Cyber Bullying

Cyber Bullying

Cyber bullying involves the use of information and technology such as e-mail, instant messaging, the publishing of defamatory personal web sites, and online personal polling web sites that are used to support conscious, willful, deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by one or more people with the intent to harm others.

On-line harassment or threatening is Cyber bullying and it is on the rise.

SSW Cyberbullying Header

Hot Trends...Educators and Parents Beware...

INSTAGRAM BEAUTY CONTEST…NOT THE PLACE TO FIND SELF-WORTH

“Am I hot or not?” It’s an Instagram game that is exploding on the Internet. Young girls around the age of 13 are posting photo of themselves on Instagram with #beautycontest, #rankme, #rateme and #amipretty hashtags and are looking for a quick virtual judgment of their beauty and in return they receive cruel or lewd comments that can damage their self-worth. Some of the photos are head shots and some are more risky, which are “sexting.” Obviously, these girls are not considering the privacy issue especially when hashtags are used or the variety of devastating comments this type of behavior solicits. Educators and parents made want to talk to their Instagramming kids and make them aware that the Internet is not a reliable place to seek self-worth or to post pictures to be rated by others.

Cyber Bullying Handouts

Cyber-Bullying: Suggestions for Educators

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image KCSS Educators(KCSS) Educate your students, teachers, and other staff members about cyber-bullying, its dangers, and what to do if someone is cyber-bullied.

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Cyber-Bullying: Suggestions for Parents

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image KCSS Parents(KCSS) Cyber-bullying can range from rude comments to lies, impersonations, and threats, therefore your responses may depend on the nature and severity of the cyber-bullying. Here are some actions that you may want to take after-the-fact.

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Cyber-Bullying: Suggestions for Schools

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image KCSS Schools(KCSS) Suggestions include: Updating Policies, Forming a Technology Abuse Committee, Professional Development, Teaching the Students, Informing the Parents, Monitoring Computer Usage and Evaluating Survey and Violation Data.

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Cyber-Bullying: Suggestions for Students

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image KCSS Students(KCSS) What to do if you are Cyber-bullied, How to Prevent being Cyber-bullied, and How to Prevent being a Cyber-bully.

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Cyber-Bullying: Poster

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image KCSS Poster(KCSS) Promotional Poster Encouraging Students to Surf Smart, Share Less, and Think First.

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Cyber-Bullying: Writing Prompts

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image KCSS Writing Prompts(KCSS) (From the Ad Council-YouTube videos)

The Kitchen (video) Writing Prompt (handout)
Talent Show (video) Writing Prompt (handout)
Bulletin Board (video) Writing Prompt (handout)
Everyone Knows Your Name (video) Writing Prompt (handout)
General Writing Prompt (handout)

Removing Libelous Comments on Message Boards

Several schools have had issues with community bulletin board websites and the repercussions of the libelous comments spilling over into the instructional day. The Office of the Attorney General has developed a process to address one of the Internet Message Boards…Topix.com that has been successful at getting posts and forums removed within 48 hours for no charge.

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Free Curriculum and Scope/Sequence

Common Sense Media

SSW 2020 Resource Image Common Sense Media Digital CitizenshipGet all the tools you need with a FREE Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum and Parent Media Education Program. The relevant, ready-to-use instruction helps educators guide students  to make safe, smart, and ethical decisions in the digital world where they live, study and play. Also, Common Sence Media has a feature called Digital Passport, which teaches and tests basics of online life for 5-8 grade. This site also has a list of  “Websites to Stop Bullying Online“.

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Teachers' Essential Guide to Cyberbullying Prevention

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image Common Sense Media Teachers Guide to Cyberbullying PreventionWhat is cyberbullying? How common is it? And what can teachers do about it? Get advice and resources to support your students. Also, when others see cyberbullying, what can they do? In these situations, people can be bystanders, allies, or upstanders.

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Assessing the Threat

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image KCSS Assessing the ThreatTopics on this handout include: “The kind of threat”, “The frequency of the threats”, “The source of the threats” and “The nature of the threats”. (KCSS)

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Blocking Bullies from your Cyber Sites

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image Blocking CyberbullyingHow to Stop Cyber-bullying on Popular Websites including MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Twitter and YouTube. (thinkuknow.org)

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Cyber-Bullying-The “Silent Tormentor”

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image KCSS Silent TormenterWhen looking at school safety in general, few (if any) would place cyber-bullying in the same category of fear as a school shooter or natural disaster. Cyber-bullying seems petty when compared to just about any school tragedy. (KCSS)

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Myths of Bullying Handout

SSI Bullying Website Image KCSS Mean Girls Bullying handoutTopics on this handout include: “Shattering the Myths of Bullying”, “You Can Help”, “Who’s the Bully… Not My Child!”, and “Why don’t kids ask for help?” (KCSS)

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What is Bullying? Handout

SSI Bullying Website Image KCSS What Is handoutTopics on this handout include: “Characteristics of those who bully,” “Alarming Stats,” “Characteristics of Victims,” and “Long-Term Effects of Bullying” (KCSS)

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Removing Personal Information from the WWW

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image KCSS Removing Personal InformationProtecting your personal information is of utmost importance. You don’t have to submit this information online for it to be there. Online directories and databases share this information freely. 

