cyberbullyng: demystifying and deescalating cyber bullying

CYBER BULLYING‘Demystifying and Deescalating Cyber

Bullying’Barbara Trolley, Ph.D. CRC

Connie Hanel, M.S.E.d & Linda Shields, M.S.E.d.

WORKSHOP GOALS

Terminology Assessment Issues & Protocol Decision Tree ‘PEAS’ PROGRAM:

Psychological, Educational and Social School Response

CYBER BULLYING IS…

Being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful

material using technological means; an individual or group that usesinformation and communication involvingelectronic technologies to facilitatedeliberate and repeated harassment orthreat to an individual or group.

Also known as: ‘Electronic Bullying’ & ‘Online Social Cruelty’

CYBER BULLIES’ TECHNOLOGY

E-mail Cell phones Pager text messages Instant messaging Defamatory personal web sites Defamatory online personal

polling web sites Chat rooms

DIFFERENCESBULLYING

DIRECT

Occurs on school property

Poor relationships with teachers

Fear retributionPhysical: Hitting, Punching & ShovingVerbal: Teasing, Name calling & GossipNonverbal: Use of gestures & Exclusion

www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

CYBERBULLYING

ANONYMOUS

Occurs offschool property

Good relationships with teachers

Fear loss of technology privileges

Further under the radar than bullying

Emotional reactions cannot be determined

{McKenna & Bargh, 2004; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004}

http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/

CYBER BULLY CATEGORIES

“Inadvertent” Role-play Responding May not realize it’s

cyber bullying“Vengeful Angel” Righting wrongs Protecting themselves“Mean Girls” Bored; Entertainment Ego based; promote

own social status Often do in a group Intimidate on and off

line Need others to bully; if

isolated, stop

“Power-Hungry” Want reaction Controlling with fear“Revenge of the

Nerds” (“Subset of Power-Hungry”)

Often Victims of school-yard bullies

Throw ‘cyber-weight’ around

Not school-yard bullies like Power-Hungry & Mean Girls

{Parry Aftab. Esq., Executive Director, WiredSafety.org}

CYBER BULLYING TYPES

“Flaming’: Online fights using electronic messages with angry and vulgar language

“Harassment”: Repeatedly sending offensive, rude, and insulting messages

“Cyber stalking”: Repeatedly sending messages that include threats of harm or are highly intimidating. Engaging in other on-line activities that make a person afraid for his or her own safety

“Denigration”: ‘Dissing’ someone online. Sending or posting cruel gossip or rumors about a person to damage his or her reputation or friendships

CYBER BULLYING TYPES

“Impersonation”: Pretending to be someone else and sending or posting material online that makes that person look bad, gets that person in trouble or danger, or damages that person’s reputation or friendships

“Outing and Trickery”: Sharing someone’s secret or embarrassing information online. Tricking someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing information which is then shared online

“Exclusion”: Intentionally excluding someone from an on-line group, like a ‘buddy list’

{Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D., Director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use}

CYBER BULLYING PREVALENCE

Cyber bullying typically starts at about 9 years of age and usually ends after 14 years of age; after 14, it becomes cyber or sexual harassment due to nature of acts and age of actors {Aftab}

Affects 65-85% of kids in the core group directly or indirectly through close friends (Aftab)


Aftab’s statistics: 90% of middle school students they polled had

their feelings hurt online 65% of their students between 8-14 have been

involved directly or indirectly in a cyber bullying incident as the cyber bully, victim or friend

50% had seen or heard of a website bashing of another student

75% had visited a website bashing 40% had their password stolen and changed by

a bully (locking them out of their own account) or sent communications posing as them

Problems in studies: not assessing the ‘real thing’i.e. Only 15% of parent polled knew what cyber bullying was


In the 2003-04 school year, i-SAFE America surveyed studentsfrom across the country on a new topic: Cyber Bullying

It is a topic that not many adults were talking about but one that is all too familiar with students.

42% of kids have been bullied while online. 1 in 4 have had it happen more than once.

35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly 1 in 5 have had it

happen more than once.

21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mail or other messages.

58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than 4 out of 10 say it has happened more than once.

53% of kids admit having said something mean or hurtful to another person online. More than 1 in 3 have done it more than once.

