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What's New - January 2008

Cyber-Bullying and Web Awareness

Introduction

Recent studies in the United States1,2, United Kingdom3, and Canada4 suggest that online ridicule, harassment or threats, known as electronic- or cyber-bullying, is on the rise and may be affecting as many as one-in-three children. An Alberta study revealed that one-in-four Grade 7 students reported having been cyber-bullied.

According to the Bully Police (see http://www.bullypolice.org/), this form of bullying is more predominant among girls and can take many forms including: harassment through e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, blog postings, and other electronic communications; posting embarrassing or doctored images; signing someone up to a pornographic web site; and planting statements about a person that results in third-party stalking and harassment. According to the National Association of School Psychologists, children who are victims of chronic abuse (whether they are cyber-bullied or bullied in other ways) are more likely to develop depression or low self-esteem, bring weapons to school, or contemplate suicide. This can leave victims physically scared, interfere with their learning, as well as damage school climates. Bullies have also been shown to struggle academically, become abusive adults, or engage in criminal behavior.

In May 2006, Alberta Education together with several Government of Alberta departments, announced a Stand Up and Stop Bullying Campaign (see http://education.alberta.ca/department/news/previous/may/20060512.aspx). According to the Minister of Education, this bullying awareness campaign was initiated to ensure “youth have ways of getting help when they need it, while also helping them find out how they can take charge of this issue.” A 24-hour helpline, web resources (e.g., www.B-Free.ca, www.TeamHeroes.ca, and www.bullyfreealberta.ca) and related teacher professional development workshops are being offered through this campaign.

In this month’s What’s New item entitled, Cyber-Bullying and Web Awareness, teachers, administrators, parents and students will find information about these and other resources to help them better understand: the forms of cyber-bullying and the criminal nature of some of these forms; the adverse affects of cyber-bullying on the victim and the bully; and some strategies to address this issue.

Note: In addition to the resources offered below, see the March 2006 What’s New item entitled Safe and Caring Schools “Promising Practices” at http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca/WhatsNew/2006_04.html for a discussion of some proactive approaches to preventing bullying.

1 See eSchoolNews, Tue, Dec 4, 2007, “Studies suggest cyber bullying is on the rise Public health experts share concern over online harassment and its impact on students”; <http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=50868;_hbguid=81326910-9480-4f4e-a1e1-f0ff24952386>; Retrieved Dec 2007.

2 See eSchoolNews, Mon, Sep 03, 2007, “Cyber bullying needs to be taken seriously ... here's how”; <http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=50860;_hbguid=1d943abd-7e6e-4d19-85a7-52f0b18d0342>; Retrieved Dec 2007.

3 National Children’s Charities; October 19, 2007, “Stop Text Bullying”; ; Retrieved Dec 2007.

4 See references to Canadian studies on the Government of Alberta’s Bully Free Alberta web site at http://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/cyber_bullying.htm. See also recent articles on cyber-bullying from About Kids Health (http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/News/Cyber-Bullying-Part-One.aspx?articleID=7981&categoryID=news-type) and the CBC (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2007/11/21/anti-bullying.html?ref=rss).

Alberta Children’s Services: What is cyber-bullying?
http://www.child.alberta.ca/home/695.cfma.
Adapted with permission from the Media Awareness Network, this page answers the following questions about cyber-bullying:

  • What is cyber-bullying?
  • What are the forms of cyber-bullying?
  • What laws are in place to address cyber-bullying?
  • What is the role of Internet service providers (ISPs) and cell phone service providers with respect to cyber-bullying?

B-Free.ca
http://www.b-free.ca/default.html

The authors of this site offer the following definition of cyber-bullying: “Cyber-bullying is defined as the use of email, cell phone and pager text messages, instant messaging (IM), insulting or offensive personal websites and defamatory online personal polling sites to support deliberate, hostile behaviour towards an individual.” They also state that cyber-bullying is about power and control; modern technology simply enables the bully to be anonymous. Whether you are a bully, a target of bullying or a concerned friend, this site offers help in the form of: first-hand accounts from people who have been bullied and overcome it (http://www.b-free.ca/stories_sound_familiar.html and http://www.b-free.ca/stories_good_company.html); resources to help you deal with your current situation including proactive strategies to prevent cyber-bullying (http://www.b-free.ca/about_how.html#cyberbully); and facts, quizzes and links to other anti-bullying sites.

