Things To Know SOURCES:

 56 percent, of all students have witnesses a bullying crime take place while at school.  15 percent of all students who don't show up for school report it to being out of fear of being bullied while at school.  71 percent of students that report bullying as an on-going problem.  One out of every 10 students drops out or changes schools because of repeated bullying.  One out of every 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school.  Top years for bullying include 4th through 8th graders in which 90 percent were reported as victims of some kind of bullying.  54 percent of students reported that witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school.  Among students of all ages, homicide perpetrators were found to be twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullied previously by their peers.  There are about 282,000 students that are reportedly attacked in high schools throughout the nation each month.

 Sending mean messages or threats to a person's account or cell phone  Spreading rumors online or through texts  Posting hurtful or threatening messages on social networking sites or web pages  Stealing a person's account information to break into their account and send damaging messages  Pretending to be someone else online to hurt another person  Taking unflattering pictures of a person and spreading them through cell phones or the Internet  Sexting, or circulating sexually suggestive pictures or messages about a person

42% of kids have been bullied online-1 in 4 have had it happen more than once. 21% of kids have received mean or threatening or other messages. 58% have not told their parents about an online bullying incident. 14% have received mean or hurtful comments online. 13% have been the subject of rumors online.7% have had someone impersonate them online. 8% report receiving a threatening cell phone text. 5% have had a mean or hurtful picture posted.

 anxiety  depression  Suicide – “Bullycide” Once things are circulated on the Internet, they may never disappear, resurfacing at later times to renew the pain of cyber bullying. Girls are more likely to spread rumors, while boys are more likely to post hurtful pictures or videos.

 The things teens post online now may reflect badly on them later when they apply for college or a job.  Cyber bullies can lose their cell phone or online accounts for cyber bullying.  cyber bullies and their parents may face legal charges for cyber bullying, and if the cyber bullying was sexual in nature or involved sexting, the results can include being registered as a sex offender.

 Students may say they got "dissed" on Facebook  Students had their phone flooded with mean texts.  Even little kids have been known to hack into Club Penguin to sabotage each other's games.

Problems spill over to the classroom, making cyberbullying an issue Students are so worried about cyberbullying that they can't focus on their studies or are afraid to come to school. It has become a school climate and safety issue. Monday is the new Friday – Kids are upset because of what happened online over the weekend Experts say banning technology is not the answer, but rather teaching kids to be good digital citizens. As a teacher, you can be a powerful force in promoting a climate of respect. Educate yourself and be on the lookout for signs that cyberbullying is taking place

These social networking sites, popular among tweens and teens, can be a breeding ground for cyberbullying. 1. Formspring Formspring users anonymously post comments about other people. In essence, it is an open invitation for insults and gossip, and has been linked to the suicide of 17-year-old Alexis Pilkington. 2. Chat Roulette Users are randomly matched with strangers around the world to engage in webcam-based conversations. According to a March 2010 survey conducted by RJMetrics, 13 percent of users are either nude or appear to be engaging in a lewd act. 3. Stickam Stickam features live streaming video, audio, images, and video chat. With more than 4 million members and content from networks like MTV, G4, and CBS, the site seems to be reputable. However, the New York Times reported three predator arrests linked to the site. 4. Foursquare A location-based app in which users identify where they're located in return for virtual badges like "Mayor" and "Super Mayor." It can be used to broadcast exclusion and could be dangerous since kids could be revealing their locations to strangers. 5. 4chan 4chan is an anonymous digital bulletin board mostly used for the posting of manga and anime. It's "no- rules" policies have provoked media attention. Source: SafetyWeb