58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.

Based on 2004 i-SAFE survey of 1,500 students grades 4-8 http://www.isafe.org

CYBER BULLYING STATISTICS

*Taken from an i-SAFE America survey of students nationwide.

CYBER BULLYING LEGAL ISSUES

Who May Be Involved:

School Counselor

Principal

Resource Officer

Police

Attorney (School or Private)

Superintendent

Internet Service Provider

General (Willard, 2005)

School Limits: Schools have policies

against bullying

Civil Law Limits: Cyber bullying may also

meet standards for ‘institutional torts’

(wrongdoings)

Defamation

Material that Constitutes an Invasion of Privacy

(1st Amendment)

Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress


Criminal Law Limits The following kinds of speech can lead to arrest & prosecution:

Making threats of violence to people or their property

Engaging in coercion Making obscene or harassing phone

calls Harassment or stalking Hate or bias crimes Creating or sending sexually explicit

images of teens Sexual exploitation Taking a photo of someone in place

where privacy expectedGeneral (Willard, 2005)


‘Educator’s Guide To Cyber bullying:

Addressing the Harm of On-line Social Cruelty’ (Nancy Willard, 2005)

Law Enforcement should be contacted ifeducator becomes aware of: Death threats or threats of other forms of

violence to a person or property Excessive intimidation or extortion Threats or intimidation that involve any

form of bias or discrimination

Any evidence of sexual exploitation


‘Offsite Internet Activities and Schools’(Copyright 2005 Parry Aftab, Esq. All rights reserved)

Conflicting decisions in regard to school’s authority with respect to cases under state and federal jurisdictions

School should seek legal consult often beyond regular school attorney (e.g., a constitutional or cyber-free speech lawyer)

‘Within School Authority’ Guidelines: Clear-cut threats Clearly disruptive of school discipline encouraged to visit website; student accesses or works on

website in school School owned website or school-sponsored project

website Any proof of in-school impact (e.g., materials on grounds;

psychosocial, behavioral or academic impact on others) Proof the student’s website or harassment has had impact

on staff

(e.g., quits, leave of absence, medical TX for emotional issues)- otherwise seek outside legal recourse


‘What Everyone Needs to Know About Cyber Bullying’

(Aftab)

Many cases of child cyber bullying, like adultcounterparts of cyber-harassment, not criminal

Law Enforcement needs to be aware of: Difference between annoying and dangerous

communications How to investigate a cyber crime How to obtain information from an ISP

CURRENT ANTI-BULLYING PROGRAMS

Traditional Program Concerns(Fleming, Towey, Limber, Gross, Rubin, Wright & Anderson, 2002)

Zero Tolerance & “3 Strikes & Out” Negatively impacts on willingness to report

Casts large net Bullies need pro-social role models

Anger Management, Skill Building, Empathy Building, Self-Esteem Enhancement

Group members serve as role models & reinforcers of bullying, anti-social

behaviorBullies don’t need self-esteem boosted

MediationAppropriate in cases of equal power, not bully & victimParallels possible in doing mediation in domestic violenceAppropriate message to bullies: Your behavior is inappropriate, won’t

betoleratedMessage to victim: No one deserves to be bullied and we’re going to

try tostop it

CURRENT ANTI-BULLYING PROGRAMS

Articles:

“Zero Tolerance Policies Encourage ‘Lockdown Environment’ in Schools”(Fuentes, 2003)

“One Strike and You’re Out of School” (Joiner, 2004)Youthful suicide, financial ruin, families torn apart for minor infractions.: How post Columbine hysteria is wrecking lives

“Every Child is Worth Saving” (http://endzeroltolerance.com)

Additional Lists of Articles & Commentaries

‘News” (http://www.jlc.org/EZT/News/default/html?id=Jan05)

SummaryChildren taught to not fight backFrequently have adults such as teachers ‘protect’ themThose being bullied often want friends or are fearful so don’t

‘narc’Having been bullied, may have poor self-esteemAll involved in cyber bullying not caught, assessed or

disciplinedAdults may be seemingly unresponsive

…..retaliation on-line

http://endzeroltolerance.com/

http://endzeroltolerance.com/

http://www.jlc.org/EZT/News/default/html?id=Jan05



CURRENT CYBER BULLYING PROGRAMS & RESONSES

(Aftab, PowerPoint communication)

