A Guide to Cyberbullying

What is Bullying? Bullying  repeated aggression, verbal, psychological or physical conduct by an individual or group against others. Bullying  ALWAYS WRONG & UNACCEPTABLE.

Cyberbullying? Bullying which is carried out using the internet, mobile phone or other technological devices. It can take the form of: -Sending nasty, mean or threatening messages, s, photos or video clips… -Silent phone calls… -Putting up nasty posts/pictures on message boards, website, chat rooms… -Accessing someone’s account and making trouble for them…

We must be careful not to rush to see bullying where it does not exist! Once-off post etc. is not nice but it is not, by itself, bullying. Bullying is a behaviour that is: -Sustained/ Repeated over time -Has a serious negative effect on the well-being of the victim(s) -A deliberate series of actions

Different ways technology can be used to Cyberbully Personal Intimidation Impersonation Exclusion Personal Humiliation False Reporting

What do you need to know about Cyberbullying? Young people like to communicate on-line because it is hidden from parents and not influenced by adults. It can also provide them with anonymity(?). Internet messages can be seen by a wide audience almost immediately and can remain available for a long time even if a person thinks its been removed. Young people posting on the internet tend not to feel as responsible for their on-line actions as they do in ‘real life’. Often outside the reach of schools as it often happens at home.

Young people are often fearful of telling others because: a.They fear the bullying may become worse. b.They fear adults will take away their mobile phone, computer and/or internet access. Bullies always know their victims but their victims don’t always know who is bullying them  isolating for the victim. Cyberbullying can happen any time and any where due to the availability of technology.

Preventing Cyberbullying Know your child’s internet and phone use. Register as a contact on your child’s phone  ‘Dual Access’ service; allows both parent and child to have access to the a/c records held by mobile phone operator. Encourage respect for others.

Key Advice for Children and Young People 1.Don’t reply 2.Keep the message 3.Tell someone 4.Block the sender 5.Report problems -Report to the website or mobile phone operator -Report serious issues e.g. The Gardai

Key Advice for Parents 1.The signs  avoiding school, seems upset or angry especially after using a PC or phone, withdrawing from usual activities, rapidly switching screens when you enter the room. 2.Confirm that you are dealing with bullying behaviour 3.Report 4.Respond appropriately

If you suspect your child might be cyberbullying others… Explain the following guidelines to them: 1.Avoid hurting other people’s feelings; 2.Respect other people’s online rights; 3.Avoid insulting others; 4.If someone insults you, be calm; 5.Avoid “crashing” discussion groups or forums; 6.Respect the privacy of other people online; 7.Be responsible online.

Useful Contacts be/bin/request.py Customer Care 1909 Bill Pay 1747 Prepay Vodafone Customer Care 1907 Bill Pay Ready to Go 3 Customer Service From 3 mobile 333 Other phone Meteor Customer Care

All the information received here was referenced from “Get with IT!” Understanding and Identifying Cyberbullying to Help Protect Your Children. A joint initiative by: Office for Internet SafetyO2Bernardos NCTE