The Current: Preventing Cyberbullying

Time: Too early to mention, June 2, 2008

So, I just did a simply search in Google News for all current news items about "cyberbullying".

Here's a taste of some of the news articles titles:

Cyberbullying Conference at the County Center

Mom in Cyberbullying Suicide Case Launches Foundation 

Illinois Lawmakers OK Ban on Cyberbullying

Rosman High Fight Video Leads to Formation of Task Force

Arizona Youth Warned Against Online Predators and Cyberbullying

Do We Need a Federal Law Against Cyberbullying?

Teach Your Kids to be Safe While They're Online

All of these news articles were published online and in newspapers within the last month.

Cyberbullying is out there, it's current, and it's being talked about.

So, why don't YOU talk about it?

During lunch while hanging out with your friends, ask them what they think about

cyberbullying, and if they know of anyone who is/had been affected.

Use the information on our awesome blog to:

- inform your friends and family about the dangers of cyberbullying, 

- support those who have been a target of cyberbullying or those who think they

might be cyberbulliers, 

- prevent cyberbullying from occurring in the first place or from happening again, 

- and acknowledge that cyberbullying is a problem...that YOU can help SOLVE

Rock on!

Here's a link to the above news stories. 

http://news.google.com/news?client=sagari&rls=en-us&q=cyberbullying&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn

Megan's mom aims to prevent cyberbullying

Mom in Cyberbullying Suicide Case Launches Foundation

By Kim Zetter May 30, 2008 1:24:02 PMCategories: Crime

Tina Meier, the mother of the Missouri teen who committed suicide after being bullied online has launched a foundation to educate kids and parents about cyberbullying and work on legislation to address the growing phenomenon.

The Megan Meier Foundation's web site has resources for educators, parents and teens that include a list of emoticons and their meanings to help parents understand the online language their kids are using as well as explainations about the kinds of technologies kids are using to communicate with one another. The site features the stories of other teens who have also been bullied online.

Photo: AP

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/05/mom-in-cyberbul.html

Be connected and protected...

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.

---

[1] http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/special_initiatives/wa_resources/wa_shared/backgrounders/challenge_cyber_bullying.cfm, accessed May 3, 2008

[2] http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/teachers/wa_teachers/safe_passage_teachers/risks_bullying.cfm, accessed May 3, 2008

[3] http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/cyber_bullying/cyberbullying_law2_h4.cfm, accessed May 3, 2008

[4] http://www.canlii.org/ca/sta/c-46/sec215.html, accessed May 3, 2008

[5] http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/discrimination/default-en.asp, accessed May 3, 2008

Three cheers! Preventing bullying is awesome.

So, I'm going to post even MORE information about what you can do if you know that a friend is the target of cyberbullying. Seriously, there's so much you can do! Preventing bullying is awesome.

Give yourself a pat on the back for simply reading this post because it contains some really super-important information about what you can do to prevent cyberbullying.

If you’re a bystander it’s your turn to do something! By doing something you’re turning the situation around. You’re stopping the bully and helping to release the victim from oppression and fear into freedom. And that’s huge!

If you see someone being bullied, get help. If you do nothing you’re not a part of the solution you become a part of the problem. Bullies get away with their nasty deeds time and time again because bystanders do nothing.

If you know the victim and are able to speak to him/ her it may be very helpful to ask him/ her if they have told anyone about the bullying. In a lot of situations the victim has not told anyone. In this situation it is ok for you to say to the victim that you will tell someone. If you do make this promise then it is 100% important that you follow through.

Talk to someone. Speak to a responsible adult about what you’ve seen. You don’t have to deal with this on your own. It is an emotional burden that should compel us to do the right thing. When we reach out for help on behalf of the person being bullied it also releases us emotionally because we know we’ve done the right thing.

If there are more people around you could speak directly to the bully commanding him/ her to stop. By being confident and assertive you may well connect with the bully in a way that disarms him/ her. He/she will not be expecting anyone to speak to him/ her like that. Most, if not all, bullies are sensitive and hurting people deep inside and they respond to clear commands. It’s not the way to go in every situation but trust your instincts. If you feel strong enough to face the bully down then give it a try! Speaking out helps!

You could also consider asking the student being bullied to leave the situation with you. If you have others around you there is strength in numbers and so you could ask the victim to leave with you as a group.

Don’t get involved in a fight. Things can go from bad to worse and people will end up getting hurt and getting into trouble. It’s not worth it.

Never encourage the bully. Don’t laugh or affirm the bully in his/ her behaviour. If you are in any way found to have encouraged the bully or to have played any role in the bullying incident it is highly likely that you will be involved in an official investigation and you may well get into trouble.

If you’ve been a bystander in a bullying incident, make a note of the date of when the bullying event happened, where it happened, and the details. This could be important in the future if the facts need to be established.

If you are worried about what might happen as a result of you reporting the bullying incident, then the next best thing you can do is to report the incident anonymously. You can do this by a note written to a responsible adult. This could be your school teacher, principal, school guidance counselor or the Police, etc.
Remember that the prevention of bullying is everyone’s responsibility and you need to do what you need to do to help anyone being bullied. It is never the right thing to do nothing.

http://www.yourlifecounts.org/yourlifecounts/bullying180-article.asp?id=391

You have the power to help and make a difference!

Read on for some advice about what YOU can do if (you think) a friend is being cyberbullied....
in addition to a hug, a gift of chocolate, or a good game of WOW with your buddy.

Talk to Them - It is a good idea to talk to the person you think is being bullied to find out what is going on with them. Try to remember that the person you are talking with may be very sensitive about the situation and may be scared.

Let Them Know you Care - Help them feel good about themselves. If a person is being bullied their confidence may be low and they may feel lonely. It helps to let them know that you are a friend and care about them. It can often help to point out all the great things they have to offer to help them to feel good about themselves.

Include the Person into your Group - Making a special effort to include the person into your group may help increase the person confidence.

Stick up for Them - If you see someone is being bullied it may be helpful to stick up for them. Take care to ensure that in trying to stick up for the person being bullied that you don't make the situation worse or put yourself in danger.

Speak to Someone - Letting someone else know about the situation may help you to solve the problem. A teacher, counsellor, or another adult could be helpful people to talk to. It may also be helpful to involve the person experiencing the bullying in this process. Together you can go and talk to someone about the situation.

Remember that in many situations your friend may need to speak to someone other than yourself. In these situations you can assist them to find some help close by or offer to go see a counsellor with them

http://www.reachout.com.au/default.asp?ti=89