- Willful: The behavior has to be deliberate, not accidental.
- Repeated: Bullying reflects a pattern of behavior, not just one isolated incident.
- Harm: The target must perceive that harm was inflicted.
- Computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices: This, of course, is what differentiates cyberbullying from traditional bullying
Stopbullying.gov provides a Lifeline for those who are left helpless and hopeless after being Cyberbullied: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
The Cyberbullying Research Center did a random sample from one school in the Midwest in February 2015. The results showed that 34% of the students in the sample have experienced cyberbullying at some point in their lifetime.
Resources for educators, teens, parents, and adult victims are provided through the Cyberbullying Research Center. Here is one resource, 10 tips to prevent bullying:
Celeste,
ReplyDeleteCyberbullying has become such an important topic to talk about in our schools. I found an news article online from August 15, 2015. As devasting as the outcome of this article is, it is a great one to show how much of an impact cyber bullying has on an individual.
This article is about an 18 year old girl named Jessica who committed suicide because of a cyber bullying incident. On Easter Sunday in 2014, Jessica's father and mother received a text saying that Jessica was going for a run. When Jessica did not return after several hours they started looking for her everywhere. Her father mentions in the article that absolutely nothing seemed wrong with Jessica and there were zero signs that something was wrong. After they found out the devastating news that Jessica had committed suicide her father went through her computer and found that she was cuber bullied the night before she died.
Jessica's father is now educating others on the impact of cyber bullying. He travels around and talks to students at various different schools to share the story about his daughter.
Here is the link to the article if you want to read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-17/father-crusades-to-stop-cyber-bullies-after-daughter's-suicide/6703668
At my current placement I have not noticed any cyber bullying occurring. My students are allowed to be on their phones if their work is done, which makes me nervous. Most of them are on facebook or snapchat. Although I have not heard or seen anything pertaining to cyber bullying there were a couple incidences from when I was in high school. There was a girl who created a "hate" facebook page for another girl. I actually did not find out about this until after we graduated and someone brought up how awful it was. The girl who created the page had to speak to the principal and also delete the page. I would have thought the consequences would have been a little bit more severe. Cyberbullying is a major issue in today's society and I think it is extremely important for future educators to be able to talk about this with their students.
-Alexandra Stam
Alexandra,
DeleteI agree that seeing my students with their phones out constantly makes me nervous! It's so easy to post something mean, or respond to something out of spite instead of first thinking about it. It's such a big problem, that unfortunately doesn't have an obvious answer, but is crucial for our students to become aware of.
Hey Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that story. It is so horrible, but it feels like a common story, which is even more sad. I hope the father is making an impact on students he speaks to because he has experience.
My placement is similar to yours in that the students use their phones when their work is done (or when the teacher isn't paying attention). I see them on Facebook and texting and I sometimes wonder if bullying could be going on and we would never know. It is a topic that needs to be addressed in these classrooms for sure!
Hey Celeste,
ReplyDeleteAny types of bullying is horrible. Now that the technology has been easy to access, some people find it funny to bully them over social media. Last semester i was at Grand Haven High. I remember going to school and my CT had a conversation with me. She let me know that a 9th grade committed suicide.
It was so hard for me to hear that news. I didn't know that student but she was so young, and it made me wonder what she was going through. I saw the whole school being in grief.
Now that cyberbullying is more aware, they are finding way to stop it and what side affects. This article shows that cyberbullying can lead to PTSD.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2016/02/18/Half-of-teens-at-ER-report-peer-violence-cyberbullying/9231455820111/
Gladis,
DeleteThat is an awful thing for any high school to go through. The reality that a person can feel so depressed or hopeless that they would commit suicide is shocking for teenagers.
That happened at my school as well. A popular, athletic, well liked sophomore committed suicide and no one saw any signs. I wonder now if it had something to do with cyber bullying. Some of the cyber bullying stories I have heard, the victim did not show any signs until it was too late. It is so crucial for these students to know that it is not okay and can receive help if they are feeling hopeless!
Thanks for the article! It's another interesting perspective of cyber bullying and what it can cause.
Since I've left my K-12 job, my prior school really relaxed its phone policy. In 2012, kids could have phones, but only use them with teacher's permissions. Further, the lunch room was a safe spot as well. Now, pretty much anything goes: in the hallways, between classes, etc. That does make me a bit nervous as well. School are still widely varied in their policies.
ReplyDelete