© 2007 media awareness network vision: to ensure children and youth possess the necessary critical...

© 2007 Media Awareness Network

www.media-awareness.ca

Vision: To ensure children and youth possess the necessary critical thinking skills and tools

to understand and actively engage with media


Web Awareness Workshop Series

Kids for Sale: Online privacy and marketing to kids

Fact or Folly: Authenticating online information

Safe Passage: Teaching kids to be safe and responsible online

Growing with the Net: A developmental approach to children’s Internet use (Ages 4-12)

Cyber Bullying: Encouraging ethical online behaviour


Cyber Bullying Presentation

1. Introduction: What is cyber bullying and how pervasive is it?

4. Strategies: How do we address cyber bullying in the home and at school?

2. A New Domain: Why the Internet is an effective tool for bullying

3. The Online Dynamic: Who cyber bullies and why

Introduction


Young Canadians in a Wired World – Phase II (2005)Young Canadians are a highly-connected generation

94% access the Internet from home

61% have high-speed access

37% have their own Internet-connected computer

Introduction


66% use instant messaging

44% have access to a webcam

64% use e-mail

68% have access to a cell phone

Introduction


Cyber bullying

Intimidation or harassment using electronic means, including instant messaging, e-mail, Web site postings, chat rooms and cell phones

Introduction


Bullying is about relationships and power

Children who bully acquire power through:

• size, age, intelligence• social status• knowledge of another's vulnerability (e.g., learning, family, sexual orientation, ethnicity)

Children at high risk of being victimized are:

• racial, ethnic and religious minorities • sexual minorities • economically disadvantaged • children with exceptionalities (giftedness, physical and learning disabilities, etc.)

Introduction


Verbal abuse and social bullying are the most prevalent forms of bullying

they’re covert

it’s often difficult to distinguish banter from actual harassment

there is no physical evidence, so it’s unlikely that incidents will be reported or litigation sought

Verbal abuse and social bullying have a more devastating effect on self-esteem than physical bullying does

Introduction


Impact of cyber bullying can be more devastating than real-world bullying

the person often doesn’t know who is bullying them

many people can covertly witness and join in the bullying

Introduction


18

2427

31

4244

5050

161817232122

3438

0

20

40

60

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11Grade

Per cent who report being

bullied

Quebec

Outside Quebec

34% of students reported being bullied

Young Canadians in a Wired World, 2005

Introduction


66

25

104 2

10

0

25

50

75

100

Notbullied

At school Internet Phone Cellphone

Other

Per cent

74% were bullied at school 27% were bullied through the Internet

Means of bullying


Introduction


12% report being sexually harassed:

47% were harassed at school

70% were harassed through the Internet

Means of sexual harassment

88

6 82 2

4

0

25

50

75

100

Per cent

None Internet Cell phone

At school

Phone Other



A New DomainA facilitator of unethical behaviour:

• no tangible feedback• anonymity and lack of consequences

An effective bullying tool:• easy access• global reach

How kids cyber bully

A new domainNo tangible feedback


The lack of non-verbal visual cues makes it difficult to gauge how actions are being received by others

“Technology doesn’t provide tangible feedback

about the consequences of actions on others.”

(Willard, 2000)

Building empathy is key topromoting pro-social

behavioursin youth

A new domainNo tangible feedback


(With) the Internet, you can really get awaywith a lot more because I don't think a lot of

people would have enough confidence to walk upto someone and be like, ‘I hate you, you're ugly’.

But over the Internet you don't really see theirface or they don't see yours and you don't have

to look in their eyes and see they're hurt.

Student, Deer Park Public School, Toronto

A new domain Anonymity


“Technology allows us to be invisible or anonymous.”

(Willard, 2000) If a person can’t be identified with an action,

then feelings of accountability are diminished

41% of Grade 7 students who have been cyber bullied didn’t know who the

perpetrator was

A new domain Anonymity


The power of anonymity

It’s not just the “big bullies” who cyber bully: people who are timid can hide behind a computer

There is increased fear for students when threatened by someone anonymously

Students are less likely to report because of a lack of proof of the aggressor’s identity

(Mishna 2007)

A new domain Easy access


The Internet offers access to others any place, any time Home is no longer a safe refuge from bullying Students refer to cyber

bullying as “non-stop bullying”

(Mishna 2007)



It’s up there for 6 billion people to see. Anyone with a computer can see it … and you can’t get away from it.

It doesn’t go away when you come home from

school. It made me feel even more trapped.

(David Knight, bullying victim)



Avoiding the Internet to escape bullying socially isolates kids

I should have a right to be able to log on to the Internet, or use my cell phone, or check my e-mail

without having people sending me those messages.

(David Knight, bullying victim)

A new domain Global reach


You can distribute information instantly and with a potentially global reach

A new domainHow kids cyber bully


Postings on Web sites

and profiles on social

networking sites Photo-editing tools are used to alter images of fellow students

Rumours, gossip and threats through instant messaging, e-mail or chat rooms

Sexually explicit photos or videos are distributed online



Cyber bullying using cell phones



Angry teacher videos



Facebook profiles


The Online Dynamic Who gets bullied and who does the bullying

The role of the bystander

Why kids cyber bully• exploring identity • popular online culture

The online dynamic Who gets bullied and who does the bullying


Middle school (Grades 7, 8

and 9) is a peak time for cyber bullying

One third of students who have cyber bullied

have also been victims There is a connection between being bullied in

the real world and being cyber bullied



In Alberta, 17% of girls have bullied someone online compared with 10% of boys

Girls cyber bully to enforce cliques and attack those who don’t fit into the social hierarchy

42% of Australian girls ages 12 to 15 have experienced

cyber bullying



In school … you don’t want anyone to think of you

as a “gossip” or someone who says things about other people.

