What Parents/Students Need to Know

Kenneth Hanson

97 % of youth use the Internet and more than half use it daily

Nearly 20% of middle school students have been cyberbullied in the last 2-3 months (Kowalski & Limber 2007)

The greatest change in online activity is between the 6th and 7th grade (Be Prepared Ahead of Time)

Almost 50 % of youth have cell phones (increasing!!)

75 % of youth use text-messaging daily25% of social networking sites belong to minors

61 % have a personal profile½ include a picture (often provocative)

Social Networking Sites (MySpace, Facebook, etc…)

Chat roomsText-messaging (cell phones)Personal WebsitesE-mailsPictures sent through cell phones and posted

to the web

Sending mean, vulgar, or threatening messages or images

Posting sensitive, private information about another person

Pretending to be someone else in order to make that person look bad

Intentionally excluding from an online group

(stopbullynow.hrsa.gov)

People sending hurtful, cruel, and threatening messagesPeople stealing other people’s screen names and sending

inflammatory messages to other people using their identity.People creating online “polling booth” to rate a school’s

girls as “hottest,”, “ugliest,” or “most boring.” (Harmon, 2004)

Individuals taking pictures of others in the

locker rooms with digital phone cameras

and sending those pictures to others or posting

them on the Internet.

Direct

Occurs on school property

Poor relationships with teachers

Fear retribution

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

Anonymous

Occurs off school property

Good relationships with teachers

Fear loss of technology privileges

Further under the radar than bullying

Emotional reactions cannot be determined

Cyberbullying

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

“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}

Increased school absenteeismSchool difficultiesPerpetrators of school violenceIncreased risk of alcohol and drug useLinked to serious mental health problems:

DepressionAnxiety DisordersFear and WithdrawalLow Self EsteemSubstance Abuse

Blumenfield & Cooper 2008

Typically starts around age 9 and ends after 14 years of age

65 % of students between 8 – 14 have been involved directly or indirectly in a cyber bullying incident as the victim or friend

50% had heard of a website bashing of another student

15% of parents polled knew what cyber bullying was.

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

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

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

85 % have access to the internet outside of school40% of students claim parents do not always

know when they are on the internetApproximately 50% of 5th graders and 60% of 6th

graders have used MySpace or other social networking site.

20% claim they share personal information over the internet

55% own a cell phone and over ½ use text messaging

35 % HAVE RECEIVED THREATS OVER THE INTERNET OR CELL PHONE

Keep your home computer in easily viewable placesTalk regularly with your child about on-line activities

Specifically about cyber bullying and encourage child to inform you immediately

Encourage child to inform you of other victims they might know

Explain cyber bullying is harmful and unacceptable behavior

Consider installing parental control filtering softwareStay involved in your child’s lifeReport immediately any concerns of cyber bullying

www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

A child may be a victim of cyberbullying if he or she…

unexpectedly stops using the computer

appears nervous or jumpy when an Instant Message, text message, or Email appears

appears uneasy about going to school or outside in general

appears to be angry, depressed, or frustrated after using the computer

avoids discussions about what they are doing on the computer

becomes abnormally withdrawn from usual friends and family members

A child may be cyberbullying others if he or she…

quickly switches screens or closes programs when you walk by

uses the computer at all hours of the night

•gets unusually upset if he/she cannot use the computer

laughs excessively while using the computer

avoids discussions about what they are doing on the computer

uses multiple online accounts or using an account that is not their own

Tell a trusted adult about the bullyingDon’t open or read messages from cyber

bulliesTell your school if it is school relatedDon’t erase the messages- they may be

needed to take actionProtect yourself – never agree to meet with

the person or with anyone you meet onlineIf you are threatened with harm, inform local

law enforcement

http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/

http://www.netsmartz.org/

http://www.staysafe.org/