Cyberbullying

LHHS

Definition

• "Cyberbullying involves 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." -Bill Belsey (cyberbullying.ca)

Bullying in General

• Often involves inequalities in power.• Generally the three forms are:

PhysicalVerbalRelational or Social

How is Cyberbullying Different

• Not face to face• (sent and received from) Anywhere in the

world, not just at school• Anonymous: a username, a false name, or

someone pretending to be someone else• Permanent (always a record of it somewhere

in cyberspace to haunt both the target and the bully)

Differences Continued

• Public: often visible to more than just the target and bully

• Today’s generation is Always-On• A wide variety of types of cyberbullying

(e-mail, IM, texting, blogs, chatrooms, social networks, posting of pictures, etc.)

• Less visible to adults• Perceived lack of consequences

Cyberfact

It took 38 years for radio to attract 50 million listeners. 13 years for television to attract 50 million viewers. In just 4 years the Internet has attracted 50 million surfers! (J. Jonathan Gabay, Sucessful Cybermarketing in a Week, 2000)

Internet:Strengths and Weaknesses

• Internet is the free exchange of ideas• Little to no regulation on information highway• The unregulated exchange of ideas is a

powerful resource and a potential source of harm at the same time

• Those who use the internet must learn to keep themselves safe (whose responsibility it is to teach has yet to be determined)

Types of Cyber Bullying• Insulting – posting or spreading false

information that will cause harm • Targeting – Singling someone out and inviting

others to attack• Identity theft – Pretending to be someone else

to make it look like the other person said something

Types Continued• Uploading – Sharing images of a person, in an

embarrassing situation, without permission• Excluding – Pressuring others to exclude

someone from a community (online or offline)• Harassment – Repeatedly sending someone

nasty, mean and insulting messages• Threats – online threats of bodily harm and/or

death

Why we shouldn’t ignore the issue

• JENNA LOUISE BRYANTON• COURTNEY BROWN• AERMIS KOLKE• DAWN-MARIE WESLEY• MEGAN MEIER• ALEXIS PILKINGTON• Etc• etc

Legal Issues• Some forms of cyber bullying are considered

CRIMINAL acts.• A cyberbully may also be violating the

Canadian Human Rights Act if her/she spreads hate or discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or disability.

Criminal Code of Canada• Section 298: Defamation (slander) – Published

communication that can severely harm the reputation of an individual

• Section 319: Public Incitement of Hatred (Hate Crimes) – When someone wilfully promotes hatred against any identifiable group

Criminal Code Continued• Section 264.1(1): Uttering Threats

- threats to cause death or bodily harm to anyone - threats to burn, destroy or damage personal property

- threats to kill, poison or injure an animal or bird that is property of any

person

Criminal Code Continued• Section 264: Criminal Harassment - No person

shall engage in conduct* that causes the other person reasonably, in all circumstances, to fear for their safety or the safety of anyone known to them

(Note: Criminal Harassment is different than harassment – moral wrong does not equal legal wrong)

Criminal Harassment• Repeatedly following the person• Repeatedly communicating (directly or

indirectly) with the person• Watching their house, them, their place of

employment or anywhere else the person is located

• Engaging in threatening conduct directed at the person or family members

Proving an Offence

• Even if a police write a warrant and get the IP address (about 8 to 30 hours worth of work depending on complexity), it does not prove whose fingers were at the keyboard.

• A Facebook message from John Edward does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the message came from John Edward. It could be a falsely created account, someone could be pretending to be John Edward, someone may be using the account with or without John’s permission, or someone may have hacked into John’s account.

Police Response

• Traditional “law enforcement” not always applicable

• “Criminal Law” designed to repair harm to society (ex theft cannot be allowed), not about repairing harm to individual

• Criminal Law is just one tool on a tool belt• Partnering with other agencies who have

more authority when it comes to cyberbullying (schools, peers, parents, etc)

Schools

• Have policies in place that hold staff responsible to make the school environment conducive to learning

• Have authority to punish/suspend those whose behaviour is contrary to above

• As well, schools have the experience and resources to teach proper interpersonal behaviours (education is of primary importance – before suspension)

Leo Hayes in Particular

• Vice Principals employ discipline on a progressive scale (can and do suspend if other interventions have been unsuccessful or behaviour is serious)

• Guidance and other staff often involved in mediations and counselling

• Beyond the Hurt (run by students who have been trained by the Red Cross) participates in school wide education

Leo Hayes Continued

• Some peer mentors are trained and utilized in peer mediation

• Many outside agencies are frequently involved with students involved in bullying (ex Department of Social Development, Youth Choices, Anger Management facilitators)

