Cyberbullying

Bullying is not a new phenomenon. However the ways in which it happens is changing. The ease of access to powerful communication tools such as social networking websites, video and photograph sharing sites, and internet enabled camera-phones means that, all over the world, people are saying new things in new ways to new audiences. Individuals are sharing ideas and views on a panoramic scale. Email, instant messaging, texting, and social networking sites such as Bebo are allowing children in Ireland to connect with each other and engage with society in ways that were previously unimaginable.

 

At the same time we are seeing how the anonymous, instant, and far reaching communication capabilities have brought a new dimension to child protection issues such as bullying. Technologies are being used by young people for a wide range of activities that annoy, harass, and intimidate each other. Depending on the context, these behaviours can be considered anywhere on a spectrum from relatively harmless to very damaging.

 

The issue is further clouded by the fact that this generation of teenagers is dealing with a massive amount of communications that don’t have the nuance of tone-of-voice or body language; two factors that play such an important role in how we interpret messages. In the past throw away comments disappeared into the ether as soon as they were spoken, nowadays messages are persistent, almost permanent. In fact these communications are archived online and are not only visible to many but searchable. The internet gives us a window into many unknown aspects of children’s lives, things that previously happened without our knowledge.

What is Cyberbullying?

Bullying is repeated aggression, verbal, psychological or physical conducted by an individual or group against others. Cyberbullying refers to bullying which is perpetrated using the Internet or mobile phone. Cyberbullying is generally a psychological rather than a physical form of bullying but is often part of a wider pattern of ‘traditional’ bullying. It can take the form of sending nasty, mean or threatening messages, emails, photos or video clips, silent phone calls, putting up nasty posts or pictures on a message board, website or chat room, saying hurtful things in a chat room, pretending to be someone else in a chat room or message board or text message and say hurtful things, accessing someone’s accounts to make trouble for them. We need to be mindful that posting nasty comments on someone's profile or uploading photographs intended to embarrass someone do not, by itself, constitute bullying. Bullying can reasonably be regarded as behaviour that is sustained or repeated over time and which characteristically involves a disparity between the power of the perpetrator and the victim.

 

What makes cyberbullying different from traditional bullying?

• Communication between young people is often hidden from adults. This invisibility is exaggerated online where they are increasingly communicating in ways that are unknown to adults and free from their supervision.
• When they are online young people can hide behind the anonymity that the Internet can provide.
• The big difference between writing nasty messages on the back of a school book and posting it on the Internet is that the messages can potentially be seen by a very wide audience almost instantly.
• Young people posting messages on the Internet tend not to feel as responsible for own their online actions as they do in ‘real life’. They frequently don’t fear being punished for their actions.
• This type of behaviour is often outside of the reach of schools as it often happens outside of school on home computers or via mobile phones.
• Young people are often fearful of telling others about being bullied because they fear that the bullying may actually become worse if they tell.
• They are often also afraid to report incidents, as they fear that adults will take away their mobile phone, computer and/or Internet access.
• In most cases, cyberbullies know their targets, but their victims don’t always know their cyberbullies. This can prove very isolating for the victim in group, club or school settings where they come to distrust all their peers.
• Communications technologies have become ubiquitous. As a result, Cyberbullying can happen any time and any place and for many children, home is no longer a safe haven from bullying.

Preventing Cyberbullying in Schools

 

The issue of cyberbullying is a complex one that transcends the school environment. Education in its wider sense, within the home and the community is critically important. There are many ways to minimise the risk of online bullying, some which can be achieved by using simple common sense and others by introducing polices into school or youth organisation.

Educational Resources

While it is recognised that home factors play a substantial role in the prevention of bullying, the role of the school in preventative work is crucial and should not be underestimated. Providing students with opportunities to develop the skills and competencies to care for themselves and others and to make informed decisions about their health, personal lives and social development is important. The NCTE has developed resources that enable students to explore their attitudes and their safety when using the Internet and mobile phones. The modules contain lesson plans, activity sheets, interactive online lessons: www.webwise.ie/learningresources

Creating a positive supportive atmosphere with clear channels for reporting bullying are important steps as well as building awareness of the issues can help to reduce the risks and provide an open culture where bullying of this nature can be freely reported and discussed.

An Anti-Bullying Policy, which includes specific measures to deal with bullying behaviour within the framework of an overall Code of Behaviour and Discipline can be the most influential measure in countering bullying behaviour in schools and youth organisations.