Cyberbully: Steps Toward Prevention

Cyberbullying is a term most of us are familiar with in this technologically driven world. According to Cyberbully.org, cyberbully authors Hinduja and Patchin define cyberbullying as “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices” (2014). Others define cyberbullying as possessing harmful intent, reoccurring hostile behavior, the bully’s power over his or her victim, and occurring within a certain recent period of time, generally between one month to a year (Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M., 2015). As an educator and parent, I am eager to learn how to prevent cyberbullying. After reflecting on the research read on this topic, one point stood out to me beyond the others.According to a 2007 study, people residing in Scandinavian countries, where the importance of interpersonal interactions is stressed, reported much less workplace bullying than U.S. employees (Lutgen-Sandvik, Tracy, and Alberts). What does workplace bullying have to do with cyberbullying in the k-12 environment?  Some say cyberbullied children have also been bullied in real life (Olweus, 2012), while 42% of adult cyberbullies report being high school cyberbullies (Faucher et al, 2015), indicating a connection between cyberbullying and in-person bullying, while child bullies carry this behavior into adulthood.

What surprised me most in this research was the statement about social media from the author of So You've Been Publicly Shamed, “There’s a good feeling that you get from realizing that you’re in a majority of people against a single person; there’s an undeniable good feeling” (Ronson, n.d.).  According to this book's Goodread’s description, “We are defining the boundaries of normality by ruining the lives of those outside it. We are using shame as a form of social control” (Goodreads, n.d.). As one newer to social media, the thought of speaking ill of anyone, whether known or not, online has never crossed my mind. Granted, I did not grow up with the internet, as today’s youth are. I have more restraint as an adult than I think my 13-year-old son does and I did when I was his age; to him, posting online is just like the note passing I did when young. However, there’s a big difference between the notes of my youth and children’s current internet experience. Negative messages or private images posted online can be spread like wildfire, with the potential to cause catastrophic consequences to all involved.



Therefore, it’s imperative we teach children how to properly conduct themselves online. One such initiative is the Digital Citizenship Project, which since 2011, has matched middle schoolers to high school mentors who teach cyberbullying though such venues as blog correspondences(Orech, 2012). For the younger grades, teaching cyberbullying awareness in the library could begin with teaching kindness through book sharing such titles as Pat Zietlow Miller’s Be Kind. Google offers an educational curriculum called Be Internet Awesome, featuring lesson plans about online safety, following their fundamental pillars, share with care, don’t fall for fake, secure your secrets, it’s cool to be kind [cyberbullying], and when in doubt, talk it out (Google, n.d.). There, kids can play Interland (see video below), “an online adventure that puts the key lessons of digital safety into hands-on practice” (Google, n.d.).

We must remember, like any skill, results improve with practice, and teaching steps towards cyberbullying prevention is no different. 

References:

Cyberbullying.org. (2014). What is cyberbullying. Retrieved from https://cyberbullying.org/what-is-cyberbullying

Goodreads. (n.d.). So you’ve been publicly shamed. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22571552-so-you-ve-been-publicly-shamed


Google. (n.d.). Be internet awesome: Helping kids be safe, confident explores of the online world. Retrieved from https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us


Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in k-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal of Education And training Studies, 3(6), 111-125.


Lutgen-Sandvik, P., Tracy, S. J. & Alberts, J. K. (2007). Burned by bullying in the American workplace: Prevalence, perception, degree and impact. Journal of Management Studies, 44(6), 837-862. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2007.00715.x



Olweus, D. (2012). Cyberbullying: An overrated phenomenon? European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(5), 520-538. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2012.682358



Orech, J. (2012). How it’s done: Incorporating digital citizenship into your everyday curriculum. Tech & Learning, 33(1), 16-18.



Ronson, J. (n.d.). We can destroy you and that’s o.k [Video]. Retrieved from http://sins.nfb.ca/#/Wrath/Video