Workplaces

• Like schools, employers are mandated to ensure a healthy and safe workplace (Workplace Health and Safety Regulations)

• Unlike schools, employees often have a choice as to where they work, and some workplaces have a better atmosphere than others (employees can vote with their feet)

Internet Service Providers• ISP’s and other internet sites are becoming more

and more involved in cyberbullying issues• It never hurts to report unwanted behaviour to

an ISP, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Moderators cannot see everything that occurs on the internet but sometimes they can take action if they are alerted

• People are often now having their accounts shut down for a period of time due to inappropriate behaviour

• Remember, you are the ISP’s customer

Peers

• Targets of cyberbullying often report that the most successful interventions are those of their peers

• Bystanders are NOT innocent. Speak out against inappropriate posts or blogs. Reach out and support those you know are being targeted.

Parents

• Proper learning begins at home• Parents need to be aware of what their youth

are doing on-line• Parents need to be involved/supportive in

interventions taking place; whether they be done by schools, workplaces, ISP’s

What you can do to protect yourself

• STOP, BLOCK & TELL• STOP – Stop reading the insulting messages• BLOCK – Block them from your computer• Tell – Tell someone (parent, teacher, guidance, principal,

police – ONLY 1 in 10 tell)• If an adult doesn’t listen, try telling someone else.

Keep trying until you are taken seriously • If you are afraid of telling, ask someone you trust to

do it for you• Save and print the bully’s messages (evidence is

important)

Do Not

• Do not respond to cyberbullying. This not only gives the bully power and the reaction from you they are looking for, it often turns the victim into the bully

Final Thoughts on Accountability Issues

• 60% of males who bullied (grade 1-9) were convicted of one crime by the age of 24

• 40% had three or more convictions before age 24

• Bully’s today become CRIMINALS tomorrow!

Bullying Throughout Life Span• Normative Aggression• Bullying• Sexual Harassment• Delinquency/Criminality• Dating Violence• Workplace Harassment• Marital Abuse• Child Abuse• Elder Abuse

Your Questions to Me

Q: Is cyberbullying common?A: National average is that 30 to 40 % of

students have been bullied in the last yearQ: Why do people let cyberbullies bother them?A: Teens communicate extensively on-line. It is

their whole way of life

Q: Have you had a lot of kids coming to your office specifically about cyberbullying? If so, is it more girls or boys?

A: Due to shear numbers, if it doesn’t involve criminal behaviour or someone from outside school, I will take the complainant to their vice principal (and yes it is more often girls – relational bullying)

Q: Why does it appear that schools ignore bullying?A: Because complainants will often settle for

nothing other than suspension, but that does nothing to resolve the issue cause the bully will be back in ten days

Q: Is cyberbullying more common than other bullying?

A: Unquestioningly yes, because youth live on-lineQ: Why don’t the victims tell someone early instead

of waiting until things get really bad?Q: Embarrassed, feel no one can do anything, feel

parents will cut off their internet, etcQ: WHY TELL SOMEONE WHEN THE BULLY WILL

KNOW IT IS YOU AND ATTACK YOU MORE?A: Stats show that intervention often does make

things better (even if telling just involves having someone show you understanding)

Q: What kind of cases do you hear about most?A: Unfortunately, the back and forth kind, where

the complainant has been bullying as well (please don’t do that)

Q: Why isn’t bullying illegal? How does the law see cyberbullying?

A: Criminal Law is designed to punish specific behaviour (often centering around an incident). Bullying is often hard to put your finger on. As well, bullying is often name calling. The law will never punish name calling cause the harm is not definable enough. Example, I’m not going to go to jail for calling someone a B!^(#

Q: Do the police in Fredericton get involved in cyberbullying a lot?

A: More and more frequently. Again the police role is not solely law enforcement

Q: Can you still find out who is posting hurtful things about you, if you don’t know their screen name?

A: Even if police got a warrant to have the ISP provide the IP address and connection location, it does not prove who sent the message (who’s fingers were at the keyboard)

Q: Why is it so hard to get hurtful websites removed?

A: The internet is all about freedom and is thus unregulated. Even if an ISP deemed a website inappropriate and had it shut down, the website author can always get an account with another ISP. Even if one country brought in tight internet regulations, there are hundreds of countries hooked up to the internet.

Q: Why do you think cyberbullying has gotten so bad?

A: The internet is still relatively new. Society hasn’t caught up to dealing with the social issues brought on by the internet