Cyberbullying

StopCyberbullying

#special eition

Summer 2019

IC "Mons. Mario Vassalluzzo" in Roccapiemonte

the big cyberbullying wall

school year 2018/2019

What is cyberbullying?

What can we do when cyberbullying happens?

Why is cyberbullying different?

What can parents do?

What are common cyberbullying tactics?

What can teachers do?

What are the consequences of cyberbullying?

Social media apps and sites commonly used by children and teens

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Why are people cyberbullies?

Cyberbullying and Online Gaming

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7 Real Life Cyberbullying Horror Stories

How can we prevent cyberbullying?

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Posters

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Videos

Comics

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Speaking avatars

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Here we are!

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Interactive games

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The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:

• Social Media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter
• SMS (Short Message Service) also known as Text Message sent through devices
• Instant Message (via devices, email provider services, apps, and social media messaging features)
• Email

Intimidation or mean comments that focus on things like a person's gender, religion, sexual orientation, race, or physical differences count as discrimination, which is against the law in many states. That means the police could get involved, and bullies may face serious penalties.

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.

Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.

Cyberbullying can harm the online reputations of everyone involved – not just the person being bullied, but those doing the bullying or participating in it. Cyberbullying has unique concerns in that it can be:

The content an individual shares online – both their personal content as well as any negative, mean, or hurtful content – creates a kind of permanent public record of their views, activities, and behavior. This public record can be thought of as an online reputation, which may be accessible to schools, employers, colleges, clubs, and others who may be researching an individual now or in the future.

- Persistent

- Permanent

- Hard to Notice

Why is cyberbullying different?

Persistent, Permanent, Hard to Notice

Cyberbullying messages and images can be posted anonymously and distributed quickly to a very wide audience. It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the source. Deleting inappropriate messages, texts, and pictures is extremely difficult after they have been posted or sent.

Kids who are being cyberbullied are often bullied in person as well. Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone. It can happen any time of the day or night.

What are common cyberbullying tactics?

While there are a number of different ways kids are bullying others online, the majority of online harassment falls into one of six categories. Here are six of the most common methods of cyberbullying.

Harassing Someone

Impersonating Someone

Creating Websites, Blogs, Polls, and More

Using Photographs

Participating in Video Shaming

Engaging in Subtweeting or Vaguebooking

What are the consequences of cyberbullying?

Cell phones and computers themselves are not to blame for cyberbullying. Social media sites can be used for positive activities, like connecting kids with friends and family, helping students with school, and for entertainment. But these tools can also be used to hurt other people. Whether done in person or through technology, the effects of bullying are similar. Kids who are cyberbullied are more likely to: • Use alcohol and drugs • Skip school • Receive poor grades • Have lower self-esteem • Have more health problems Sometimes, online bullying, like other kinds of bullying, can lead to serious long-lasting problems.

The stress of being in a constant state of upset or fear can lead to problems with mood, energy level, sleep, and appetite. It also can make someone feel jumpy, anxious, or sad. If someone is already depressed or anxious, cyberbullying can make things much worse. It's not just the person being bullied who gets hurt. The punishment for cyberbullies can be serious. More and more schools and after-school programs are creating systems to respond to cyberbullying. Schools may dismiss bullies from sports teams or suspend them from school. Some types of cyberbullying may violate school codes or even break anti-discrimination or sexual harassment laws. So, a bully may face serious legal trouble.

Here are some common feelings cyberbullied teens and tweens often experience.

Why are people cyberbullies?

8 Reasons Why Kids Cyberbully Others - Understanding the motives behind cyberbullying

How can we prevent cyberbullying?

Warning Signs a Child is Being Cyberbullied or is Cyberbullying Others

• A child starts to avoid social situations, even those that were enjoyed in the past. • A child becomes withdrawn or depressed, or loses interest in people and activities.

Many of the warning signs that cyberbullying is occurring happen around a child’s use of their device. Some of the warning signs that a child may be involved in cyberbullying are: • Noticeable increases or decreases in device use, including texting. • A child exhibits emotional responses (laughter, anger, upset) to what is happening on their device. • A child hides their screen or device when others are near, and avoids discussion about what they are doing on their device. • Social media accounts are shut down or new ones appear.

Be Aware of What Your Kids are Doing Online

A child may be involved in cyberbullying in several ways. A child can be bullied, bully others, or witness bullying. Parents, teachers, and other adults may not be aware of all the digital media and apps that a child is using. The more digital platforms that a child uses, the more opportunities there are for being exposed to potential cyberbullying.

What can we do when cyberbullying happens?

