Cyberbullying: How to Spot the Warning Signs and Help Your Child Cope

by jayr_patron | May 19, 2008 at 04:44 pm

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Wikipedia.org defines cyber-bullying as involving 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. Cyberbullying can be as simple as continuing to send e-mail to someone who has said they want no further contact with the sender, but it may also include threats, sexual remarks, pejorative labels. Though the use of sexual remarks and threats are sometimes present in cyber-bullying, it is not the same as sexual harassment and does not involve sexual predators.

Cyberbullies, mostly ages 9 to 14, use the anonymity of the Web to dispense pain without witnessing the consequences. Many cyberbullies are unrepentant, and their numbers are staggering, especially in affluent areas where technology is prominent.
According to Cyberbullying.org, the bullying techniques are as inventive as they are cruel:
• Sending cruel, vicious, and sometimes threatening messages.
• Creating web sites that have stories, cartoons, pictures, and jokes ridiculing others.
• Posting pictures of classmates online and asking students to rate them, with questions such "Who is the biggest ___ (add a derogatory term)?"
• Posting unflattering photos of peers on the Web.
• Taking a picture of a person in the locker room using a digital phone camera and sending that picture to others.
• Altering pornographic photos by adding a peer's face to the image and sending it to porn sites or posting it in a blog.
• Breaking into an e-mail account and sending vicious or embarrassing material to others.
• Engaging someone in IM, tricking that person into revealing sensitive personal information, and forwarding that information to others.
• Criticizing or defaming teachers and administrators on the Web.
Cyberbullying may more harmful than traditional bullying because:
1) There is no escape; cyberbullying runs 24/7.
2) The hurtful material can be globally distributed and is often irretrievable.
3) The bullies can be anonymous.
4) Children avoid telling their parents, fearing greater retribution, as well being forbidden to use the Internet.
To prevent cyberbullying, teach your kids to:
• Report negative messages to you or their teacher
• Not pass along negative messages to others - don't repeat it, just delete it.
• Set up blocks to messages from cyberbullies.
• Respect the rights and feelings of others in cyberspace.