http://blog.websafety.co.nz/2010/02/cyber-bullying-facts.html
Bullying has been around for many years, and it will be around for many years to come. However, with the advent of technology has come new ways to bully.
Cyber bullying is the intentional bullying of another person through electronic means. On a computer it may be through social networking sites, instant messaging, forums, blogs, chat rooms and email. Off the computer it is done
through mobile phones.
Cyber bullying is the number one concern facing children today. Recent studies conducted by the Peace Foundation throughout 40 countries have revealed that New Zealand has the second highest number of reported cyber bullying cases.
We are not trying to wrap our kids up in cotton wool. Cyber bullying is relentless. It is 24/7 and destructive. For the victim it causes stress, anxiety and has played a part in some teen suicides.
Victims of cyber bullying may show signs of withdrawl, may avoid the computer, may get nervous when an email or a text arrives, may have poor marks at school, show a lack of participation, be anxious and show stress, or may have mood swings.
As parents, we need to be aware of the signs. As parents, we need to educate ourselves with monitoring software available, that can manage cyber bullying. WebSafety NZ (www.websafety.co.nz)install various monitoring software on home computers to monitor for cyber bullying and self harm conversations. They also offer cell phone number blocking software to manage cyber bullying.
Parents need to empower their children to also STOP bullying. Remember, it is not only children that are the victims, children are also the perpetrators! By explaining the effects of cyber bullying to your children, they will start to understand how destructive the behaviour is. They may also be able to play a part in preventing it in the future.
I highly recommend the 'cyber bullying' site within NetSafe (www.netsafe.org.nz). There are two 6 minute movies on cyber bullying. One is a New Zealand dramatisation aimed at Primary School age level, and another aimed at High School aged children. It is well woth looking at.
Sunday 26 May 2013
Tuesday 14 May 2013
Suicidal
-The Chief Coroner is backing proposed law changes to crack down on "cyber-bullying" because of concern that it is helping to fuel New Zealand's high rate of youth suicide.
Judge Neil MacLean says bullying by mobile phone texting or on social media such as Facebook is "often a background factor" in suicides coming before coroners.
"We know it's certainly a risk factor for suicide, and we know that adolescents often talk about interpersonal problems when investigators are looking into not necessarily completed suicides but self-harm."
He said recent Law Commission proposals to create new offences of incitement to suicide, maliciously impersonating another person, and publishing intimate photos without consent all "deserve the attention of the legislature".
The commission also recommended amending the Harassment, Telecommunications and Human Rights Acts to make it clear that they covered internet-based racial, sexual and other harassment and using a computer "for the purpose of disturbing, annoying or irritating any person" - an offence which now applies only to using a telephone. "I think they are simple, practical steps that could help," Judge MacLean said.
-Bullying is happening everywhere and the chances that your child, or you, will encounter it are high. Around the world, statistics are being collated on the impact and prevalence of bullying, particularly within schools and online in cyber space.
With all schools talking about bullying and the media regularly reporting on latest research, it could seem like we're in a bullying epidemic. But, it's not all bad - the incidence of bullying, particularly the traditional face-to-face style, according to expert Dr Toni Noble, is not increasing.
"It's a controversial area but with the effective communication of the message that bullying is unacceptable, it's just now more likely to be reported," says Dr Noble, a member of the National Centre Against Bullying, who works with the Federal Government on National Safe Schools Framework being rolled out into all schools later this year.
"Cyber-bullying, on the other hand may be increasing with recent research suggesting that 1 in 10 kids have been cyber-bullied."
Here is why bullying, and policies and strategies to combat it, are such a high priority for communities and governments.
- One student in every four in Australian schools is affected by bullying, says recent research commissioned by the Federal Government.
- An estimated 200 million children and youth around the world are being bullied by their peers, according to the 2007 Kandersteg Declaration Against Bullying in Children and Youth.
- Kids who are bullied are three times more likely to show depressive symptoms, says the Centre for Adolescent Health.
- Children who were bullied were up to nine times more likely to have suicidal thoughts, say some studies.
- Girls who were victims of bullying in their early primary school years were more likely to remain victims as they got older, according to British research.
- Children who were frequently bullied by their peers were more likely to develop psychotic symptoms in their early adolescence, says more UK research.
- Girls were much more likely than boys to be victims of both cyber and traditional bullying, says a recent Murdoch Children's Research Institute study.
- Children as young as three can become victims of bullying, says Canadian research.
- Young people who bully have a one in four chance of having a criminal record by the age of 30.
- Bullying is the fourth most common reason young people seek help from children's help services.
Sources
-Cyberbullying is the use of the Internet and related technologies to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner.
It is the biggest threat to a child in the world they live in today, with over 50% of children being affected by some form of cyberbullying in their life.
It is a problem all over the world and very much alive in New Zealand schools.
The availability of faster connection speeds, free wireless access and the fact that many kids can bully anonymously has made this issue worse.
