BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING Unit Overview What does it mean to be bullied?  Have you ever been cyberbullied?  In an era where communication technologies are on the rise, and where the methods to reach others are ever-increasing in speed and number, it has become impossible to seek refuge from violence at some point.  Children used to run home for shelter from bullying at school or on the bus.  Although this still happens, now the bully has the power to invade the secure walls of home through instant messaging, texting (SMS), on Facebook, Twitter, and other Social Networking Sites (SNS) technologies; such invasion falls into the very sensitive minds and youthful spirits of teenagers, leading them into drug and alcohol use, long-term self-harm, or even suicide, in some extreme cases.  What can you to do to take a stand and prevent bullying? In this unit you will: learn the four types of bullying behaviors. recognize the role of the bully, the victim, and the bystander. explore the consequences of bullying and cyberbullying. develop strategies and prevention for dealing with bullying and cyberbullying.  increase your awareness of the effects of bullying. What is bullying? Being a teenager is tough enough without all of the extra stress of being picked on.  There is a difference between innocent joking with each other and bullying.  By definition, bullying is continued aggressive behavior by one or more individuals that makes another individual or individuals feel uncomfortable or threatened.  So, what is bullying? If there are other students that always make fun of you or try to hurt or fight with you, they are bullies.  If they take your things and won’t give them back, they are bullies.  If your “friends” on Facebook keep writing mean things on your wall or if they post mean pictures of you, they are bullying you.  If they are telling other people lies about you and those people tell more people, then that is bullying. Types of Bullying Bullying is identified when there are unwanted behaviors present, such as an individual attacking someone whether it be verbally, physically, spreading rumors, or mistreating others through the use of technology.  Below is a chart that shows the four types of bullying and examples for each. In the past decade, there have been multiple bullying and cyberbullying cases that end with young people taking their own lives after becoming victims. Click on the following YouTube video to watch a brief video about bullying and its consequences. Where and When Bullying Happens  Who is the bully?  Victim?  Bystander? "I was bullied quite a lot when I was growing up in my Peking Opera School. I allowed myself to be bullied because I was scared and didn't know how to defend myself. I was bullied until I prevented a new student from being bullied. By standing up for him, I learned to stand up for myself.                                                                  Jackie Chan Click on the following to watch a brief video on cyberbullying and being and upstander/bystander. Click on the following YouTube video to watch a brief video on How to Stand Up to a Bully. Here are some ways you can become a helpful bystander: Make it clear to your friends that you won’t be involved in bullying behavior. Never stand by and watch or encourage bullying behavior.  It may not be happening to you — but what if it was? Don’t harass, tease or spread gossip about others — this includes on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.  Have you ever liked a cruel Facebook post or mean photo about someone else? Think twice — this is just as bad as you posting it. Never forward or respond to messages or photos that might be offensive or upsetting. Support the person who is being bullied to ask for help, or report it.  Help them find a trusted adult or show them where they can get help.  Report bullying to someone you trust (like a teacher, principal, your parents, etc.).  If the bullying is serious or you think someone's life or safety is at risk, report it to the police.   What is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones.  It consists of sending or posting derogatory or hateful material with the intent to harm another.  Cyberbullying is an electronic method of spreading gossip, hateful statements, lies, threats and harassment by posting to social networking sites, web sites, blogs, chat rooms, email, text messages, etc.  It has been affecting a substantial number of people, including children, teens and even teachers.  Cyberbullying also happens in the online gaming environment.  Click on the following YouTube video to watch a brief video about teens and cyberbullying. Bullying has been around for ages; however, cyberbullying has been getting more and more attention from the media, decision makers, industry players, and society as a whole over the last decade.  The main differences between bullying and cyberbullying are demonstrated in the following chart: Personal Cyberbullying Safety Strategies If you are the target of online bullying or aggression… Respect others online.  Only share your password with your parent or guardian.  Change your passwords often.  Password protect your cell phone.  Use privacy settings to block unwanted messages.  Think before posting or sending photos – they could be used to hurt you.  Don’t respond to cyberbullying or inappropriate messages, but save them as evidence. Talk about problems you experience online with an adult that you trust, like a family member, teacher or school counselor. Always report online bullying, hate messages, inappropriate sexual activity and physical threats (including possible suicide attempts) to an adult family member, school authorities or the police. Block the e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers of people who are sending unwanted messages; change your phone numbers, email addresses, screen names and other online information if necessary. For serious or continuing problems, file complaints with email services, Internet Service Providers, Web sites, cell phone companies, etc.  They can find the offenders, cancel their service and report them to the police if necessary. If you don’t feel comfortable reporting problems yourself, ask a friend or adult to do it for you.  Keeping the people close to you aware of what’s going on will make you feel safe and supported. When in doubt about what to do, log off the computer and ask for help from a trusted adult. Summary In this unit you learned about the various forms of bullying and how it can contribute to students feeling socially isolated, worthless, or depressed.  The emotional impact sometimes leads to suicide in severe cases.  Cyberbullying is the most recent and severe form of bullying and is associated with many of the same negative effects as school bullying and much more.  Practice safe strategies when using technology.  Be a good bystander and know the signs when someone needs help.  Don’t be the victim.  Don’t be the bully.  Be an anti-bully advocate!  Take action and encourage communities as well as your school to work together to stop bullying and cyberbullying by increasing awareness of the impact of bullying amongst teens.