Bullying In a Technology-Rich World

Children live in a world filled with technology. It is an amazing new world for them to learn and explore and critical for children to understand: connecting, sharing, pasting, twittering, IM, and mashing.

According to the latest survey from Media Awareness Network, Canadian youth are among the world’s most active Internet users:

• Eighty (80) percent having regular access to the Internet at home.
  
  
• More than 50 percent use the Internet while at home with little or no supervision.
  
  
• Yet 25 percent of young Canadian Internet users have been asked by someone they have only met on the Internet to meet face-to-face.
  
  
• Fifteen (15) percent have gone to meet an Internet acquaintance face-to-face; and almost two in ten of this group went to these meetings alone.

So what implications do these facts have in relation to bullying?

Quite simply, students are not completely safe from threats even in their own homes. Where historically, a child might be called a name or threatened at school in front of a small group, they can now be victimized on the world-wide web. A child who is being cyber-bullied feels a wide range of emotions from hurt and confusion, to embarrassment and depression. Due to the far-reaching effects of cyber-bullying, the child may feel helpless to stop or control the situation.

Parents need to be aware that the “slam” books and hurtful gossip they are familiar with have been replaced with cruel instant messaging, humiliating pictures on web sites, “bash boards” and voting booths.

Although the nature of the bullying is similar to that of years ago, the internet has allowed the scope of the incident to reach a much broader audience. Web sites and screen names can also give a bully anonymity which adds to the dimension of the bullying and increases the anxiety for the victim. It is necessary for today’s adults to become Internet savvy so they can help children deal with cyber bullies.

Safe Schools advocates a proactive response to this issue. We advise parents and educators to teach their children on the wise use of the technology available to them. This technology has opened up an amazing amount of positive opportunities but, like all good things, people need to be aware of the possibility of misuse and abuse and to teach their children the proper etiquette for this medium as well as how to respond or report misuse by others.