Recent incidents in Christchurch schools have drawn media attention, so I think it opportune to spend some time on the issue of cyberbullying. Much of the material below is sourced from Netsafe, Cyberbullying Information and Advice for Parents and Caregivers

 Is cyberbullying a big deal?

Yes, very much so. In 2007, around 20% of secondary school students in the Youth 2007 study reported they had been cyberbullied in the past year. This figure continues to grow, so it would be naïve to assume that it is not an issue here in Shirley.

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is bullying. It's using the internet, a mobile phone or other technology like a digital camera to hurt somebody or embarrass them.

What does cyberbullying involve?

Bullying in 'cyberspace' covers the use of the internet or other devices like mobile phones, cameras or game consoles to do any of the following:

· Send anonymous texts or picture messages to a mobile phone

· Post nasty or threatening comments on the victim’s social networking profile on popular websites like Facebook

· Hack existing website accounts or create fake profiles for people they want to intimidate or embarrass.

· Circulate photos or videos of people they are targeting – these can be real images or digitally altered to cause offence or embarrass the victim.

· Scare or embarrass their victims and victims may feel upset or ashamed.

· Spread rumours or try to isolate others using this new technology.

How is cyberbullying different to other forms of bullying?

Cyberbullying is bullying. But where face-to-face bullying ended when the target got home from school or work, cyberbullies can use the internet or their mobile to continue attacks on victims at any time of the day or night.

Young people are growing up with access to more and more technology, often using the internet and mobiles as the main way to reach friends. If threats continue outside of school it may make the target feel like there’s no escape.

If messages are sent anonymously this can make the bullying feel more intimidating. And if the bullying occurs online the harassment can be intensified, especially if public hate pages or embarrassing videos are passed around the school community.

The effects of cyberbullying

Young people who were bullied were around 3 times more likely to be anxious and depressed than students who did not report being targeted by bullying (Youth 2000 study).

UK research (Smith, 2008) found that the effects of cyberbullying were similar to face-to-face bullying, and that some cases (i.e., those involving videos of the target) may be worse than face-to-face bullying experiences. The all-day/all-night potential of cyberbullying can be associated with particularly high distress and negative student outcomes

Cyberbullying and the law

Cyberbullying can be a criminal offence under a range of different laws, including sections 249-252 of the Crimes Act. The age of criminal responsibility in New Zealand is 10 years. If young people commit an offence they may face warnings, police diversions, or a Family Group Conference. Young people over 16 who commit an offence are treated as adults by the courts.

What can I do to prevent cyberbullying?

· Ensure you are informed about what cyberbullying means and that it is not to be tolerated by your children.

· If your child tells you they have been cyberbullied, reassure them they have done the right thing by telling you.

· Save evidence of all bullying, report this to the appropriate person or site. For example if the bullying is on a website, report this through their “Report Abuse” pathway, consider reporting to your child’s school and certainly to the police, if threats to do harm are involved. If the bullying occurs through a mobile phone, report the abuse to the phone company.

For more advice on staying safe online, check out: http://www.cyberbullying.org.nz/links.php

Are 'bystanders' important?

Bystanders are people who do not start a bullying situation but see it happening.

Bystanders can help or hinder bullying situations.

75% of peer (bystander) actions in a UK study (O’Connell, Pepler, & Craig, 1999) were successful in stopping bullying.

The 4 types of bystander

There are four types of bystanders (Salmivalli, 1999):

* Assistants: join in on bullying and help the bully

* Reinforcers: laugh and encourage the bully but don’t personally attack the target

* Outsiders: don’t get “involved”, but see it happen

* Defenders: Try to stop the bullying on behalf of the target

How bystanders can help

Defenders can be very effective in addressing cyberbullying situations. Cyberbullying defenders can avoid the physical dangers of intervening in face-to-face bullying situations.

Bystanders can intervene anonymously – by telling someone/reporting abuse – and secretly – by talking directly to the target without an audience.

Bystanders to a cyberbullying situation help the person being bullied by letting them know that they support them.

Bystanders can save the evidence of the bullying and report the bullying to someone who can help (e.g., a principal at school, a parent or caregiver, etc.).

The following video may be a helpful resource for you

Click on the link below to watch the UK short film ‘Let's Fight it Together', http://www.digizen.org/cyberbullying/fullFilm.aspx.

John Laurenson