Cyberbullying

Kim Mulkey

Traditional bullying took place only at school, but with

cyberbullying, children are bullied 24 hours a day, 7 days

a week

What Is Cyberbullying?

According to the National Crime Prevention Council:

– “Online bullying, called cyberbullying, happens when teens use the Internet, cell phones, or other devices to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.”

Sociocultural Theory

Power differences between social groups Historical and cultural “Research has shown that males are more likely to

bully and have a tendency to bully girls.” Boys are more physical and girls are more verbal Girls tend to bully more with technology, due to the

verbal nature

Psychoanalytical

Bullying can cause extreme psychological damage to a person’s self esteem

Students may need to go through some type of psychological treatment to reverse the damage

Behaviorist Theory

Being bullied could lead to an unconditioned response of an avoidance of technology

It could also lead to anti-social behaviors

Genetic Links

Mixed research– not conclusive at this point as to if cyber bullying

could be linked to a genetic cause

Emotional Consequences

Loneliness Social anxiety Submissive Interference with social and emotional

development Poor school performance Suicide

Warning Signs of the Bullied

Sleeping problems Stomach and headaches Dietary changes Throwing up Fear of going to out of the house Crying for no apparent reason Avoidance of social events Doesn’t want to go to school-Frequent nurse visits Lowered self-esteem

Help for the Victim

Discuss with school officials – Principal, counselor, teachers

If physical or emotional symptoms are present, discuss with a pediatrician

Seek psychiatric assistance

Warning Signs of a Bully

High volume of computer or cell phone use Secretive technology use Excessive chat use Inappropriate photos on technology Aggressive behavior

Non Aggressive Problem Solving

Eight Sites for Conflict Resolution School Curriculum with

– Kindness and empathy– Communication skills– Modeling

“Awareness and education are the keys to the prevention of

cyberbullying”

http://www.cyberbullying.org/

What’s a School to Do?

Acceptable Use Policy– Our school’s clearly covers social networking and

bullying

Curriculum including cyberbullying lessons and consequences

Encourage other students to help stop the bullying

What’s a Parent to Do?

Monitor technology use Encourage password privacy Know their Username and Password Become their “friend” on Facebook or other social

network Home filter system

– K-9 Web Protection (free download) Listen to your child, notify the school, and or the

police

What’s a Child to Do?

Do not reply to harassing communications– Email, texts, chats, discussion boards, etc…

Do not forward messages that would be harassing

Tell an adult– Do not delete the messages and show an adult

References Retrieved from UWG Course Den

American Psychological Association. (1998, March 26). Boys and girls are cruel to each other in different ways -- but the effects are equally harmful. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 1, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/03/980326075743.htm

American Psychological Association. (n. d.). What makes kids care? Teaching gentleness in a violent world. Retrieved June 1, 2009, from http://www.apa.org/topics/kidscare.html

References Retrieved from UWG Course Den

American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. (2008, May). Bullying. Retrieved June 1, 2009, from http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/bullying

Cyberbullying.org. (n. d.). Retrieved June 1, 2009, from http://www.cyberbullying.org/

GetNetWise.org. (2008). Kids’ safety. Retrieved June 1, 2009, from http://kids.getnetwise.org/http://www.netsmartz.org/news/Sep03-01.htm

Other References

http://kids.getnetwise.org/http://www.netsmartz.org/news/Sep03-01.htm

http://www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying http://www.netsmartz.org/news/Sep03-

01.htm http://www.cyberbullying.org/ http://www1.k9webprotection.com/