Cyber bullying matters: strategies to help students overcome and rise above it

BY PAUL JUNOR

The issue of bullying has been a pervasive and consuming one in the media for many years. The effects of it on the self-esteem, development, and learning of students have been documented. Many studies have shown that it can have long-term psychological, emotional and physical consequences, sometimes leading to deadly results. Bullying has taken on several manifestations and when it occurs online it can be insidious, far-reaching and potentially devastating to young lives. It is important that parents, caregivers, guardians and teachers who are entrusted to work with young children become aware of: the characteristics of bullying, how to identify bullying behaviours, effective strategies that can be utilized to alleviate its ramifications, and to prevent it from being repeated.

Bullying particularly cyberbullying has become a significant societal problem and it has garnered international attention from many sectors of society. The Ontario Education Act defines bullying as “aggressive and typically repeated behaviour by a pupil where. a.the behaviour is intended by the pupil; to have the effect of, or the pupil ought to  know that the behaviour would be likely to have the effect of, (i) causing harm, fear or distress to another individual, including physical, psychological, social or academic harm, harm to the individual’s reputation or harm to the individual’s property, or (ii) creating a negative environment at a school for another individual, b.the behaviour occurs in a context where there is a real or perceived power imbalance between the  pupil and the individual based on factors such as size, strength, age, intelligence, peer group power, economic  status, social status, religion, ethnic, origin, sexual orientation, family circumstances, gender identity, gender expression, race, disability or the receipt  of special education; (“intimidation”).

The issue of cyber bullying has taken on additional significance because there has been a reported rise in teenage suicides. The Education Act now defines cyber bullying as bullying by electronic means, which includes:

1. Creating a web page or a blog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person
2. Impersonating another person as the author of content or messages posted on the Internet
3. Communicating material electronically to more than one individual, or posting material on a website that may be assessed by one or more individuals. Research shows that 20% of students in grades 7-12 report being cyber bullied at least once in the past year (CAMH Research Document Series N. 43).

The Ministry of Education has been involved in giving direction on bullying prevention and intervention; they have recently pushed for a whole-school approach to ensure that there is systemic change. The revised Physical and Health Education Curriculum has put an emphasis on countering cyber bullying. Signe Whitson has presented, “10 Strategies for Stopping Cyber Bullying,” in the now closed HuffPost contributor platform, which is available online. These strategies include: reach out to a trustworthy adult, disengage, log off and block harassers, use privacy settings, take screen shots, step in to stop it, report it, empathize, remind kids that they are not to be blamed, and be a supportive friends to kids. These are some excellent suggestions and ideas that can be used to counter cyber bullying when it occurs.

The fact that tweens and teenagers are common victims of cyber bullying makes it incumbent upon all of us who care about them to be proactive and supportive. The emotional, mental, psychological and physical safety of children is critical to ensuring that they are able to thrive, flourish and become healthy. By intervening early, adults can prevent bullying from escalating. By being caring, supportive and helpful, adults can bring encouragement and hope. The lives of our young people are too valuable and precious to be exposing to those who will harm them.