Articles and Conferences

Cyberbullying is written about in scholarly journals, on websites, in school papers, in books, and discussed at conferences and in countless school hallways.

We hope to update this post often with new and interesting references for you to look up and read independently.

Please post a comment if you find other sources worth referencing here.

Patchin, J. W. and Hinduja, S. (2006). Bullies Move beyond the Schoolyard: A Preliminary Look at Cyberbullying. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 4(2), 148-169.

Shariff S. and Gouin, R. (2005), Cyber-Dilemmas: Gendered Hierarchies, Free Expression and Cyber-Safety in Schools. Presented at “Safety and Security in a Networked World: Balancing Cyber-Rights and Responsibilities,” Oxford Internet Institute conference, Oxford , U.K. , September 8–10, 2005.

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

Internet Service Providers (ISP) want to know about cyberbullying!

Tell the people who bring the World Wide Web into your home about your cyberbullying experience.
Nip it in the bud, yo.

Bell/Sympatico: abuse@sympatico.ca

Rogers/AT & T: abuse@rogersbusiness.com

Telus: abuse@telusplanet.net

I may be a victim of cyberbullying. What do I do?

Remember that you are not alone, but you must take charge to change the situation. There are many helpful online resources and some helpful points from a couple have been included on this blog, it is strongly suggested that you check out the sites for more information and guidance.

Website: http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/en/home.asp

Get information on cyberbullying and what you can do if it happens to you or someone you know

Opportunity to share your experiences in a safe environment

Get counselling online

Get counselling over the phone: 1-800-668-6868

Advertisement in the Metro

“Empower young people by giving them the tools they need to make health choices and decision- providing them with tips and advice on how to be safer online, and connecting them to resources in their community”

“Be connected and protected;

1. Control your online presence on social networking sites by learning how to use privacy settings to grant access to your friends only

2. Create login names that don’t reveal your identity when online gaming, chatting or on instant messaging in open forums

3. Avoid interacting with strangers online and how to learn to report upsetting incidents 4. Remember to turn your computer and Webcam off when not in use- or you could be transmitting without your knowledge

5. Give your parents/guardian a sealed envelope with a list of your user names and passwords- to open in case of emergency only

6. Consult with friends, a parent or teacher or Kids Help Phone if you feel threatened or worried about an online situation. ”

Website: www.cyberbullying.ca

The website is set up for individuals to gather support and information and to share their experiences.

Use netiquette: Be polite to people online as you would be offline, but remember that online bullies are a lot like off-line bullies, they want you to respond to their bullying tactics. If anyone is mean or rude (or anything that doesn’t feel right), don’t respond.

Even if you are angry or upset and really feel like you have something to say, that is not the way to fight back. Do not message them.

Notify your internet service provider. Look under ‘Related Resources’ on this website or a list of Canadian internet service providers and their contact information

Notify the police.

Save all messages as evidence to give to the internet service provider and the police. It is not your job to solve the clues to figure out who the bully is.

Talk to an adult. You may need to delete your current email, instant messaging, facebook, etc. accounts.

Always remember that you are not alone, you are not responsible for starting the cyberbullying and you do not deserve to be the victim. Tell an adult you trust.

Website: http://yourlifecounts.org

Do not respond to their messages

Save their messages as proof or as a means to trace back to the bully

Tell an adult: parent(s), guardian(s), aunt, uncle, friend, teacher, etc. Telling someone immediately will give you more power to change things and will give the bully less power to hurt you.

Report the incident(s) to your local police department and internet service provider. This will help to trace the bully so that they can’t reach into your life or anyone else’s life anymore.

Trust your instincts – if it doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t

Don't blame yourself, this is not your fault.

DO NOT EVER:

Give out personal information (including photos, school, sports team names)

Meet with anyone

Use a webcam with strangers

Open messages from strangers

Email help@yourlifecounts.org for further support and direction to resources

Website: www.edu.gov.on.ca

This website provides helpful links to resources including online support and publications about cyberbullying.

In May 2007, Education Minister Kathleen Wynne brought a bunch of students together to discuss their experiences, perspectives, and suggested solutions to cyberbullying. A summary of the discussion was published in the Get Connected, Get in the Know: Online Respect and Responsibility that can be found at: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/safeschools/respect.html

A few key points raised by students were:

A need for online users to learn about the kinds of dangerous situations that others have encountered online.

Students need to be taught ways to respond online to a bully.

There needs to be clear guidelines for who they can go to for help and how to report cyberbullying.

These points have been listed on this blog to show that cyberbullying is a common phenomenon faced by many students, and if you don’t know how to handle it you are not the only one who feels that way. By speaking up to an adult you can help yourself now and you can help to make sure that you and your peers have the support to get help in the future.

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

Food for thought: 2 myths and a fact

Myths:

1. Most harassment occurs on social networking sites.

30% of young people who have been harassed say it’s happened on a social networking site. But, 40% say it’s happened while on Instant Messaging and 29% say it’s happened while playing a game online. This means harassment can occur in many different places online. You need to be aware of the way you talk to others no matter where you are.

2. Most youth are harassed at least once at some point when they are online.

It depends on how you measure Internet harassment, but in most studies more youth report not being targeted in the last year. For example, 91% of youth in the Youth Internet Safety Survey -2 were not harassed. 76% of youth in the Growing Up with Media survey report not being harassed. So, it shouldn’t be seen as ‘inevitable’ or ‘normal teen behavior’.

Facts:

1. Internet harassment happens most frequently by peers.
   63% of harassers are reportedly under the age of 18 years of age as compared to 14% who are 18 years of age and older. 23% of targeted youth said they didn’t know how old their harasser was.