Cyber bullying

Cyber bullying is when someone uses electronic communication tools (such as a mobile phone or computer) to bully and intimidate others. This may include slandering, blackmailing, spreading rumors, excluding from interactions, harassing, threatening or insulting someone.

Examples of cyber bullying;

• Spreading rumours online
• Sending threatening emails, text messages or comments to another person
• Tricking someone into revealing private or embarrassing information and sending it to others
• Breaking into someone’s email or social media account and sending false messages to others while posing as this person
• Hiding or changing identity and sending messages which tease, humiliate, threaten, punish, or harass another person
• Creating web pages to make fun of another person

Effects of Cyber bullying

Effects of cyber bullying may include;

• Feeling distressed
• Finding it hard to interact and connect in social situations
• Feeling anxious
• Having difficulty concentrating at school, and not being able to do school work
• Feeling depressed
• Having a lowered sense of self-worth and confidence, feeling humiliated
• Feeling rejected and isolated

It must be noted that every person’s response to cyber bullying is different. The above are just some examples of how people can be affected.

The Bully

One of the biggest problems with cyber bullying is that the bully can hide behind the electronic devise they are using, and can also use false screen names to conceal their identity. This makes it difficult, but not impossible, to find out who the bully is.

This can reduce fear of being found out for the bully, and create a false sense of security that makes them willing to do or say things that they would not normally do in public.

Tips for parents

• Work together with children to prevent or deal with current cyber bullying and increase their protection.
• Talk about how to work together to deal with a child’s experience of cyber bullying.
• Encourage kids to come to you if they suspect they are being cyber bullied. Often kids think that they will get into trouble or have their computer or phone taken from them if they report the abuse.
• Know what your kids are doing online.
• Keep computer in a supervised area (i.e. not in the child’s bedroom).
• Have clear household rules guiding internet use.
• If your child is being cyber bullied, don’t just focus on this, but look at other issues or distress which may be going on for them which may also require attention.

Tips for people experiencing bullying

• Talk to your parents or someone else that you can trust about what is going on; don’t try to deal with the situation on your own.
• Print or save all emails, text messages, or chat conversations where the bully interacts with you.
• Report bullying to your parents, school teacher, Internet Service Provider (ISP), or police if it continues.
• Use privacy options on Facebook and My Space.
• Change your mobile number, and block your number ID in future to prevent it being recorded when making calls with general phone use.
• Change your User ID for instant messaging.
• Don’t respond; responding can encourage and aggravate the bullying.

Useful Websites

www.bullyingnoway.com.au/
www.reachout.com.au
www.kidshelp.com.au
www.netalert.gov.au
www.cybersmart.gov.au
www.cybernetrix.com.au - Internet safety options for Secondary Schools
www.wiseuptoit.com.au - DVDs of personal experiences