For adolescents today, bullying is a 24/7 issue, thanks to evolving
technologies like mobile devices and social media platforms.
The term “cyberbullying” includes a range of anti-social behaviours that
seek to intimidate, harm or coerce someone and are committed using technology,
like mobile phones, tablets and computers. “The goal of cyberbullying is to
harass, humiliate or taunt another person with the intent to hurt or embarrass
them. The most common forms of cyberbullying are offensive name-calling or the
spread of false or harmful rumours”. [Anderson 2017] Cyberbullying is often
used in social media contexts, such as: YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. It includes
text messages, email and messages sent as part of online games and forums.
There are some important differences between traditional and
cyberbullying. It is “easy to participate in bullying behind an anonymous
screen” [Peebles 2014]. This distance often encourages bullies to do actions
they would not do in person. It stops them feeling remorseful because they
cannot see the hurt caused to the victim. The internet is available 24/7 and there
is a sense of technology being pervasive. Cruel comments, video, or pictures can
reach a immense audience immediately and be disseminated anonymously.
The effects of cyberbullying on adolescents can be devastating,
particularly emotionally. The pervasiveness of technology can make victims of
cyberbullying can feel overwhelmed, as if the whole world knows what’s going on
in their life. They can feel vulnerable, powerless and unsafe, since technology
invades their home and mobile phone. Once information has been posted online,
it’s “out there”, and will always be out there. Just like with traditional
bullying, “victims of cyberbullying can have trouble adjusting at school and
are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression” [Vaillancourt 2017].
In some cases, the consequences of cyberbullying can
be fatal. Suicide as a result of cyberbullying is sadly becoming increasingly
common. This
article from The Australian [https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/inquirer/as-dolly-everetts-suicide-shows-cyberbullying-can-be-deadly/news-story/0a7b4282a486440b3a18206eea35af81]
outlines the suicide of 14-year-old Amy “Dolly” Everett, from Queensland,
Australia. Amy was the target of severe harassment and a victim of
cyberbullying. Dolly’s mother reported that text messages were used to call
Dolly despicable names, and she was asked for inappropriate pictures, which she
sent, perhaps in a desire to fit in. She then got in trouble for having sent
those pictures, as well as for physically attacking a boy who was bullying her
– but the bullies did not have any consequences imposed on them. The article
provides some examples of cyberbullying, which can include: “posting hurtful
messages, images or videos online; repeatedly sending unwanted messages online;
sending abusive texts and emails; excluding or intimidating others online;
creating fake social networking profiles or websites that are hurtful; and
nasty online gossip…” [The Australian 2018]
Research shows that he impact of
cyberbullying are immense on a person’s mental health. [Thompson 2018] states that teenage girls
between 12 and 14 are more likely than any other demographic to experience
cyberbullying, and also to experience depression as a result of experiencing
cyberbullying. Cyberbullying has worse outcomes for the victims than
traditional bullying.
There are many lessons that can be
learned from Dolly Everett’s story. Education is key to preventing or at least
minimising cyberbullying. Adolescents need to know what cyberbullying actually
is, what the effects of it can be, and what strategies a person can implement
to protect themselves from cyberbullying. Having a broad awareness in the
community about the negative effects of cyberbullying is important to help
create an environment that rejects bullying in all its forms, and also
encourages the community to confront this issue. There is a need for the
community, particularly schools and community groups, to implement policies
that prohibit cyberbullying, and various state and federal governments need to
introduce legislation to make cyberbullying a criminal offence. [Snakenborg et
al 2011].
Given how much cyberbullying takes place in a school
context, it is a school’s obligation to educate students about cyberbullying.
For example, a school should provide students with tips on how to block, delete
and report cyberbullying. Students could be taught
how to block a bully’s mobile number, email address or a
website being used for bullying on their devices. A
school should work collaboratively with students and parents to address
cyberbullying when it occurs. A school should work to build a culture where
bullying is not accepted and all students have strong social and support networks.
Further,
teachers can engage with parents via conferences, the school’s website or
newsletters to encourage parents to discuss cyberbullying.
Parents also have an important part to play in avoiding cyberbullying.
As well as educating their kids, another effective tactic for preventing
cyberbullying is to monitor adolescent usage of mobile phones and computers.
Cyberbullying victims often feel demoralised and anxious. It’s critical
that parents, teachers and caregivers work together to help adolescents restore
their self-esteem and regain a positive perspective.
In the classroom, a suggested strategy for focusing
on cyberbullying by working through this example is as follows:
1. Getting
students to do collaborative research to define cyberbullying, find an example
of it, and for their example, identify: what cyberbullying took place, what the
implications of the bullying were for both the victim and the perpetrator, what
strategies could have been used to stop the bullying, and what the students can
learn from this example for their own context.
2. Show
students one or more one of the videos on cyberbullying listed in the resources
list below.
3. Ask
students to do either a poster, video, exhibition or demonstration as a
promotion to prevent cyberbullying, where students will try to promote their
solutions to cyberbullying.
4. Create
publicity for the promotion.
5. Implement
their project.
A strategy that responds to
cyberbullying can be addressed effectively by students in the classroom.
Raising the issue of cyberbullying with the wider-school community and
brainstorming ways to address solutions to the problem of cyberbullying, can be
addressed in the classroom by:
Resources
on cyberbullying
References
