Articles Archive - 2007

Cyberbullying: Understanding and preventing online harassment and bullying

Written by Media Awareness Network, a national not-for profit education organization that has pioneered the development of media and Internet literacy programs in Canada since 1996.

In 2003, a 15-year-old from Trois-Rivières, Québec, dropped out of his high school after classmates found an embarrassing video of him pretending to be a Star Wars character and posted it on the Internet. The case was one of the most highly publicized examples of a problem that affects thousands of Canadian young people every year: cyberbullying.

What is cyberbullying?

Dr. Shaheen Shariff of McGill University defines cyberbullying as follows: "Cyberbullying consists of covert, psychological bullying, conveyed through the electronic mediums such as cell-phones, web-logs and web-sites, on-line chat rooms, 'MUD' rooms (multi-user domains where individuals take on different characters) and Xangas (on-line personal profiles where some adolescents create lists of people they do not like)." [1]

How widespread is the problem?

In a 2005 survey of more than 5,000 students in grades 4 to 11, Media Awareness Network (MNet) found that 94% have Internet access at home, and a significant majority has a high-speed connection.

As connectivity has grown, so has the potential for cyberbullying. Although kids are still more likely to be bullied in the "real world," MNet's research found that of the 34% of students in grades 7 to 11 who reported being bullied, almost a third were bullied through the Internet.

Isn't cyberbullying much like traditional bullying?

In some respects, cybe-bullying is similar to traditional bullying. The behaviour is always unwanted, deliberate and relentless. However, some significant differences between cyberspace and the real world make cyberbullying a unique problem. [2]

First, technology doesn't give kids visible feedback about the consequences of their actions. Even when kids know their actions are hurtful, they can easily convince themselves they haven't hurt anyone.

Second, technology allows kids post something anonymously, confident they won't be caught. In one Calgary survey of middle school students, 41% of students who had been cyberbullied didn't know the identity of the person who was bullying them. [3]

Third, the Internet gives bullies access to their victims 24/7, even when the victim is at home.

Finally, the Internet allows bullies to distribute hateful messages to millions of people. And the more people who are involved, the worse bullying can become.

What steps can kids take to avoid being cyberbullied?

Young people should guard their contact information and passwords, and avoid giving their cell phone number or e-mail address to people they don't know. They should never give their e-mail or IM passwords to anyone, even friends. Friendships can go sour.

What can kids do if they are cyberbullied?

Victims should keep a record of all messages and trace harassing cell phone calls and text messages, if possible. They can also ask the company hosting an offensive Web site to remove it.

MNet also recommends the following actions to victims of cyberbullying.

• Stop: Don't try to reason with or talk to an online bully.
• Block: Use the technology to block the person from contacting you again.
• Talk: Tell a trusted adult, use a help line such as Kids Help Phone or report the incident to the police.

How can adults help kids confront bullies?

Just like kids watching a fight in the schoolyard, bystanders may hesitate to speak out against cyberbullies for fear of retaliation. Young people need to know that parents, teachers and other adults will support young people who confront a cyberbully. Kids' reactions can be crucial to defusing cyberbullying, because censure from peers can carry more clout with bullies than criticism from adults.

How can adults encourage kids to behave ethically online?

Nancy Willard of the Responsible Netizen Institute has developed a list of ethical decision-making strategies that can help young people learn to behave ethically and responsibly. They include the following tests.

• The "Golden Rule" Test: How would you feel if someone did this to you?
• The "Trusted Adult" Test: What would an adult whose opinion you respect, such as a grandparent or coach, think of your actions?
• The "Front Page" Test: How would you feel if your actions were reported on the front page of a newspaper?
• The "Real World" Test: Would it be okay if you acted the same way in the real world? [4]

Is there no good news in cyberspace?

While this article has focused on the dark side of online communication, the majority of young people's online experiences are positive. In MNet's latest survey, only a quarter of kids classified memorable online experiences as "bad"—and many of those "bad" experiences related to frustration with technology, not with peers.

MNet also discovered that rules about Internet use, parental involvement and discussion about Internet issues do make a difference in kids' online behaviour. Children whose parents enforce rules surrounding Internet use are less likely to participate in questionable or risky online activities.

1. Dr. Shaheen Shariff and Rachel Gouin, "Cyber-Dilemmas: Gendered Hierarchies, Free Expression and Cyber-Safety in Schools," presented at "Safety and Security in a Networked World: Balancing Cyber-Rights and Responsibilities," Oxford Internet Institute conference, Oxford, U.K., September 8-10, 2005, p. 3. Available at http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/downloads/index.cfm?File=research/cybersafety/extensions/pdfs/papers/shaheen_shariff.pdf. This paper will also be published in a forthcoming issue of Atlantis: A Women's Issues Journal.
2. See the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use at http://csriu.org for more details on these points.
3. Shariff and Gouin, p. 5.
4. Nancy Willard, "What is Right and What is Wrong? How can we help young people use information and communication technologies in an ethical manner?" presented at "National Conference on Cyberethics", University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, October 2000, p. 3.

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