Cyberbullying in particular is a very passionate topic for me. No I haven't had any direct experiences with this, but from just touching the surface, I think parents can often be in the dark; with the magnitude of cyberbullying being underestimated. The damage that this inflicts can be detrimental, as seen by Chloe Fergusson's family.
Chloe Fergusson was a 15 year old girl who endured years of verbal and physical abuse, sadly she ended her ongoing battle of abuse both online & offline, by taking her own life...please Take a look at her story.
"...In Australia, about 1 in 10 teenagers have experienced some sort of bullying using technology" (Youthbeyondblue).
If you have a couple of minutes, I highly recommend you take this interactive tour through a detective's office to discover an array of information on cyberbullying - cases, online resources, facts & statistics..... http://www.cyberbullying.info/
Cyberbullying is similar in many ways to traditional bullying, however, the biggest difference is, digital devices provide the perpetrators with a level of anonymity; a faceless barrier or form of protection, which results in individuals having more bravado compared to face-to-face situations. "What makes cyber bullying distinct is the use of electronic communication technology as the means through which to threaten, harass, embarrass, or socially exclude" (Mishna, Saini & Solomon 2009).
Sometimes, all it takes is. ONE click of a button, ONE video/picture upload, ONE sentence typed...
FACTS & FIGURES...
- Ages 14-17 in 2010 reported the highest rate of internet use(Queensland Government website,2013)
- 91% of 14-17 year olds log online weekly(Queensland Government website,2013)
- Most common type of bullying was 'hurtful teasing', followed by 'having hurtful lies told by another person' (Queensland Government website, 2013)
- Girls were more likely to bully in covert ways, with starting ages as early as Year 3(Queensland Government website, 2013)
- More females (64%) report being cyber victims(Queensland Government website, 2013)
- 14 year olds most frequently reported both forms of bullying(Queensland Government website, 2013)
- 83% of cyber victims know the bully in real life, with most going to the same school and wait for it....most victims described their bully as a 'friend - not an acquaintance'(Queensland Government website, 2013)
- Social networking, MSN, text & email are most common mediums for cyber bullying(Queensland Government website, 2013)
- 54% strongly or somewhat agree they 'worry about someone hacking' into their social networking pages and 35% 'worry about what others know about them from their social networking'(Queensland Government website, 2013)
The problem and the solution...
This is how I see it...Adults need to take responsibility for kids and their wellbeing. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, "Adults are responsible to protect children from all forms of physical and mental violence, injury or abuse" (cited in Mishna, Saini & Solomon 2009). Adults can't bury their 'ignorant' or 'too busy' heads in the sand - parents especially need to make the time to educate and monitor their children in all facets of their online activities and behaviour.
And on the other end of the spectrum; parents need to put rules, practices, blocks and whatever else it takes to prevent and protect! This means adults need to be educated themselves in the digital world, as well as understanding the enormity of it; adolescents are using this as their number one avenue for communication, interaction, entertainment, self-presentation, learning strategies and socialising (Mishna, Saini & Solomon 2009).
This is how I see it...Adults need to take responsibility for kids and their wellbeing. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, "Adults are responsible to protect children from all forms of physical and mental violence, injury or abuse" (cited in Mishna, Saini & Solomon 2009). Adults can't bury their 'ignorant' or 'too busy' heads in the sand - parents especially need to make the time to educate and monitor their children in all facets of their online activities and behaviour.
And on the other end of the spectrum; parents need to put rules, practices, blocks and whatever else it takes to prevent and protect! This means adults need to be educated themselves in the digital world, as well as understanding the enormity of it; adolescents are using this as their number one avenue for communication, interaction, entertainment, self-presentation, learning strategies and socialising (Mishna, Saini & Solomon 2009).
"...cyber bullying can only really be understood and addressed within the context of the new world of cyber space" (Mishna, Saini & Solomon 2009).
The internet is a powerful tool for bully's,
extremists, and terrorists (Gerstenfeld, Grant & Chiang 2003). The scope and opportunity
that the digital world brings fuels all different kinds of 'hate' groups and individuals, supplying them with greater power and far greater geographical reach. The best way to
counteract this as a parent is to constantly monitor and control online
activity and as an individual; have good security measures, be aware of who you're
interacting with and what you are sharing and lastly be conscious of the
power you are supplying others with, by your online presence.
And, don't forget bully's don't limit their victims to adolescents; many adults are subjected to some form of online taunting also...
reachout.com - is a website created to advise and offer resources to anyone suffering from cyber abuse, such as eheadspace.org.au, kidshelp.com.au, http://www.lifeline.org.au/
Also, this online fact and information sheet could be helpful to victims
Youth beyondblue fact sheet
Youth beyondblue fact sheet
I sign out on this note, please watch and share this proof of the dark side of social media. (Beware it displays self-harming)
References
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Available at: http://www.youthbeyondblue.com/factsheets-and-info/fact-sheet-23-cyberbullying/
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Skylinex, A., 2013. Cyber Bullying - The Effects
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Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7ztnN_wpUk
[Accessed 6 February 2014].
Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7ztnN_wpUk
[Accessed 6 February 2014].
Webster, C., 2004. Cyberbullying.info. [Online]
Available at: http://www.cyberbullying.info/about.php
[Accessed 5 February 2014].
Available at: http://www.cyberbullying.info/about.php
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