Anti-Harassment - Bullying Information

Cyberbullying

What is cyberbullying?

Definition of cyberbullying

The first time cyberbullying appeared in the English language was in 1998. Cyberbullying was defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person (such as a student) often done anonymously." The definition has evolved as the Internet has evolved. One source defines cyberbullying as bullying that is done through the use of digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Another source incorporates the federal definition of bullying in their definition. They define cyberbullying as the willful and repeated acts to inflict harm through the use of computers, cell phones, or other electronic devices. Simply stated, electronic communications mirror the way people are bullied in real life by sending messages that are intimidating and/or threatening in nature.

What makes cyberbullying different from traditional bullying

Cyberbullying has a few aspects that make it unique to the traditional form of bullying. Some to the differences include:

Anonymity: In traditional bullying, the victims know who their bully is, however, a cyberbully is able to hide his/her identity. Since the bully can easily hide his/her identity, the cyberbully can be crueler and harsher with their abuse. A victim of cyberbullying finds it is harder identify who the harasser is.

Relentless: With traditional bullying, the bullying will end when the victim is removed from the situation. However, electronic devices permits the cyberbully to torment the victim twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. The victim cannot "get away" from his/her bully. The steps used to stop the traditional bullying does not work with cyberbullying. Telling the bully to stop, changing schools or moving away does not stop the cyberbully.

Public: With traditional bullying, only the people who are interacting with those involved will know about the abuse. With cyberbullying, the content is posted or shared online and has the potential to seen by others including strangers. Others who don't know the victim has the potential to join in the ridiculing. The cyberbully is not worried about witnesses or punishment due to the anonymity factor.

Permanent: When the content is posted or shared online, it is impossible to delete. Even if the content is deleted from the original site, it may have been shared or posted to other sites. Any damaged to a victim's reputation is permanent. This could have a negative impact on the victim's future employment, college admissions and/or scholarships, or future relationships.

Easy to Overlook: Since adults, such as parents, teachers, administrators do not have access to all of the students' online activities, it is harder for adults to discover the abuse, let alone that the bullying is taking place.

Although cyberbullying is different from bullying, it is still bullying. There are dangers and consequences for both cyberbullying and bullying, therefore, cyberbullying needs to be taken as seriously as traditional bullying.

What are the risks

Children who are victims of cyberbullying are usually also victims of traditional bullying. Although cyberbullying spans all ages, middle school aged children are more likely to report cyberbullying. The older the children become, the less likely it is that they will report the cyberbullying. Of male and female, girls are more likely to be victims of cyberbullying than boys, but both have been victims of cyberbullying. And, children who are part of the LGBTQ community are more likely to be victims of cyberbullying.

Types of Cyberbullying

The popularity of smart phones and smart devices plus apps like instant messaging, and social media, has increased the ways cyberbullies can hurt their victims. The types of cyberbullying include:

Harassment: Online harassment like offline harassment involves sending intentionally, repeated and constantly abusive or offensive messages to the victim. The impact of the harassment could affect the victim's self-esteem and/or confidence.

Cyberstalking: Cyberstalking is a form of harassment. The messages are more threatening in nature and may escalate to threaten a victim's personal safety. Cyberstalking can change from anonymity stalking to a person-to-person harassment or stalking.

Exclusion: Exclusion is the deliberate act of ostracizing the victim from social media groups, chat rooms, messages, events or activities. When the victim is excluded from the group; the group may have conversations about the victim on the platforms the victim has been excluded from.

Outing: Outing is when the bully shares private messages, pictures or other information with others on the Internet without the victim's knowledge or consent. The outing is meant to embarrass, shame or humiliate the victim.

Masquerading: Masquerading is the deliberate act to hide one's identity so they can anonymously harass the victim. The bully could use someone else's identity, cell phone number or create a fake identity. The bully who uses masquerading is someone the victim knows and the bully wants to hide their identity. The cyberbully may even cyberstalk the victim to amuse themselves or humiliate the victim.

Fraping: Fraping is act of logging into someone else's social media profile and posting inappropriate content in their name. Some may think this is just a joke, but the intent is to embarrass or harm the victim.

Cyberbaiting: Kids can cyberbully adults and their teachers just as they cyberbully their peers. Cyperbaiting occurs when a student baits a teacher or an adult to overact, film it, and post it with the intent to embarrass or humiliate the teacher.

A cyberbully may use multiple forms of cyberbullying while using a variety different kinds of cyberbullying. As a result, the victim may not realize they are being bullied. The cyberbully may not think they are bullying anyone.

