Cyber Bullying : What your students need to know
By Simon Noakes
Sharing Good Practice
police . It does not matter if it comes from an anonymous source ; there are ways the police can investigate where these messages originated .
Don ’ t
• Delete the messages or emails . Keep the evidence , as they may be required at a later date .
• NEVER REPLY ! This is what the bully wants and it could lead to more abuse .
How to avoid cyber bullying
There are a few things that you can teach your kids to make their online presence more secure .
“ A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes .”
– Mark Twain
It is incredible how much more true this quote is today than it was back in Twain ’ s era . Social media and digital technology have made this an infallible truth .
Increasingly , we hear about the presence of cyber bullying – an unfortunate and nasty side effect that comes from technology changing how we operate socially in the world . Similar to normal bullying , it is the youngest and most vulnerable of us that gets hit the hardest .
The statistics don ’ t lie , cyber bullying has :
• been witnessed by 87 % of today ’ s youth . A staggering 70 % claim they see it regularly
• affected nearly 43 % of kids online – 1 in 4 say that this has happened more than once
• been carried out by 15 % of students
• it has a heavy consequence on the mental wellbeing of its victims – thoughts as serious as suicide are 2 to 9 times more likely .
So what can we do ? Tell our kids to stay off social media ? Hide them away from the changes occurring within our societies ? Monitor everything they do and receive on their phones or computers ?
No . None of these will work and none of these will promote resilience in our kids ’ developing minds . Instead , it is our duty as parents , as educators and as guardians to properly inform our kids on how they should behave on social media .
Do
• Let your kids know that they can and should talk to someone they can trust – be it parent , teacher , caregiver or friend .
• Report the abuse to your Internet Service Provider ( ISP ) if the bullying happened online .
• Report the abuse to your mobile phone provider if the bullying happened via texts or calls to their mobile .
• Teach your kids how to block messages and emails across whichever platforms they are receiving the abuse .
• Report serious bullying such as physical or sexual threats to the
• Do not give out personal details – this include phone numbers , email addresses , physical addresses and social media handle / usernames
• Be careful about what you post – is the video or post provocative ?
• Only give your mobile number to close friends .
• Be secure with your passwords for all your social media channels . Never let your friends know them .
• Learn about the privacy settings on social media . It is usually very easy to really nail down who can find you on most networks . Don ’ t make it easy for strangers .
• Don ’ t become a part of cyber bullying . Your kid may not have sent a message or email , but if they pass it on , they are just as culpable as the original cyber bully .
• Learn how to block messages , profiles and emails .
• Know how to report cyber bullying and abuse across the various platforms . ISPs , phone providers , website administrators and social media sites almost always have a reporting feature for exactly this .
Follow Simon on Twitter @ SimonNoakes
Class Time
| | Nov - Dec 2016 |
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