What is Cyber-bullying and how can it be tackled?

03 May, 2011

Mobile and internet technology has developed so quickly over the past few years that it has altered how we communicate and the frequency with which we communicate to others. In most cases this is reassuring and helpful.

We can keep in touch with our friends and family whenever we like and wherever they are and can send photos, links as well as messages to entertain each other and build our relationships. However, with these changes have come a number of risks, one of which is Cyber-bullying.

Cyber-bullying is a term that is frequently heard nowadays but there is still some confusion over the forms that it takes so I thought that I would address that here as well as to give ideas to children and parents about how Cyber-bullying can be tackled.

So, what is Cyber-bullying?

Cyber-bullying is pretty much like offline bullying in nature. It involves individuals or groups harassing and upsetting others. Cyber-bullying happens through:

• Social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, Youtube.
• Text messaging/instant messaging and email – particularly through mobile phones.
• The use of degrading pictures sent through email or social networking sites.
• Blogs
• Online gaming

Cyber-bullying upsets and damages children like any other form of bullying and is something that parents need to understand and be aware of so that we can support our children and take action if they do ever become a victim of cyber-bulling.

Social Networking

As mentioned in our post last week on Facebook internet safety, social networks are excellent mediums for communicating and sharing conversations, pictures, jokes and ideas with others. However, it is now possible for people to:

• Leave nasty messages in your inbox or on your wall
• Write lies and start rumours on their wall for others to read
• Create fake profiles in the name of others in order to discredit them.

If your child is suffering from cyber-bullying on social networking sites then you can report abuse to the social network site that they are using who will remove the content and investigate the account being used and probably close it down.

Here is Facebook’s report abuse page

Here is Myspace’s report abuse page

Here is Youtube’s report abuse page

Text Messaging/Instant messaging/email

Currently most communication of this type takes place on mobile phones, these can be used to:

• Send threatening or hateful messages
• Send lies and/or rumours about others
• Set up IM profiles and email addresses in others names and use them for harassment in your name
• Approach children for the purposes of grooming.

If you/your child receives any of these kind of messages then the best thing to do is to just not reply, people bully others in order to get a reaction, if they do not get one then they will soon become bored and move on. The worst thing you can do is to send a nasty message back as it will only escalate the issue.

However, if the cyber-bullying does persist then it is worth noting that it is actually an offence to send threatening or offensive messages so you should print out the messages and keep them as it will help the authorities to take care of the matter more quickly.

In addition, your children should be taught to not respond to emails or messages from people that are not in their address book and that they are unsure of the identity of.

If they receive an email from someone claiming to be a friend but it sounds suspicious or out of place then they should not reply and should ask the known sender in person to confirm they sent the message.

If child grooming is suspected then the incident should be reported to CEOP.

Degrading Pictures

• Inappropriate pictures can be taken in changing rooms, at the swimming pool or beach and then shared around using email, messaging and/or social networks.
• It is not currently possible to send a photo on a mobile phone without giving away your phone number. Therefore all photos sent via mobile phones can be traced back to the handset.
• It is a good idea to make your kids aware of this as it will be useful knowledge for them if they do receive anything inappropriate. It will also make them consider the appropriateness of something that they may be thinking of sending.
• Obviously pictures can be seen by millions of people online so remind your children to be careful before emailing any photos or posting any photos online.
• Photos can be copied, enhanced, edited and changed to misrepresent so your children should be mindful of the type of photos that they do post online and how they could be interpreted and/or used.
• Child Sex Offenders often use information found in photos to locate children such as school uniforms or local land marks, make your child aware of this and tell them to consider what information they may be giving away about themselves In photos.
• It can be illegal to film or take a photo of a violent scene where someone is being hurt and it is also illegal to pass on this sort of content to others.

Cyber-bullying on Blogs

It is now quick and easy as well as free for anyone to set up a blog on any subject that they like. Blogs are sometimes built to degrade and embarrass an individual.

If this happens then they cyber-bully can lose their hosting rights if the site is reported to their web host and the site will be closed down.You should start by reporting the abuse to CEOP.

Online Gaming

Cyber-bullying also takes place within online games. Gamers can communicate through voice and instant messaging. Bullies may follow children around games harassing them and damaging their reputation within the game.

Each game has a support centre where abuse can be reported.

Telephones and Cyber-bullying

As mentioned above mobile phones can be used for a range of different types of communication but it is worth also mentioning nuisance calls too.

• Reject calls from phone numbers that you do not recognise
• Do not accept blue tooth messages unless you recognise the number
• If your child receives a nuisance call then they should just leave the phone sitting on the table for a few minutes before hanging up, and advise them not to listen to the caller but just to waste their time and money.
• Remind your children to be careful about who they lend their phone to or give their phone number to
• Your children should never give their telephone number out on a social networking site or internet chat room.

You should discuss the risks with your children and make them clear on their options if they do have an issue. Let them know that they have your support and that they can come to you with these issues. However, if they are not comfortable coming to you then they should be aware that they can go to their school or a number of other government and voluntary organisations that support children in cases of cyber-bullying. They could call Childline on 0800 1111 or the NSPCC on 0808 8000 5000.

Additionally you should make an effort to understand how your children are communicating, learn the technology through opening your own social networking accounts and use your mobile phone functions for messaging, email and social networking as well as calling in order to understand the potential risks to your children.