Cyber Bullying
This week's readings and videos challenged me to think about how cyber bullying is impacting K-12 students, students and faculty at the university level, and those in the workplace. The article, From the Sandbox to the Inbox: Comparing the Acts, Impacts, and Solutions of Bullying in K-12, Higher Education, and the Workplace, identifies the similarities and differences between cyber bullying at the different institutions, as well as solutions that can be created to move away from impacts of cyber bullying. Bullying and cyber bullying affect people from different racial/ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, as well as those with differing levels of academic success.
Impacts of Cyber Bullying
Impacts of Cyber bullying at the K-12 level include depression, poor self-esteem, concentration problems, anxiety, stress, academic problems, school avoidance, suicidal ideation, and psychosomatic problems. At the university level, students and faculty reported their ability to do work was impacted, loss of confidence and concentration, relationships were affected, physical safety and emotional security were threatened, as well as mental and physical health issues. In the workplace field, there were similar impacts reported that included absenteeism, stress, lower job satisfaction, mental and physical health impacts, avoidance, and turnover.
Addressing Cyberbullying
Through this study of cyberbullying at different levels, several solutions were brought to my attention. Overall, awareness remains key. Understanding the problem and fully working towards a solution are important, as well as, modeling appropriate behavior, increasing self-esteem, and educating others on digital medial literacy and digital citizenship. At the university level, counseling and support for victims of strong anti-bullying policies, better reporting mechanisms, and the need for a respectful campus culture are solutions. Although all three institutions had similar recommendations, awareness and education about the issues of cyber bullying and harassment along with their impacts and how to address them are at the fore front of minimizing cyberbullying. A clear policy supported by training and resources to implement, and attention to individual organization and behavior are also solutions to work towards minimizing cyber bullying.
Surprising Information Regarding Cyberbullying
I was surprised to find out that female students appear to be more likely to be the ones engaging in cyber bullying in K-12 classrooms; however, at the secondary level males were more involved as perpetrators and females as the targets. I was also saddened to find out that many targets choose to suffer in silence, resulting in many cyber bullying cases not getting reported. Under reporting was a common theme between all three institutions. I was surprised this week to think about how the U.S. compares to other countries with cyber bullying. One study compared Scandinavian countries to the U.S. and found far lower rates in these countries, due to cultural differences. This led me to think about changes in our culture that could be made to help with cyber bullying and other issues.
Cyber Bullying Videos
While I enjoyed watching many of the videos from the Cyberbullying Research Center https://cyberbullying.org/videos, I loved the video featuring the high school student who worked to promote positivity by hanging out Smile Cards. What a simple gesture that helps create positive school culture! The video featuring kids as they talk about digital citizenship was also a favorite. Kids love hearing from other kids!
Richard Byrne's, The Seven Deadliest Digital Sins, is a story that contains chapters that includes videos, essays, and polls. Throughout these chapters, listeners hear from people who suffer from digital sins, like cyber bullying. Learn more by exploring here: The Seven Deadliest Digital Sins
Next Steps as an Educator and a Mom
After learning more about the world of cyber bullying and its devastating effects this week, I want to play my part as an educator and mother to prevent cyber bullying as much as I can. I want to work to be a role model as children learn to navigate the digital world. Educating children on digital citizenship is a way that I can be proactive. I would also like to make sure that parents and caregivers are in tune to the impacts of cyberbullying and I will offer ways that they can help. For example, I will encourage them to look out for signs of cyber bullying and if cyber bullying does occur I will suggest ways that they can help. This is a great link to help guide parents and caregivers (What Parents Need to Know).
Resources
https://cyberbullying.org/ : This website is a wonderful site that is full of resources for parents, youth, and educators. Resources includes blogs, research, cyber bullying statistics, social media apps, books, and presentations.
Prevent Cyberbullying : This article shares ways that parents and caregivers can identify, address and prevent cyberbullying.
Susannah Townsend's Ted Talk : Townsend's talk shares how to save a life from your computer.
References
Byrne, R. (2014, August 5). Seven digital deadly sins- Good material for conversations on digital citizenship. TeacherMade. https://freetech4teach.teachermade.com/2014/08/seven-digital-deadly-sins-good-material/
Cyberbullying Research Center. 2024. https://cyberbullying.org
Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in k-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal Of Education And Training Studies, 3(6), 111-125.
