The Virtual Reality of Bullying: Attention: Teens, parents, and teachers.

Today, much communication is being conducted through the internet. A Media Awareness Network study states that half of kids and teens using the internet are by themselves when they are online and of all of these young people, 16% acknowledge talking to their parents about what their doing online[1]. This makes the internet an easy target for people to experiencing bullying- they can be reached whenever, by whomever, and its difficult to track where messages come from.

The easiest way to avoid being cyber-bullied is to keep your contact information private! Don’t give out personal information to strangers and don’t ever give out your passwords, or pin numbers.

If you are experiencing cyber bullying, you are NOT ALONE! The Media Awareness Network states that a University of Toronto survey (2008) revealed that one in five students in Canada had been cyber bullied within the last three months[2]

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing cyber bullying, it is important to note that internet service providers, and cell phone service providers generally have signed contracts with every client that state what the rights of each client are, when accessing their services. As cyber bullying is often considered to be a crime, a person is breaking this type of contract when they engage in certain acts of cyber bullying. Therefore, many internet services providers and cell phone providers will help to track down cyber bullys, or at least help with who to contact if you are experiencing cyber bullying[3].

If you are a teen who is experiencing cyber bullying here are some other ides of what you can do to deal with it:

DO NOT reply to any bullying messages

If you can, block the bullying messages

Stop the activity right way- hang up the phone, leave the chat room, sign out of your online messaging, etc.

Save all messages and forward them to your internet or cell phone provider

Tell someone you trust

If this bullying includes physical threats, tell the police as well

If you are a parent or teacher and want to address this serious situation try:

Communicating with your kids/students about their online activities

Relaying the importance of responsible posting and communication- keeping contact information, codes, etc., private

Encouraging children and students to come to you if they are having problems

Discussing the importance of being respectful to others online, as well as in person

Know how to contact your internet and cell phone providers in case of cyber bullying.

Know your legal rights with regards to internet and cell phone access in case of cyber bullying

o http://www.ctvtoronto.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20070416/cyberbullying_legislation_070416?hub=TorontoNewHome

o Provisions in the Criminal Code of Canada

§ it is a crime to communicate with someone over and over if the communications results in their fearing for their safety, or the safety of others

§ It is a crime to publish write something to purposefully insult a person, or injure their reputation (hateful, contempt and ridiculing writings fall under this category- called a “defamatory libel”).[4]

o Canadian Human Right’s Act

§ It is a human right’s violation to discriminate or spread hate for reasons such as race, national or ethnic origin, skin colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or disability.[5]

Watch for signs that something is upsetting a child or student- approach them!

If you think someone you know is engaging in cyber bullying themselves, please talk about it with them. People may not be aware that what they are doing is wrong or hurtful and may stop if it is brought up. If you think that a friend or family member is experiencing cyber bullying don’t hesitate to talk about it! It is common for people to want help, but they don’t know how to bring it up.