The authors of this literature and policy review define cyber-bullying, describe the differences between cyber-bullying and traditional forms of bullying, identify characteristics of cyber-bullies, discuss the importance of understanding the psychology of Internet use, describe the impact of cyber-bullying, review incidents of cyber-bullying, and stress the need for policy balance when responding to cyber-bullying. The authors concluded that:

  • acceptable-use policies at the school level need to address online use and behaviour both in-school and at-home and be sensitive to the needs of the local context;
  • concurrent development of board or higher administrative policies need to interconnect with local school policies to ensure government and public accountability, and establish standards for responsibility;
  • students should have a voice in the development of relevant policies so that they are more consensual versus autocratic or imposed;
  • evaluating polices for effectiveness is critical to determine if they are achieving their intent and not undermining other relevant policies, especially in the case of zero-tolerance policies where there is a risk of negatively labeling and thus harming those students sanctioned by them;
  • cyber-bullying policies should set out the underpinning social values including: caring and respectful behaviours in student-to-student exchanges; safe and nurturing environments for healthy development of identity and citizenship; and the principles of tolerance and impartiality; and
  • a “best interests of the child” lens should be used to provide a balance between values such as freedom of expression and the rights to privacy, and liberty and security;
  • policies should be developed using the following steps: 1. describe and define the policy problem (i.e., Is/why is cyber-bullying a problem?); 2. consider the implications that different perspectives have on developing a specific policy (e.g., psychological, social, legal), and how they are to be weighed/prioritized ; and 3. demonstrate how this knowledge can be transformed into policies that inter-relate well with policies within the health, justice, and social welfare systems; and finally
  • policymakers must understand the scope of the problem (incidents and severity); the theories about the causes of the behaviour; and the level of awareness about cyber-bullying amongst stakeholders.

Bullying Canada: Youth Anti-bullying Website

Although not focused specifically on cyber-bullying, the Bullying Canada web site created by youth volunteers from across Canada,:

Cyberbullying.ca

Created by Bill Belsey, an employee of the Keewatin Divisional Board of Education and the Government of the Northwest Territories, this site defines cyber-bullying as “the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group that is intended to harm others.” The site offers examples of various types of cyber-bullying (i.e., e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms, bash boards, small text-messages, web sites, voting booths), as well as strategies to prevent or respond to cyber-bullying including:
  • using e-mail filters;
  • not giving out personal information, passwords, or personal information numbers (PINs);
  • being skeptical about what you read or see on the Internet;
  • using “netiquette”;
  • not sending messages when angry;
  • not opening or replying to messages from people you do not recognize;
  • not replying to cyber-bullies;
  • “disconnecting” once in a while;
  • informing your Internet Service or cell phone provider or the police or an adult you trust;
  • saving messages from the cyber-bully as evidence; etc.

These and more tips are summarized in an information sheet that can be found at http://www.cyberbullying.ca/pdf/Cyberbullying_Information.pdf. The site also offers a list of possible signs that someone you know may be a victim of cyber-bullying including: spending hours on the computer; trouble sleeping or behavioural changes; lack of appetite or vomiting; lowered self-esteem; decrease in academic success; acting out aggression at home; and so on.

For more information about bullying in general, see Bullying.org which was also initially created by Bill Belsey. This site was created in response to and is dedicated to the memory of Jason Lang and others who have suffered at the hands of bullies. This site offers resources such as: FAQs, information about webinars and non-credit online courses (see http://www.bullyingcourse.com/), videos (e.g., “It’s a Girl’s World”, a documentary about social bullying by the National Film Board at http://www.nfb.ca/webextension/itsagirlsworld/GirlsWord.html), and support groups.

Government of Alberta: Bully Free Alberta5
Copyright © 2005 Government of Alberta
http://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/cyber_bullying.htm

This web site provides parents, teens and community members with tools to help prevent or intervene in a bullying situation. The site offers fact sheets (http://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/materials.htm), presentation materials including slides, speaking notes and a handout (http://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/pdf/What_Adults_Can_Do.ppt and http://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/pdf/Handout_Final.pdf), and links to several provincial and national web sites related to bullying (http://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/links.htm).

Prominently displayed on the site’s home page are the 24-hour helpline phone number 1-888-456-2323 and a link to the Team Heroes web site (http://www.teamheroes.ca/website/index.html). The Team Heroes site is designed for elementary school-aged children and offers online games to help them handle bullying.

