Chapter 3Virtual Battles:Cyberbullies

OverviewMany of us, unfortunately, have witnessed classmates bullying

others, and some of us have experienced bullying firsthand,

often through our computers or phones. In this chapter, you

will learn about the different types of cyberbullying, the

technological tools of the cyberbully, and the negative effects of

cyberbullying. Prevention and coping skills are discussed, as are

the positive social changes that can occur when teens use their

experiences with cyberbullying to educate others.

Key Terms

• Cyberbullying

• Harassment

• Flaming

• Outing

Degradation

Deception

In-person bullying

Chapter 3: Virtual Battles: Cyberbullies 35

A cyberbully sendsa mean email about a class-

mate to several friends.

The friends forwardthe message on to

their friends.

a*4-

The message sweepsacross cyberspace

in seconds.

What Is Cyberbullying?Cyberbullying occurs when digital messages are used tothreaten, torment, or embarrass someone. Unlike the traditionalschoolyard bully, cyberbullies use everything from cellphones to social media to spread hateful comments that cansweep across cyberspace in seconds. Whether it's a string ofhumiliating text messages or a threatening email from a peer,Cyberbullying is serious business.

What Does CyberbullyingLook Like?Imagine Sabrina, a ninth grader who is excited to start her firstweek of high school. When she gets home from her first day,she logs onto her Facebook account and is greeted with a floodof messages. Everyone seems to be talking about her... butthe attention isn't good. Mean-spirited comments about herlooks and her family and untrue rumors are posted everywhere.Classmates (and even friends!) chime in with degradingcomments about her weight, hair, and intelligence.

Sabrina can't believe the hurtful words she's seeing. Before sheknows it, the messages are forwarded to many of her fellowstudents in school. Sabrina's friends respond with nothingmore than an "lol." Only this isn't a joke—this is a case ofCyberbullying.

Cyberbullying occurs when digitalmessages are used to threaten,

torment, or embarrass someone.

Common Types of CyberbullyingCyberbullying can take many different forms. With just a click ofa mouse or a touch of a button, insulting messages can reachthousands. Listed below are some of the most common typesof Cyberbullying:

• Harassment is repeatedly sending messages with anoffensive or derogatory meaning.

• Flaming is insulting a participant in an online discussionor argument, using volatile and cruel language.

• Outing is revealing someone's private thoughts, secrets,or personal information.

• Degradation is using digital tools to spread lies or rumors.

• Deception is stealing someone's passwords andimpersonating him or her or creating a false account.

Common Technological Toolsof CyberbullyingIn Cyberbullying cases, social media tools are used to delivervicious and repetitive messages. The five most commonCyberbullying tools are listed below:

• Emails

• Websites

• Text messages

• Instant messages

• Forums and chat rooms

Fact!

Did You Know?80% of teens

say they have defended avictim of Cyberbullying,and 79% have asked acyberbully to stop meanbehavior.

Source: Pew Internet and AmericanLife Project

x

h.

SMS

Think carefully beforeyou send messages in

cyberspace. Once it's out

there, it's out there forever.

Chapter 3: Virtual Battles: Cyberbullies 37

Fact!

Did You Know?88% of teens

participating in socialnetworks have witnessedcruel or mean interactionsin cyberspace.

Source: Pew Internet and AmericanLife Project

In-Person Bullyingvs. Cyberbullying:What's the Difference?Children are often taught the rhyme, "Sticks and stones maybreak my bones, but words can never hurt me." In truth,though, words can hurt—both in the real and in the virtualworld. However, people often respond differently to in-personbullying than they dotocyberbullying. If you witnessed afriend being pushed to the ground, what would you do? Wouldyou yell for help? Try to stop the fight? Report the incident? Ifyou heard a person saying mean things to a friend, would youverbally intervene?

Not doing anything is difficult if you're an eyewitness to bodilyharm or to in-person verbal cruelty. You can see the personcommitting the violence or making vicious remarks, and you'reoften compelled to do something about it. But online, bulliescan sling hurtful words from a distance, and people are oftenless inclined to get involved. In addition, cyberbullies sometimesfind ways to torment others while remaining anonymous, whichmakes it difficult for others to stick up for their victims.

Characteristics of Cyberbullying

• False digital accounts or multiple screen names make iteasy for bullies to remain anonymous.

• CyberbuHying can follow people home, which can takeaway the place where many teens feel most safe.

• Cyberbullying knows no limits, because messages can bepublicly shared through social media, and they can be seenby people around the world.

• Hiding behind a screen sometimes gives bullies moreconfidence to say things they wouldn't say in person.

