Creative Guide for Teachers & Parents

SUBJECT & DISCUSSION IDEA #12 - Cyberbullying

What is cyberbullying?

Cyber bullying is very different from other forms of bullying, which involve face-to-face contact. With cyberbullying, the bully employs the use of technology (such as cell phones or the Internet) to intentionally hurt or harass another person. A 2008 survey indicates that nearly one in five students have been bullied online.

This type of bullying can lead to:

• Depression
• Isolation
• Eating disorders
• Suicide

The bully can be severely punished with the police becoming involved. If you or one of your friends is a victim of cyber bullying, the Media Awareness Network recommends following these four steps:

• STOP- immediately leave the online environment or activity where bullying is going on.
• BLOCK e-mails or instant messages received from bullies. NEVER RESPOND.
• RECORD all harassing messages and send them to your Internet provider (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.). Most providers have policies about users harassing people on their server.
• TALK to a trusted adult about the cyber bullying; alert the police when bullying involves physical threats.

It is important to come forward with instances of cyber bullying so that the bully does not continue to harass the victim.

Discussion idea:

Cyberbullying has happened to many people all over the world. There have been incidents involving MySpace and Facebook where users created fake profiles to harass other users. Fake websites have also been created with hurtful and demeaning content. Discuss the differences between traditional bullying and cyberbullying and how online tools can make the whole issue so much worse.