The Bully Free Alberta site also lists resources approved by Alberta Education for use in schools (see http://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/safe_caring_schools.htm). In addition to these resources, Alberta Education recently partnered with the Media Awareness Network (MNet; see http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/default.aspx) to provide all Alberta teachers with access to free web awareness workshops that include “Cyber Bullying: Encouraging ethical online behaviour” as well as four workshops examining Internet safety, privacy, marketing, and the authentication of online information. All Jurisdiction Technology Contacts have information about how to access these workshops or for more information, contact Karen Shipka at Karen.Shipka@gov.ab.ca or by phone at (780) 427-6961.

5 Note: BullyFreeAlberta.ca is the product of a larger cross-ministry initiative called the "Stand Up and Stop Bullying" Prevention of Bullying Youth Campaign co led by Children’s Services and Education and involving: Alberta Health and Wellness; Alberta International, Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Relations; Alberta Solicitor General and Public Security; Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry; and Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture. This campaign was recently awarded a Gold Premier’s Award (see http://www.chr.alberta.ca/Practitioners/?file=performance/premier/2007/gold-standup-stop-bullying&cf=14 for more information).

Media Awareness Network; School Libraries in Canada; 2006, Volume 25 Issue 4; “Cyber bullying: Understanding and Preventing Online Harassment and Bullying”
http://www.cla.ca/casl/slic/254cyberbullying.html
This informative article defines cyber-bullying and answers the following questions:

  • How widespread is cyber-bullying?
  • How does cyber-bullying compare with traditional bullying?
  • What appeal does cyber-bullying hold for bullies?
  • Are boys and girls equally affected by cyber-bullying?
  • What laws are in place to help prevent cyber-bullying?
  • What can adults, children/youth, teachers, teacher-librarians, and schools do to address cyber-bullying?
  • What can children/youth do if they are being cyber-bullied?

Net Smartz Workshop
http://www.netsmartz.org

The Net Smartz Workshop web site, created by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, offers several real-life stories about Internet safety issues in general and cyber-bullying in particular (see http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/reallife.htm). These brief video clips (Flash animations) could be used to initiate discussions with middle and high school students about what they can do to avoid becoming a victim or victimizing someone else. Classroom activities and articles related to each video clip are provided.

In addition, the site offers:

The Alberta Library
http://www.thealbertalibrary.ab.ca/viewChannel.asp?channelID=18
The Alberta Library licenses the Mnet’s Web Awareness Program to provide Alberta communities with information and activities to help kids develop "cyber smarts" including how to deal with cyber-bullying and cyber threats. More information about this offering is available by sending an e-mail to webawareness@thealbertalibrary.ab.ca.

The Hospital for Sick Children, About Kids Health
http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca
The About Kids Health web site, recently posted two articles related to cyber-bullying. These articles, entitled “Cyber-bullying Part One” (see http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/News/Cyber-Bullying-Part-One.aspx?articleID=7981&categoryID=news-type) and “Cyber-bullying Part Two” (see http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/News/Cyber-Bullying-Part-Two.aspx?articleID=8064&categoryID=news-type):

  • describe the growing problem of cyber-bullying or Internet bullying in Canada (i.e., intentional harassment that occurs through electronic media);
  • compare bullying to cyber-bullying;
  • describe cyber-bullies and their victims;
  • discuss forms of online-bullying that are considered criminal offenses (e.g., online death threats, publishing something defamatory and libelous (e.g., writing something that is insulting or damaging to a person's reputation by exposing him or her to hatred, contempt, or ridicule), spreading hate or discrimination based on race, religion, colour, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, age or disability); and
  • discuss how teachers, parents and youth can take action against cyber-bullying (e.g., teachers and parents can develop and enforce clear guidelines around the responsible use of technology, children and youth can take a stand against cyber-bullying among their peers).

The Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities (SACSC)
http://www.sacsc.ca/Resources_Community.htm
The mission of the Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities (SACSC) is “to encourage home, school and community practices that teach, model and reinforce socially responsible and respectful behaviours, so that living and learning can take place in a safe, caring and inclusive environment” (see http://www.sacsc.ca/About%20SACSC.htm to learn more about the vision, goals and principles of SACSC). To achieve this mission, the SACSC provides several workshops including a workshop on “dealing with bullying” which examines the roles of those involved in bullying behaviour and proposes strategies for eliminating bulling (see http://www.sacsc.ca/workshops_and_training.html#4). To learn more, visit the web site or contact SACSC at (780) 447-9487 or via e-mail at office@sacsc.ca.