, delete them and report them to a trusted adult, don’t visit hateful or mean webpage’s or facebook groups

-Be careful with online conversations. Since the communication isn’t in person, it is hard to gauge tone and there is no nonverbal communication that may indicate intent. This includes reminding youth that they should never joke online about hurting someone

For great websites with helpful information that was also used in this blog, go to:

http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/index2.html   

http://www.cyberbullying.us/publications.php

For an excellent academic article: http://www.schoolclimate.org/about/documents/newsletter-v3i3.pdf#page=4