It wasn’t too long ago that school bullies were known to flex their muscles face-to-face and at school. But times have changed. The Internet has become an attractive bullying ground for many teenagers and children. This trend is commonly known as cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying is a serious problem that simply cannot be ignored. According to the National Education Association, nearly 160,000 children miss school each day because they are scared of bullying.
Cyberbullying can create equal, if not worse, problems than missing school. For example, the Washington Examiner recently reported the story of Jeff Johnston, a boy who committed suicide after extended online harassment:
Jeff Johnston defined himself by what he meant to other people. At 15 years of age, after two years of online bullying, he hanged himself using his own book bag strap.
How can we prevent situations like this from repeating themselves? The Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe) has the following suggestions:
- Trace e-mails or IMs: Forward the cyberbully’s e-mail to abuse@ (the domain name follows the @ sign in the cyberbully’s email address), and request that the cyberbully’s account be terminated. If the harassment is by text message, contact your phone company to trace the sender. If the threats are severe enough, contact your local police for help.
- Have offensive Web sites removed: If threats or offensive comments about your child are being posted on a Web site, you can contact the hosting company to request the site be taken down. You can find the host of the Web site by going to Whois.net and typing in the Web site address.
- Contact your child’s school: Schools can do little to stop cyberbullying since it usually takes place off school grounds. However, some schools may be able to provide counseling or mediation between your child and the bully if they attend the same school.
- Teach children that their Internet activity is not anonymous: Cyberbullying is fueled to large degree by the myth that what happens on the Internet is completely anonymous. However, it’s critical that we work together to dispel the falsity that the Internet is a place of anonymity. Kids need to understand the broad concept that not only can parents view their Internet behavior, but so can millions of people around the globe—including Internet service providers, law enforcement agencies, and people with software designed for that purpose. Creating safe passwords and user names helps reduce risks, but ultimately all of our Internet use can be traced with software or hardware tools.
For more information and tips on how to handle cyberbullying, click here: http://www.ikeepsafe.org/PRC/FamilyFun/03_myth.php
Samuel Hislop is a regular contributor to the official internet safety blog of the iKeepSafe Coalition.You can learn more about child internet safety and ethics by visiting iKeepSafe.org.
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