PROGRAM OFFERINGS:

Teenangels.org: trains teens & preteens to be part of solution

WiredKids and WiredTeens” programs for schools and communities

Wiredsafety.org: one to one hotline and multiple resources Videos, Lesson Plans and Activities

Parent and Community Programs

Law enforcement training and briefings

Local county level summits on cyber bullying

Assistance on technological software & tools to help

‘

CURRENT CYBER BULLYINGPROGRAMS & RESPONSES

What Everyone Needs to Know About Cyber bullying’ (Aftab)

Education of Children: All actions have consequences Cyber bullying hurts They are just being used and manipulated

by cyber bully Cyber bully and accomplices often become

the target of cyber bullying themselves Care about others and stand up for what’s

right


Comprehensive Plan (Willard, 2005)Schools Policies concerning misuse of technology Evaluate how staff is and can more effectively

monitor Internet useParents Discuss cyber bullying Supervise and increase effective monitoring of

Internet useSince more adults supervise, more children will

hideactivities, strategies needed to change social

norms in these on-line works, empower the victim with knowledge how to prevent & respond, & to discourage bullies from engaging in such

activities


Schools should: Focus on values of kindness and

respectful human relations Enhancement of empathic

awareness Develop effective problem

solving skills Empowerment of bystanders

CURRENT CYBER BULLYING ASSESSMENT

(Willard, 2005)

Specific Step Wise Plan:1 Engage in participatory planning {Integrate into Safe Schools. District Technology Awareness; Non-school Participants}2 Conduct needs assessment {Assessment available at Center for Safe & Responsible Internet Use}3 Ensure that an effective anti--bullying program in place {core not authoritarian values; predictive empathy; peer norms vs. bullying; peer intervention skills, effective administrative responses}4 Review policies & Procedures {Monitoring, report box, internet & other technological pp}5 Conduct Professional Development {key individual sophisticated in the area; all administrators, librarians, counselors and technology educators basic understanding; all other staff alerted to existence, how to detect}6 Provide Parent Education {prevention, detection & intervention strategies; alert child to potential consequences of school discipline, loss of family account, civil litigation, criminal prosecution}7 Evaluate {prevention & intervention programs}

CURRENT CYBER BULLYINGPROGRAMS & RESPONSESIntervention Strategies for Cyber bullying Directed at

Student1-Save the evidence2-Conduct a threat assessment {if cyber bullying poses substantial disruption, violence or suicide concerns; contact law enforcement if threats of violence}3-Assesss response options {direct school nexus may warrant school disciplinary action; if off campus and not substantial threat, no disciplinary action but help victim}4-Identify the Perpetrators {technical assistance; assess validity of person’s identity; offer technical assistance to parents}5-Supprt the victim {even if no disciplinary action, offer support and assistance to victim and parents; offer counseling mediation, technical assistance; direct to community resources}6-Provide guidance on how to remove the speech7-Seek to use informal resolution strategies {contact perpetrator parents, offer assistance, suggest legal consultation; offer counseling, mediation in school; recognize the cyber bully is a hurt kid and try to help both victim and perpetrator

Intervention Strategies for Cyber bullying Directed at Staff1- Assess Type of Speech2- Take action based on assessment

CURRENT CYBER BULLYING ASSESSMENT

What Everyone Needs to Know About Cyber bullying’ (Aftab)

Assessment to differentiate between ‘rude communications’ and ‘cyber bullying’:

1- Kind of Threats 2- Frequency of Threat3- Source of Threats4- Nature of the Threats

… The more frequent, the greater the threat, the mention of more dangerous methods & the involvement of third parties tends to increase the seriousness of the threatKnowing the cyber bully may increase or decrease the threat

ASSESSMENT TREE{‘PEAS’ PROGRAM}

Assessment

Cyber Bully Incident ReportComplete report & collect evidence

DomainsFamilySchoolSocial

Multiple FactorsRisk vs.

