Cyberbulling and the Classroom
According to a study released by the McArthur Foundation, teens aren’t wasting time when they’re updating Facebook pages and surfing the Web. They’re learning technological and networking skills that are crucial to success as a digital citizen.
Like the real world, the virtual world can turn from friendly to ugly. Social communities can become cyber-nightmares for teens who find themselves the victims of a timeless foe: the bully.
A 2008 Horatio Alger Youth Report found that 2.4 million of the 14.9 million American high school students, or 16 percent, reported that they have been a victim of Cyberbullying. One-third of teens said that they think Cyberbullying is a bigger threat than traditional bullying.
Cyberbullying occurs when a student bullies another through any technological means: social networking sites like Facebook, instant messaging, malicious Websites, and cell phone text messages.
Unplugging is not the answer. The solution to Cyberbullying isn’t to logoff MySpace or turn off the cell phone, says Cyberbullying expert Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D. “Telling a student to just turn off the technology is very dismissive,” he said. “We’re not going to tell a bullying victim to stop going to school; cutting off the Cyberbullying victim is the same thing.”
Not only does shutting down the computer not stop Cyberbullying, but denying teens online access puts them further behind their peers in social, technical, and media skills, the MacArthur Foundation study found.
“Youth haven’t cultivated coping skills,” Hinduja said. “Adolescents are very impressionable and haven’t developed the skills to deal with a bully yet.”
When an adult tells a teen to just ignore the hateful online or text messages, it’s a double victimization for the student, Hinduja said. “The target thinks, ‘Not only am I a victim, but others are unsympathetic.’”
Caring adults matter. What teens need is an adult who cares, Hinduja said. “Talk to the target to make sure he’s not horribly struggling. Listen to the victim’s perspective. Ask the student what he would like to see happen and maybe talk to the offender’s parents to see if [the situation] can be worked out.”
Students are often reluctant to approach an adult about Cyberbullying problems, Hinduja said. “The target might think teachers will make the situation worse. Victims need to know that teachers will respond in a good manner and listen to the victim’s perspective.”
Hinduja recommends that schools train one individual to help students with Cyberbullying issues. “Students should have one youth-serving adult in the school that they can turn to and trust,” he said. His site, www.cyberbullying.us offers a sign that teachers can post on their classroom door that identifies the teacher as a caring adult who also understands the technological aspects of Cyberbullying. http://www.cyberbullying.us/Cyberbullying_Trustee.pdf
Teachable moments. Incorporating discussions about technology into classroom curriculum is a good idea, Hinduja said.
“It’s important and not that hard for teachers to bring up acceptable use of technology as teachable moments. Bring up ideas from the news, like people who send text messages while driving. Discuss it with the class and pique the consciousness of students,” he said.
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