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Creating a Safe MySpace Profile

Topics on this handout include: How to set a profile to private, only allowing friends to IM, page privacy control settings and MySpace Safety Tip Websites.

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How to Remove a MySpace Profile

Topics on this handout include step-by-step instructions on canceling a MySpace account.

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Cyber Bullying: What is it?

Cyber Bullying prevention

How to prevent miscommunication or becoming a cyber bully

(When one student targets another online)

  • Mean, vulgar or threatening email
  • Forwarding a private communication to others
  • Humiliating text sent over a cell phone
  • Website mocking others
  • Posting embarrassing photos or video
  • Impersonating someone else to spread rumors
  • Intentionally excluding someone from an online group
  • Posting sensitive, private information about another person

How can you prevent being cyber bullied?

  • Don’t give out private information (Passwords, PIN)
  • Be careful about posting personal information such as name, address and cell numbers
  • Don’t share buddy lists
  • Delete messages from people you don’t know
  • Posting embarrassing photos or video
  • When something doesn’t sound right, leave the chat room
  • Intentionally excluding someone from an online group
  • Assume no digital communication is private

How can you prevent miscommunication or becoming a cyber bully?

  • Don’t email when you are angry
  • Don’t forward an email that someone sent as a private message
  • Don’t email with friends and target someone for entertainment

Questions before you post or send

  • Is this communication kind and respectful
  • How would I feel if someone else sent this to me
  • Does this violate any rules, pledges or laws
  • How would I feel if my actions were printed in the newspaper
  • Assume no digital communication is private
  • Would it be “okay” in real life or “face to face”
  • How will this reflect on me and my family

It is always hurtful, sometimes unlawful and sometimes changes lives forever…

STOP CyberBullying

StopCyberbullying was the first cyberbullying prevention program in North America. Its specifically-trained young volunteers design and deliver community programs to help their peers address cyberbullying.

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Teaching Resources

SSI Internet Safety Website Image NetSmartz PresentationsNetSmartz – Empower your students to be safer online with our free collection of teaching materials for students in grades K-12. With videos, lesson plans, games and more, NetSmartz can help you create a dynamic and engaging Internet safety curriculum.

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Embrace Civility

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image Embrace CivilityThe mission of Embrace Civility (former name was Embrace Civility in the Digital Age) is to provide guidance to caring adults so they can better engage young people to embrace civility and foster positive relations.

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Wired Safety

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image Wired SafelyAll schools, parents and students are struggling to address and contain the growing cyberbullying problem. While bullying itself is difficult to prevent, cyberbullying is much harder. It starts online and moves offline, or starts offline and moves online or starts and stays online.

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QUICK DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP ACTIVITIES FOR K–5 DISTANCE LEARNING

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image Common Sense Media Digital CitizenshipCommon Sense – Digital citizenship is more important than ever as students experience school virtually, in one form or another. Common Sense has a collection of short digital citizenship activities that students can complete independently, or with parents or caregivers.

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National Center for Missing & Exploited Children CyberTipline

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image NCMEC CybertiplineNCMEC’s CyberTipline is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. 

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Cyberbullying Research Center

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image Cyberbullying Research CenterThe Cyberbullying Research Center is dedicated to providing up-to-date information about the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying among adolescents.

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stopbullying.gov

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image StopBullying.GovCyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content.

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The U.S. National Crime Prevention Council

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image NCPCEmailing and chatting with friends are children’s most common online activities, after studying and playing games. But like many other social situations, some kids bully other kids online. The National Crime Prevention Council provides information and resources to help curb the growing problem of cyberbullying. (downloadable resources include brochures, podcasts, PSAs, etc.)

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Everything You Need to Know about Parental Controls

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image Common Sense Media Parental ControlsAdvice from Common Sense Media editors. … Parental controls can support you in your efforts to keep your kids’ Internet experiences safe, fun, and productive.

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Report Cyberbullying

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image Cyberbullying Research Center ReportCyberbullying Research Center provides links and contact information to report abusive content on: Social Media, Messaging Services, Classifieds, Search Engines, Cell Phone Service Providers, Internet Service Providers and Gaming

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Cyber Safety Considerations for K-12 Schools and Districts

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image REMS Cybersafety ConsiderationsReadiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center researched how cyber incidents affect education agencies and the steps they can take to respond – describing what schools can do before, during, and after an incident. This also includes the most common cyber threats to students, including cyberbullying.

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State Cyberbullying Laws

SSI Cyber Bullying Website Image CRC State Bullying LawsCyberbullying Research Center –  ‎A brief review of state cyberbullying laws and policies.

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Data and Statistics

SSI Classroom Management Website Image NCES Data and StatisticsNational Center for Education Statistics (November  2019) released three Data Point Reports entitled Students’ Perceptions of Bullying;  Electronic Bullying: Online and by Text; and Student Perceptions of School Discipline and the Presence of Gangs or Guns at School. These reports examine the characteristics and school behaviors of students who report bullying online or by text; the extent to which students experiencing different components of bullying report their perceived relationship of bullying to the student’s personal characteristics; and how student perceptions of school discipline vary by student reports of their own behaviors in school and unfavorable school conditions experienced.