What is Bullying?

1. Bullying is intentional aggressive behavior. It can take the form of physical or verbal harassment and involves an imbalance of power (a group of children can gang up on a victim or someone who is physically bigger or more aggressive can intimidate someone else, for instance).

2. Bullying behavior can include teasing, insulting someone (particularly about their weight or height, race, sexuality, religion or other personal traits), shoving, hitting, excluding someone, or gossiping about someone.

3. Bullying can cause a victim to feel upset, afraid, ashamed, embarrassed, and anxious about going to school. It can involve children of any age, including younger elementary grade-schoolers and even kindergarteners.

The End of Bullying Begins with Me

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/culture/bullying/preview.weml

http://www.pacerkidsagainstbullying.org/#/share/videos

What is Cyberbullying?

• Cyberbullying is just what it sounds like - bullying through Internet pplications and technologies such as instant messaging (IM), social networking sites, and cell phones.

• It can start easily—with a rumor, a photo, or a forwarded message—and just as easily spiral out of control.

• An embarrassing video posted to a social networking site by someone in Kansas tonight may be watched by someone in Japan tomorrow.

• Cyberbullying victims may be targeted anywhere, at any time.

http://stopcyberbullying.org/

http://www.cyberbullying.us/Bullying_and_Cyberbullying_Laws.pdf

Did You Know?The NYC DOE just released their new site -

http://schools.nyc.gov/RulesPolicies/RespectforAll/default.htm

http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/188AF3E2-F12B-4754-8471-F2EFB344AE2B/0/DiscCodebooklet2013final.pdf

Common forms of Cyberbullying• • Flaming and Trolling – sending or posting hostile messages intended to

“inflame” the emotions of others•  • Happy-Slapping – recording someone being harassed or bullied in a way

that usually involves physical abuse, then posting the video online for public viewing

•  • Identity Theft/Impersonation – stealing someone’s password and/or hijacking their online accounts to send or post incriminating or humiliating pictures, videos, or information

•  • Photoshopping – doctoring digital images so that the main subject is placed in a compromising or embarrassing situation

•  • Physical Threats – sending messages that involve threats to a person’s physical safety

•  • Rumor Spreading – spreading gossip through e-mail, text messaging, or social networking sites

http://stopcyberbullying.org/kids/index.html

http://www.brainpop.com/technology/computersandinternet/cyberbullying/preview.weml

http://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/

http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/index.html

The UFT launched its anti-bullying hotline, 212-709-3222

http://www.uft.org/our-rights/brave

To disseminate information from the government, the president announced a Web site, StopBullying.gov.

http://www.stopbullying.gov/

Examples of Anti-Bullying PSA's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJut7KQhI4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY7Gvq0P4hc

The Price of Silence

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think people cyberbully?•  • How does your school deal with cyberbullying?•  • Have you ever sent a mean message because

you were upset?•  • What would you do if someone created a

mean, fake profile for you or one of your friends?•  • How can you stop yourself from being

cyberbullied?•  • Who would you talk to if it happened to you?

Tips for Handling Cyberbulling• Do not respond to rude e-mails, messages, and comments.•  • Save the evidence, such as e-mail and text messages, and take screenshots of

comments and images. Also, take note of the date and time when the harassment occurs.

•  • Contact your Internet service provider (ISP) or cell phone provider. Ask the website administrator or ISP to remove any Web page that was created to hurt.

•  • If harassment is via e-mail, social networking sites, IM, and chat rooms, “block” bullies or delete your current account and open a new one.

•  • If harrassment is via text and phone messages, change the phone number and then only share the new number with trustworthy people. Also, check out phone features that may allow the number to be blocked.

•  • Get the school involved. Learn the school’s policy on cyberbullying. Here is the NYCDOE policy

•  • Make a report to www.cybertipline.com, and if you feel something illegal has occurred, inform law enforcement.