Whether through email, social networking sites or text messaging, the effect bullying has on its victim is huge. Seeing nasty messages in writing for any of us is uncomfortable for adults, so how do you think kids feel when being subjected to this behavior?
It’s important to talk about it with our children. We need to understand the signs our children may exhibit that could be an indication that they are a victim of cyberbullying.
Signs your child may be a victim of cyberbullying
- appear nervous when their cellphone beeps
- no longer wish to use the computer
- become short tempered
- loose self esteem
- no longer mix with certain friends
- not sleeping well
- loss of appetite
- loose interest in school
- decline in grade marks at school
- become anxious or nervous
- exhibit signs of depression
Remember, YOUR child may be the bully! Therefore parents should discuss with children how they think someone being bullied feels inside. Build up empathy with your children.
Ask them the different symptoms the other person may go through. See if they can put themselves into the other persons’ mind.
If your child is young, ask them the things people might say to someone else that would make them feel sad.
Often the perpetrators lack empathy and do not fully understand the affect bullying has on their victim. Once they do, it will go some way in reducing bullying issues.
Installing monitoring software on home computers will help parents potentially pick up any issues before they get out of hand. Being able to capture emails, chat conversations and more can be early indicators for trouble!
-What should you be concerned about?
Number one in your list should be bullying - or cyberbullying. The stats vary on this but hover around 15-33% (depending on country, age of child and nature of what is understood to constitute cyberbullying) and are likely to increase. Whatever your perspective it is undeniable that cyberbullying is an increasing phenomena that is highly likely to affect your child in some form and at some time - they will either be bullied and/or become bullies themselves. And in the online world the gap between bullies and bullied is easily traversed.
Another concern should centre on how much personal information your child is revealing online - information that can be used to identify and trace your child. This information can be used to target your child with online scams, or to steal or 'borrow' their identify; or to trace them in the real (physical) world. All of these things can have devastating effects. The main problem here is that research suggests that 83% of children 8+ have made their online profiles visible (or public) to all-comers.
Inappropriate Content is not the problem many parents think it might be, or at least not for the majority of children. Up to one in every 7 kids report coming across harmful or inappropriate content on the web - usually of a sexual (most reported) or violent nature. But most kids appear to be able to cope with the experience, finding it simply a distraction and not engaging (most indicate they leave the offending page or site immediately). Only a small number think to report the experience to their parent, probably because they are not unduly worried or affected. Perhaps more worrying is that the Internet serves to normalise this type of experience: kids expect it, it is not unusual.
There is no real evidence that such inappropriate content harms kids or adversely affects their behaviours. And there is certainly no consensus in psychological or educational research that this is the case. Although there are clear exceptions: children who seek out harmful content (e.g. sites that celebrate and encourage anorexia; sites which talk up suicide; sites which encourage emulation of acts of violence - copycatting) are more likely to find it online. These are children who are at risk already, and using the Internet amplifies that risk and in some situations with tragic consequences.
Clearly kids can find out so much more these days by using the Internet. Child psychology tells us that children under 10-12 years (pre-adolescence, pre-puberty) are less discerning, they don't understand risk (i.e. they can often rehearse the rhetoric about why they shouldn't do certain things online - the rules of Internet use - but often don't practice what they say they understand) and can't rationalise the dangers of certain behaviours. So kids who are more likely to demonstrate risky behaviours offline, in the real physical world, are likely to get into all sorts of trouble online.
Number one in your list should be bullying - or cyberbullying. The stats vary on this but hover around 15-33% (depending on country, age of child and nature of what is understood to constitute cyberbullying) and are likely to increase. Whatever your perspective it is undeniable that cyberbullying is an increasing phenomena that is highly likely to affect your child in some form and at some time - they will either be bullied and/or become bullies themselves. And in the online world the gap between bullies and bullied is easily traversed.
Another concern should centre on how much personal information your child is revealing online - information that can be used to identify and trace your child. This information can be used to target your child with online scams, or to steal or 'borrow' their identify; or to trace them in the real (physical) world. All of these things can have devastating effects. The main problem here is that research suggests that 83% of children 8+ have made their online profiles visible (or public) to all-comers.
Inappropriate Content is not the problem many parents think it might be, or at least not for the majority of children. Up to one in every 7 kids report coming across harmful or inappropriate content on the web - usually of a sexual (most reported) or violent nature. But most kids appear to be able to cope with the experience, finding it simply a distraction and not engaging (most indicate they leave the offending page or site immediately). Only a small number think to report the experience to their parent, probably because they are not unduly worried or affected. Perhaps more worrying is that the Internet serves to normalise this type of experience: kids expect it, it is not unusual.
There is no real evidence that such inappropriate content harms kids or adversely affects their behaviours. And there is certainly no consensus in psychological or educational research that this is the case. Although there are clear exceptions: children who seek out harmful content (e.g. sites that celebrate and encourage anorexia; sites which talk up suicide; sites which encourage emulation of acts of violence - copycatting) are more likely to find it online. These are children who are at risk already, and using the Internet amplifies that risk and in some situations with tragic consequences.
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