Everyone wants to be “nice.” You don’t have to be nice if you don’t

want to online.

Girl, 13, Edmonton

“Girls who are submissive in face-to-face communications may not feel so constrained when they're online.”

(Shariff, 2005)

The online dynamic The role of the bystander


30% of bystanders support perpetrators insteadof victims

Online, many more people can observe the bullying

embolden bystanders to take a stand and oppose

cyber bullying when they see it

Anonymity can:

encourage those who would never join in bullying in the physical world to observe and participate in

online bullying

The online dynamic Why kids cyber bully


In this environment they are more likely to consider

consequences before being deliberately rude or hurtful

to someone. Online, kids seem more likely, even eager,

to try on rude or mean behaviour

Young people’s lives today are defined by constant

observation, supervision and protection

When I was younger, we used to really bad mouth someone [online] and insult them and generally drive them crazy if we didn’t like

them. It was fun.

Girl, 16, Toronto



The Internet is a place where kids can:

explore the adult world

seek privacy from their parents

take risks

explore sexual and social roles

try on new identities



60% of kids say they pretend to be someone else online:

28% do so to see what it would be like to be older

23% want to flirt with older people

17% do so because they want

to “be mean and not get caught”



“Sometimes, I just go into a chat room and scream and swear at people.”

(Boy, 13, Toronto)

Kids use chat rooms specifically to be disruptive and rude so they can “test” the reactions of others to their behaviour.



Kids’ popular culture


StrategiesEmpowering young people

Role of parents

Cyber bullying and the law

Role of schools and teachers

Educational resources

Strategies Empowering young people


to make wise online decisions and to use the technologyin an ethical and responsible way

to think before they act online. Once something has been sent, there is no taking it back: unlike a verbal message it is permanent and more powerful

freedom of expression comes with a responsibility to not use the technology to spread hateful or discriminatory messages

Teach young people:



The measure of a man's real

character is what he would do if he

knew he would never be found out.

Thomas Babington Macaulay, author and statesman (1800-1859)

Teach young people how to develop their own moralcode so they will choose to behave ethically online



Empower young people to stand up to cyber bullying when they see it



Teach young people to protect themselves Guard contact information (cell phone number,

e-mail address, etc.) -- don’t give it out to strangers Don’t share passwords with friends

Don’t open e-mail or instant messages from strangers

Avoid getting into confrontations online, particularly with strangers



Stop: Don’t try to reason or talk to someone who is bullying you

STOP, BLOCK, TALK and SAVE

Talk: Tell a trusted adult, inform your school, use a help line, report it to the police

Save: Save all messages or comments

posted online

Block:Use block-sender technology to prevent the person from

contacting you again

Strategies Role of parents


Establish rules about appropriate Internet use – rules have a great influence on online behaviour Encourage your kids to come to you if they feel

threatened

Report online cyber bullying and threats to your local

police and Internet service provider (ISP)

Watch out for signs your child is being bullied:• reluctance to use the computer or go to school• anxiety, emotional distress• withdrawal from friends and activities

Meet with school officials and ask for help in resolving

the situation

Parents should:

Strategies Cyber bullying and the law


Criminal Code:

Youth Criminal Justice Act:

Harassment (making someone fear for his or her safety)

Publishing defamatory libel (writing something designed to insult someone or injure his or her reputation)

Identify someone under the age of 18 who is a victim or perpetrator of bullying

Strategies Cyber bullying and the law


Legal implications for schools

Some families of bullying victims have sued schools and school boards for failing to protect their children

Some jurisdictions are addressing cyber bullying through safe schools policies and legislation

Strategies Role of schools and teachers


Cyber bullying generates fear and distraction and creates a hostile social atmosphere, in which learning ability is compromised

Victims arrive at school not knowing who bulliedthem or who witnessed the activity

Impact on schools



School responsibility

Schools need to “adapt to a rapidly evolvingtechnological society, address emerging challenges and guide children to become civic-minded individuals”

In Canada, schools have an institutional obligation to provide an environment where children are free from harassment

(Shariff, 2005)



Schools should: support a pro-social learning atmosphere have a multi-faceted bullying prevention program that includes cyber bullying integrate cyber bullying rules into existing policies (include activities on devices off school property) integrate cyber bullying into classroom activities provide professional development and parent education on cyber bullying

Schools need to find a balance between freedom of expression and a safe school environment

Responding pro-actively



Examine your attitudes and actions

Speak out against bullying

Treat all students as special individuals

Integrate strategies for preventing and discouraging bullying into classroom activities

Role of teachers



Most students feel that teachers don’t understand the Internet well enough to design projects that challenge even a relatively new Internet user

54% of school principals say their teachers are not prepared to engage their students effectively in the use of ICT to enhance their learning

Role of teachers

Strategies Educational resources


Create a classroom Web site to promote

policies against bullying

Establish a peer-mentoring program at your school to encourage ethical and responsible Internet use



Freedom of expression versus freedom from hatred

Partner in research and development

Gold Donor

Associate

Benefactor

Silver

For more information, contact:

Media Awareness Networkwww.media-awareness.ca

[email protected]

This workshop has been produced by


© 2007 media awareness network vision: to ensure children and youth possess the necessary critical...

Documents

bullying slide

media slide

social bullying

physical bullying

realworld bullying

prevalent forms of bullying

cell phones slide

cell phone slide