Cyber
Bullying – Education & Prevention
“Online aggression isn’t just
traditional bullying with new tools. It’s widespread, devastating, and knows no
downtime” (Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin). With technology becoming cheaper, easier to
gain access to, and a way for constant communication between children and
parents, it is leading to “new age” security problems with children and teens
Teens are staying connected through
technology for longer periods through the day and this connection is not only
with friends and for positive communication, but some communication is being
used for negative communication amongst peers.
There are more inappropriate pictures being posted for mass viewing and
intimidation through words without thought of harm being caused. It is easier to say something behind
someone’s back versus face-to-face. Now
that something being said behind someone’s back can be posted and spread
farther than down the school hallway. Cyber bullying is a very destructive form
of communication that leads to depression, isolation, mental anguish and can
even lead to suicide in teens and young adults.
It is up to parents, teachers, mentors
and leaders of the community to educate cyber bullies about the lasting harm
and consequences they can cause.
Acknowledging the problem, educating and communicating the issues in
classroom, and cyber security software are needed to help combat the continuing
problem. We must develop and implement
plans to protect the young people from harming themselves and others through
cyber bullying. In the schools, all
students need to understand that any form of bullying is wrong and that there
are specific consequences for any bullying.
Since most schools have computer labs or computer workstations, there
needs to be physical postings by all computers and educators should engage
students in what involves cyber bullying.
Schools and police departments could create a hotline or another
anonymous way for people to report cyber bullying without retaliation or
exposure. Schools should reach out to churches,
youth groups, such as the Girls and Boys Clubs and other after school programs
as an opportunity to educate but also they provide another safe place victims
of cyber bullying can talk. A safe place
that kids can share their stories and learn tools on how to cope and get help.
As the old African proverb goes, “It
takes a village to raise a child”. If
cyber bullying is taken seriously; education readily available and consequences
clearly communicated by schools, police, churches, and other youth support
groups, it may be possible to slow down or even put a stop to this devastating
use of technology.
Kathleen
Kathleen
References
Hinduja,
S., & Patchin, J.W. (2011).
High-Tech Cruelty. Educational Leadership, 68(5) 48-52
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_said_it_takes_a_village_to_raise_a_child
3 comments:
Incredibly true. Some use different strategies.
I couldnt agree more with this. We need to pull together as a community to put a stop to the cyber bullying. Also if we are parents we need to educate our children the affects of this and what it can do to others.
I agree. The use of the internet in cyber bulling is absurd because words hurt just as much if not said in person, sometimes more because the words reach more people than it would in a high school for example. One way a parent could help monitor their child's online activity is to sign up for the same social networking sites and occasionally view their child's profile or require that the child's username and password be available to the parent to monitor activity.
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