Cyberbullies sometimes

hide behind a screenin order to protect

themselves while theyare harming others.

38 Cyber Literacy

Cyberbullying vs. In-Person BullyingWhile in-person bullying can be limited to a location, the poison ofcyberbullying can spread instantly, 24 hours a day, to every partof the globe. The diagram below compares cyberbullying to in-person bullying.

Cyberbullying

Can reach alarger audience

Many differenttools for bulliesto use

Easier to remainanonymous

Causesemotionalscarring

Can lead toanxiety,stress, anddepression

In-PersonBullying

1 Can includephysical attacksas well as cruelwords

1 Limited to alocation

1 Not usuallyanonymous

Remember:If you are cyberbullied,tell a trusted adult—

such as a parent,teacher, or counselor—

what is happening.

Chapter3: Virtu.il Battles:CyberbuflteS 39

If you have the rightanti-cyberbullying

strategies at yourdisposal, you won't need

to resort to bullying back.

Coping with CyberbullyingWhen faced with a cyberbuilying situation, it can betempting to bully back, following the motto, "An eye foran eye; a tooth for a tooth." However, seeking revenge willonly make conditions worse. What's a better approach?The five strategies listed below will help you cope withcyberbuilying in a more constructive way:

O Tell a trusted adult.A parent, teacher, or counselor can help you process whatis happening.

@ Don't seek revenge.It never helps to bully the person who is bullying you.

@ Report the incident to the service provider.For example, if you experience cyberbuilying on a socialnetworking site such as Facebook, report the incidentdirectly to the company.

Block communication from the bully.Make it impossible for him or her to contact you throughemail, social networking sites, or text messages.

Maintain positive online safety habits.Create strong passwords and avoid sharing privateinformation, including your home address.

Preventing CyberbullyingYou can take steps to avoid becoming a cyberbully orbecoming the victim of cyberbullies. One important action youcan take is to protect your private information. It may not seemlike a big deal to post your phone number or email address onan online profile, but you never know who will gain access tothat information. While it is not uncommon to give a phonenumber to a friend in real life, many people have online friendswho aren't necessarily real friends. For example, you may friendsomeone online because you go to the same school, but youmay not actually know anything about that person.

40 Cyber Literacy

Many teens struggle

with long-lasting

mental anguish due tobeing cyberbullied.

If you wouldn't give your phone number to someone in reallife, you shouldn't do so online. That means that you shouldkeep private information off of online profiles or other publiclyaccessible areas. Conversely, if you find someone's homeaddress, email address, or phone number on his or her onlineprofile, don't misuse the information to harass the person.

How to Avoid Becoming a Cyberbullyor Falling Victim to a Cyberbully

• Respect your peers, both online and offline. Don't treatpeople cruelly.

• If faced with a bully, be the bigger person by walkingaway from the situation.

• Don't participate in spreading or receiving hurtfulmessages.

• Help raise awareness; the more teens discusscyberbullying, the less likely it is that people will engagein this behavior.

• Never text or post photographs that you would beembarrassed for your parents or teachers to see. Oncea photograph is sent or posted, it's in cyberspace, andcyberbullies can take advantage of it. Embarrassingphotographs can haunt you for the rest of your life.

Effects of CyberbullyingThose who fall victim to digital jabs must deal with mental andemotional wounds. When a person is bombarded repeatedly (or evenoccasionally) with negative comments, after a while he or she maybegin believing that those things are true.

Many teens who encounter cyberbullying struggle with the issues listed below:

i Stress and anxiety 6 Fear

4 Sadness and loneliness 4 Drop in grades

6 Depression 6 L°w self-esteem

6 Loss of interest in 6 Low self-confidence

activities

Health problems

Change in eating orsleeping patterns

Use of alcohol or drugs

Thoughts of suicide

Chapter 3: Virtual Battles: Cyberbullies

Positive Social ChangeCyberbullying is bad for our health and can leave emotionalscars that are difficult to overcome. But some teens take theirexperiences with cyberbullying and use them for the commongood. Listed below are the two most common ways to turna cyberbullying incident into a force for positive socialchange:

Many teens deal with the aftermath of bullying by talkingabout it with a trusted adult, friends, or a counselor. Someshare their story with other teens.

Some teens use their experiences with cyberbullying as aplatform to promote awareness. By publicly speaking outon the issue, teens have a chance to help change negativeonline behavior.

Some teens use their experiences with cyberbullying topromote awareness of the issue for the common good.