Nemours Kids Health. 2024. Cyberbullying. The Nemours Foundation. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/cyberbullying.html
stopbullying.gov 2024. Prevent Cyberbullying. https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/prevention
Townsend, S. (2014, Jan. 22). Cyberbullying- save a life from your computer: Susannah Townsend at EDxRillitoRiver. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGvDJX5vKE0
Emily,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I LOVE you paragraph on being a mom/educator. I feel so fortunate that my three children (ages 22-25) kind of missed the cyberbullying epidemic. They didn't get phones until they were 13 and their dad and I were hyper-vigilant. Our concerns were, where they were and who they were with? The thought of them being bullied online makes me sick. Parents today have so much more to be worried about when it comes to technology. Your link to "what parents need to know" is informative and an excellent start!
Hi Emily! I really loved reading your post! I totally agree with Stephanie about your paragraph on being a mom/educator. I know that I personally dodged the cyber bullying (due to age haha) but I know that my own children are not....ugh! We are super vigilant about their phones and their social media but doesn't mean we know all that goes on. That is scary! This module did open my eyes on what cyber bullying looks like on both ends which is helpful as an educator and mother. Thank you so much for your post!
ReplyDeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteCyberbullying really impacts our students in more ways than we realize. Even as an adult, I can think of situations where my adult friends have been cyberbullied. If an adult can not take the effects from cyberbullying then how can we expect our children to be productive when they are being bullied online? As you stated, it is interesting that females are engaged in more cyberbullying at an early age over the males.
Thanks for your post,
Theresa G.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your mention of how cyberbullying impacts students. I don't think it's a coincidence that we see more students with anxiety, depression, and lack of concentration in our classrooms. As I teach middle school, I wasn't surprised that females engaged more with cyberbullying, but males were typically the perpetrators. That seemed to be an unfortunate pattern with my group of students this year. I think the article you mentioned used the term "mobbing," which happened often when a rumor was spread about a student on social media. This "bandwagon" mentality really impacted those that were being targeted and impacted their mental health. I think modeling the behavior you'd like to see reflected in students and your own children is a great first step to addressing this complex issue. Thanks for your insight!
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog on cyberbullying. It was a great summary of the content we covered this week and so organized with the various headings. I agree, it is disheartening to read about the amount of cyberbullying plus the instances that go unreported and the victims are suffering in silence. As we all know, mental health is a huge concern right now, and I believe cyberbullying is a big factor. It is imperative as educators (and yes as parents!) we are proactive in our fight against cyberbullying. Finding solutions, educating teens on proper digital behaviors, and modeling those same behaviors as adults is crucial to the health and well being of our younger generation who are preparing to step out in the big world and independently navigate a digital world with lasting impacts.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI was happy to see that you included your perspective as a mother as well. As I was working on my own blog, I was thinking about how difficult it must be as a parent to monitor all of your child's online activity while maintaining a balance to give them the privacy they need as well. I was also surprised to read about the statistics on how different genders are affected by cyberbullying. As someone who has my own experience with cyberbullying, I agree that it can affect a person's performance at school or work as well.
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI like that you included resources for cyberbullying. As a former middle school teacher and current high school teacher, I definitely agree that prevention is the best course of action. Personally, I have experience with Common Sense Media as that is what our district uses. However, I've realized that my students can articulate what they should/shouldn't do, yet they don't follow through. A lot of them have very limited boundaries with technology. They do things like Facetime with their friends during class, share locations, and obsess over read receipts. I liked that Common Sense Media is more than cyberbullying, it's about digital citizenship. But in the end, we need more than educators pushing kids to do what is right and monitoring them.
It' didn't post my last name -- Emily Smith
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI had focused more on Edutopia and Common Sense Media, so I enjoyed your insights about the resources from Stop Cyberbullying resource. I would think that a Digital Citizenship Week would be a great idea for school librarians to sponsor, serving both the parents, the students and the teachers. I look forward to seeing what you do next.
ReplyDeleteCyndi Russell-Albach