Identifying Cyberbullying

Since cyberbullying used the Internet, it is harder to recognize when someone is being bullied. As a result they cyberbullying may be overlooked by adults. But there are signs the adults can look for that may help them identify children are being bullies. Here are some of the common signs or symptoms of cyberbullying:

Anxiety or Anger: a teenager's mood changes during and after they use a mobile phone or computer. They seem to be anxious, nervous, or upset when online.

Secretive: a teenager is secretive or defensive about their online activities. They turn off their device when others approach them and refuse to discuss what they are doing online.

Avoid Technology: when a teenager spends less time online or stops using their devices they maybe avoiding their bully.

Becoming withdrawn: when a teenager stops hanging with his/her friends and peers or wanting more alone time.

Increase in Messages: there may be an increase in the number of messages, emails from what they normally receive and the messages may be from  numbers and people you don't recognize.

Depression: the teenager's mood may change - they seem sad or depressed, changed their eating habits or sleeping patterns, claim to be sick to avoid school or social events.

Signs the teen maybe the cyberbully

Cyberbullies may bully others because they are bored or want attention. Cyberbullying may also give the cyberbully a sense of power or status based on their actions. But they may also be a victim of cyberbullying and are selecting revenge as a way to deal with the feelings of hurt and pain. Another reason they may turn to cyberbullying is peer-pressure, the need to be accepted by the group. Anonymity gives the teen the feeling they will not get caught and they don't have to face their victim. As a result, the bully may not think they are bullying anyone. They may believe they are "only kidding" and don't take it seriously. Regardless of the reason, the cyberbullies actions are not only trying to deliberately hurt someone else, but they seeking attention the of others, or may be asking for help. Some of the signs to look for are:

Many accounts: a cyberbully may have a large number of social media accounts on various websites setup with different names.

Secretive: turning off their screen when others approach, evasive about what they are doing online, get angry when questioned about online activities.

Long Hours Online: they are obsessive about the amount of time they are online checking and sending messages.

New Friend Group: a new group of friends who seem to be mean or aggressive and trying to impress their new friends.

Becoming Withdrawn: abandon activities and hobbies to spend more time online.

Potential Effects of Cyberbullying

Traditional bullying can have an adverse effect on academic performance, and the victim can suffer from anxiety and depression. These issues can last into adulthood. However, for the victims of cyberbullying the affects can be more harmful and lasting due to the relentless nature of the harassment. Victims may experience the following:

Decreased Self-Esteem: Victims may believe all of their peers dislike them and develop issues with trust and confidence.

Emotional Distress: Victims maybe prone to outburst of frustration, sadness, anger will they are trying to cope with the bullying.

Physical Symptoms: Victims may develop frequent headaches, stomach aches, trouble sleeping.

Depression: Victims with low self-esteem and sadness may feel hopeless, unloved, and sad.

Suicidal Thoughts: Bullying does not cause victims to commit suicide but it increases them to have a higher risk to commit suicide.

Internet Safety and Proper Internet Etiquette

Some generations have been raised with the Golden Rule: "Do unto other as you would have them do unto you" or in modern terms - "treat others the way you want them to treat you" is good advise. Being safe and using proper Internet etiquette also known as "Netiquette" goes hand-in-hand in the school, work place and home.

Internet safety includes:

Privacy: Never share personal information, such as physical address, phone numbers, user names and passwords to your accounts with people online.

Strangers: People you don't know are considered strangers. The rules you apply to people who are strangers in a  face-to-face, should be applied to strangers online.

Permanence: Think before you post anything. Once something is posted, you have no control  what others will do with the information nor who will see the information. On the Internet, nothing is truly deleted. Others may have copied or shared it before it was deleted.

How to Deal with Cyberbullies

Don't Engage: Responding to a cyberbully's comments will only encourage the bully to continue their efforts.

Block Them: If it helps to ignore the bully, block the bully's phone number or social media accounts.

Change Contact Info: If blocking the cyberbully does not help, change your contact information.

Cyberbullying Laws

Federal Laws

There are no federal laws to specifically address bullying, cyberbullying, or cyberstalking. But some behaviors can be covered under other laws. Cyberstalking could be charged under other anti-stalking and harassment laws. Also, bullying that includes discrimination, harassment or a hate crime that is based on race, nationality, color, sex, age, disability, or religion that occurs in a federally-funded school must be address and resolve by the federally-funded school.

State Laws

All fifty states do have anti-bullying laws and most states have laws to prevent cyberbullying. School districts' also have policies about bullying and cyberbullying. The policies should be addressed in the student code of conduct (student handbook).