42 Cyber Literacy

Chapter 3 Assessment

hink?Write a three- to five-paragraph reflection on your personal experienceswith cyberbullying. Your paragraphs should answer the followingquestions:

What negative impacts have you experienced, witnessed, or heardabout cyberbullying? Describe your knowledge of cyberbullyingusing a real example or one you have seen in the media.

If someone were cyberbullying you, how would you react? Useexamples from the chapter in your response.

If one of your friends was being cyberbullied, what would you do?Use examples from the chapter in your response.

In your opinion, what can schools do to reduce or stop cyberbullyingamong students?

Challenge:

Be®

In this chapter, you learned about how to deal withcyberbullying. Now, apply what you have learned. Read thescenario below and write one paragraph explaining what youwould do if faced with a similar situation. Use examples fromthe chapter to justify your reasoning.

Scenario:

Emily and Mariel have been best friends for years. One day, while over atMariel's house, Emily is amusing herself with a new app on Mariel's phonewhen she discovers a text message. Curious, she reads the message. Sheis shocked to see it is from a classmate they used to be friends with. Themessage reads:"You are so crazy! I mean seriously, do you even knowwhere to shop? Your clothes are UGLY. No wonder no one likes you!"Emily takes a closer look and realizes there are many other offensive,cruel messages in Mariel's inbox. Emily realizes she is now a bystanderto a texting war, and she isn't sure what to do next.

What would you do if you were Emily?

Extension Activities

Activity 1 True or False?

Using the information from this chapter, determine whether eachstatement is true or false.

O Cyberbullies use only text messages to send harsh comments.

@ If faced with a cyberbully, the best thing to do is to seekrevenge.

© Social media makes it easy for cyberbullies to remainanonymous.

O Blocking a cyberbully from sending you messages is not agood way to deal with bullying.

Positive change can come from cyberbullying if teens talkabout their experiences with others.

Activity Key Terms

For each term, write a definition in your own words.

Cyberbullying

Outing

Flaming

Deception

Harassment

44 Cyber Literacy

Activity 3 Reality Revealed:A True Story of Cyberbullying

The following scenario is based on a true story:The hurtful messages began when Lynn was in eighth grade. Afterlunch one day, she discovered a website created by her peersthat was all about her. The website contained hurtful, untrue, andthreatening messages about her appearance, family, and personallife. Eventually the website was taken down, but Lynn faced a newset of issues when her Facebook account was hijacked and shediscovered classmates were sending negative comments to herfriends using her name.

The cyberbullying followed her from school to home and backagain. As a result, Lynn quit many of her favorite activities and triedto pretend to be someone she was not in order to fit in. Because sheheard so many negative comments about herself, after a while shestarted to believe they were true.

However, quitting activities that she loved only made it worse.Rather than suffering in silence, Lynn decided to use art to channelher frustrations and express herself. She found that drawing andpainting helped her relax and cope with the negativity brought onby cyberbullying. Support from her family and friends also helpedher stay positive.

Lynn became an advocate for combating cyberbullying by speakingout about her experiences. She now shares her story about thenegative impact cyberbullying can have in hopes of changing teens'perceptions about the words they use online.

Using what you have learned in this chapter, write a one-pageanalysis of the story about Lynn. Your analysis should answer thefollowing questions:

O What types of cyberbullying did Lynn experience?

@ What were the negative impacts of the cyberbullying?

How did Lynn cope with the cyberbullying?

O What do you think is the most important thing you can learnfrom Lynn's story? Why?

Chapter 3: Assessment

Hands-On

Dealing with Cyberbuilying

Coping with cyberbullying is no easy task, but knowing the rightmoves to make when faced with a bully can make the situation easierto handle.

Read the scenario below and help Jin figure out what to do bywriting five steps he can take to deal with the cyberbully. Think aboutsolutions, such as blocking the bully or reporting the incident. Usecomplete sentences and examples from this chapter in your answers.Then create a poster or multimedia presentation of the five steps,and present your solutions to the class.

Scenario:Jin is a freshman in high school. He uses Facebook regularly. Hisonline profile lists his email address, interests, favorite movies, andcell phone number. While he likes using Facebook, he is frustratedwith his email, because lately he is receiving up to 50 emails a dayfrom an email address that he doesn't know. He suspects it could besomeone from school, but he's not sure. The messages include insultsabout his personal life, and they are getting increasingly offensive.After a few weeks, the hateful messages spread to his cell phone, andhe is bombarded with mean texts all day.

Not sure where to start?Review the Coping with Cyberbullying section of this chapter or visitthese websites:

• www.stopcyberbullying.org

www.kidshealth.org

46 Cyber Literacy

Chapters: Assessment

48 Cyber Literacy