Cyber Bullying

Technology has provided a new medium with which to intimidate and cyberbullying has become a highly unwelcome side-effect. This article from Click magazine advises parents on what constitutes cyberbullying and what they can do to help their child if they are a cyberbully or are being cyberbullied.

The following is a quote from a document published by the NSW Department of Education and Training:
a technology guide for parents

read the full article here:

http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/media/downloads/schoolsweb/news/technology/cyberbully.pdf

"Experts have categorised bullying into teasing, exclusion, physical bullying and harassment. Elements of all of the above translate into cyberbullying, often more powerfully.

Often cyberbullying comes out of the blue and from totally unexpected sources. For example, a child might have had a schoolyard tiff with his/ her group of friends. In normal circumstances in a couple of days all is forgotten and everyone is friends again.

But in cyberspace snide remarks are displayed for all to see. It’s easy to “take back” comments in person, but not so easy if you’ve gone to MySpace and called someone terrible names and accused them wrongfully of bad behaviour.

A recent US study has shown girls are among the worst offenders in cyberbullying, stating: “very often it’s the girls who use the Internet to bully other girls. It’s called relational aggression. It’s the way girls bully as opposed to the way boys bully. With girls, it’s more insidious. They use relationships as weapons."

“... Parents need to change bully behaviour as soon as they see it – they need to instil that you can get your own way without hurting other people. Often bullies have been the victim of bullying themselves.” While it is complex, with no quick fix, cyberbullying can cause serious emotional problems and needs to be addressed quickly and efficiently. As a parent or carer it is important that your child feels comfortable reporting any incidents which they find upsetting or which they are unsure of handling. "