Stop - Block - Tell

Kids should be encouraged to tell their parents immediately if they, or someone they know, is being cyberbullied. When cyberbullying happens, it is important to document and report the behavior so it can be addressed. If you notice warning signs that a child may be involved in cyberbullying, take steps to investigate that child’s digital behavior.

Cyberbullying is a form of bullying, and adults should take the same approach to address it: support the child being bullied, address the bullying behavior of a participant, and show children that cyberbullying is taken seriously. Because cyberbullying happens online, responding to it requires different approaches.

+ If you think that a child is involved in cyberbullying, there are several things you can do

What can parents do?

Parents and kids can prevent cyberbullying. Together, they can explore safe ways to use technology. They can: • talk about the sites which are visited and the online activities which are carried out. • be “friends” or “followers” on social media sites. • keep their passwords safe and not share them with friends. • establish rules about appropriate use of computers, cell phones, and other technology.

Parents who want to protect their children from cyberbullying can use parental control and monitoring software to help them set up systems that are less invasive to their children. There are free software options and apps available to help parents restrict content, block domains, or view their children’s online activities, including social media, without looking at their child’s device every day.

Tips for Parents: Talk to Your Child about Appropriate Digital Behavior and Content

What can teachers do?

Teachers, school administrators, camp, community, and faith-based staff are in unique positions to use their skills and roles to create safe environments with positive social norms. They are also in positions where they may notice children’s behavior changes in group settings, like when a group or cluster of children focuses on another child, or other signs that cyberbullying may be occurring.

There are things that you can do in the classroom or other group settings to address or prevent cyberbullying.

• Speak to the child

• Speak to a parent

• Increase digital awareness

• Encourage self-reflection

• Reward positive behavior

• Encourage peer involvement

Social media apps and sites commonly used by children and teens

Parents may not be aware of the apps that their children use regularly or may not be aware of the risks involved in using them. There are many ways that cyberbullying can be hidden in apps and sites, such as texts, videos, and web calls that disappear or do not appear on the device’s call or text message logs. Many apps also make it easy for users to access, view or participate in adult or harmful content. Privacy and location settings may make them more vulnerable to stalking, cyberbullying, exposure to adult content, or other dangers.

Digital media and apps allow children to communicate and express their creativity, connect with peers, and share their feelings. However, they can be an avenue through which cyberbullying occurs. There are many types of apps and sites available for free that give users the ability to search for people and share or post information about them anonymously.

Some current popular social media venues and apps

Some things adults can do to prevent cyberbullying of children who are gaming

Cyberbullying and Online Gaming

Playing videogames is a popular activity, with 72 percent of teens gaming online. Many video games – whether they are console, web, or computer-based – allow users to play with friends they know in person and others they have met only online. While gaming can have positive benefits like making new friends, socializing, and learning how to strategize and problem solve, it is also another place where cyberbullying occurs.

Anonymity of players and the use of avatars allow users to create alter-egos or fictional versions of themselves, which is part of the fun of gaming. But it also allows users to harass, bully, and sometimes gang up on other players, sending or posting negative or hurtful messages and using the game as a tool of harassment. If someone is not performing well, other children may curse or make negative remarks that turn into bullying, or they might exclude the person from playing together.

7 Real Life Cyberbullying Horror Stories

Kenneth Weishuhn

Ashlynn Conner

With social media and technology, cyberbullying has become the go-to method of bullying and making teen lives a misery. Just how bad can cyberbullying get? How does it happen? What can teens feel? To get a full understanding of this type of bullying, you need to read the horror stories. Here are seven real life cyberbullying horror stories to be aware of to protect children

Hailee Lamberth

Amanda Todd

Angel Green

Megan Meier

David Molak

Gerardo, Alessio and Aniello

Serafina and Bianca

Ilaria and Rosanna

Monica and Federica

Francesco

Antonio and Arthur

Luca, Stefano and Carmelo

Luigi

Videos

Giulio

Gerardo and Rosanna

Luigi. Giulio and Carmelo

Francesco and Stefano

Luigi

Gerardo and Rosanna

Luca and Gerardo

Monica and Federica

Posters

Hangman 1

Crossword 1

Horse racing

Crossword 2

The Millionaire

Crossword 3

Hangman 2

Crossword 4

Wordgrid

Quiz

Cloze test

Games

Memory

CyberQuiz

Matching

Gerardo and Aniello

Monica and Federica

Luigi and Giulio

Gerardo and Carmelo

Francesco

Antonio and Arthur

Comics

WORDWALLS

cartoons

Here we are!