A Change of Heart to
Tackle a Cyberbully
As a result of the tragic story of the
teenager who took her own life after
suffering a course of abuse online from
anonymous bullies, cyberbullying is in the
spotlight once again.
Public outcry has called for the website in
that case to be shut down and for similar
sites to be regulated. However, the demise
of a single website is unlikely to resolve
the wider issues. Other similar sites would
surely emerge to take its place. Sanctions
and regulation may be a positive step but
may be limited to certain jurisdictions.
Attacking cyberbullying at its roots, by
better educating children to the risks,
would surely be an effective way to
generate the cultural shift which may be
necessary to deal with the issues.
Education Secretary, Michael Gove,
recently commented “It is certainly the
case that technology creates a new arena
where bullying can take place, but at its
heart when it comes to tackling bullying it’s
not just fixing a technology it’s fixing what’s
in people’s hearts”.
In a school environment, bullying is
always a serious concern. Playground
bullying may be simple to detect, as it
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may be visible. However, bullying online
has become more prevalent and is
far more difficult to detect or monitor.
Today’s children are so accustomed to
communicating via social media, it has
become part of their daily routine.
Schools have the ability to discipline pupils
for misbehaviour when identifiable as a
school pupil. In addition, a pupil may be
disciplined for misbehaviour, at any time,
that poses a threat to the public or another
pupil or that could adversely affect the
reputation of the school. Therefore pupils
involved in cyber-bullying in their own free
time may still be dealt with. A behaviour
policy with clear guidelines and containing
an express right to monitor pupils’ online
activities can assist greatly in detecting
behaviour which may be of concern
so as to protect victims and to identify
potential psychological issues in the bullies
themselves.
Parents should press for firm policies in
schools in order to cultivate this change in
the heart which Michael Gove describes.
In addition, parents should seek assistance
in educating themselves in the dangers of
social media use by their children. The role
of the school is paramount.