Resiliency

InformantsParents

TeachersStudents

Administrators

MethodsInterview

Collateral infoAssess. Forms

Standardized Instr. (SAVRY)

Dispositions

ContactsParents

AdministrationPolice

Disciplinary Detention

SuspensionExpulsion

Arrest

TherapeuticPEAS Program

Family Support Ctr.Outside Counseling

Residential Treatment

Ongoing Prevention

CYBER BULLYING ASSESSMENT{‘PEAS’ PROGRAM}

ASSESSMENT:

Interview & Evidence Gathering Collateral Information/Evidence Collection Cyber Bully Assessments Student Form School Counselor Form Standardized Instruments {SAVRY}

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DISPOSITION:

Disciplinary TherapeuticDetention Outside CounselingSuspension ‘PEAS’ Program:

Expulsion Psychological Educational Social School Response

‘PEAS’ PROGRAMPsychological-Educational-And-

Social

‘P’-PSYCHOLOGICAL:

1. Outside Counseling Referral

2. Family Support Center Referral

3. In-School Counseling

4. Anger Management group

5. Peer Mediation & Conflict Resolution {cyber bullies}

6. Apology & Impact Statement

7. ‘On-Line Safe Box’


Social

‘E’-EDUCATIONAL:1. CURRICULUM INFUSION

ELA Assignments- Movie Documentary Book/Movie Review/Report Poem/Short Story/Song Writing a play/paper Watch Movie ‘Inbox’ and discuss

impact/develop program

Social Studies Review of People in History who were bullied Mock trial regarding injustices/victimization

Technology Use/Misuses Safety Review Develop Positive Websites

Art Anti-Cyber bullying posters

‘Cyber Bullying Curriculum’ (Nancy Willard)


Social ‘E’-EDUCATIONAL: Continued2. PEER MATCHING: Higher/lower grade reading, tutor Higher/lower grade play production Higher/lower grade cyber bully {‘recovered’/’charged’} Pen Pals Extracurricular Activities (match cyber bullyer/ee)

3. SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES:High school student small group discussion on impact/consequences of cyber bullying/being cyber bullied

Lawyer to discuss possible legal consequences/

Former student, possibly at the high school, involved in cyber bullying, and/or legally charged for cyber bullying

Current Teacher/Administrator/Parent involved in cyber bullying


Social

‘E’-EDUCATIONAL: Continued

4. DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS:

5. PARENT EDUCATION:Uses/Misuses of TechnologySupervision Strategies

6. SCHOOL STAFF IN-SERVICES:TypesAssessmentResponsesProgram Evaluation


Social‘S’-SOCIAL:1. EXTRACURRICULAR/PROJECTS:

Intramural/Projects between Classes Beyond SportsHomework Completion & Pizza PartyFundraising & Award/RewardsSchool SocialsPlays on TopicArt contestSchool/Community Newspaper articleVisit to Foster care/geriatric settings

2. DRESS POLICY:Dress Code - Decrease Comparisons & Possibility of ‘Deviant Dress’

3. PEER MATCHING:Higher/lower grade reading, tutorHigher/lower grade play productionHigher/lower grade cyber bully {‘recovered’/’charged’}Pen PalsExtracurricular Activities (match cyber bullyer/ee)

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

A Need For: A better understanding of what cyber bullying is Addressing appropriate computer protocol and specifically cyber bullying via the schools’

clearly defined and systematically implemented AUP so that schools can provide intervention even in instances that occur outside of school

Clearer delineation of school responsibility in responding to incidents, especially off school grounds

Clearer school policies and action plans; increased continuity in implementing school responses

Increased assessment of incidents and those involved Decision making regarding the cyber bully and the individual being cyber bullied based

on: A decision tree protocol

Assessment process Systematic, therapeutic responses, not isolated disciplinary reactions Integration of educational, psycho-social interventions Inclusion of prevention measures that are comprehensive and systemic in approach Communication among students, counselors, teachers, administrators, parents &

community Individualized responses, with understanding that a wide degree of variation exists in

motivation Change needs to come from all levels and grades:

IndividualClassroomSchool culture

Victimization often occurs with both the person being cyber bullied and the cyber bully Important to ‘not throw the baby out with the bathwater’…

Our children are not disposable!

THE END

cyberbullyng: demystifying and deescalating cyber bullying

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