(Anti) Cyberbullying: Help for Parents
Melika Anderson, Katelyn Brissey, Shelby Simmons, Nathan Winters
Table of Contents
Title Page ..................................1
Intro to Bookbuilder ..................3
Embrace Their World..................4
Encourage Balanced Use............5
Monitor Media Use......................6
What is Cyberbullying?...............7
Examples of Cyberbullying.........8
Dangers of Cyberbullying............9
Notecards....................................10
Prevent Cyberbullying.................11
Tips for Elementary Students......12
Tips for Middle School Kids........13
Tips for High School Kids...........14
Case Study 1...............................15
Case Study 2...............................16
Evaluation...................................17
Intro to Bookbuilder
Throughout this module you will encounter various ways to learn about cyber bullying. The first way is text to speech. There is an audio file associated with each slide to read the information out. The second way is through the "coaches." This book has 3 coaches. The penguin defines or explains concepts, the lizard gives you tips on what you can do, and the dog gives facts about cyber bullying. Most of the information comes from the coaches. Please click on them for each slide. The third way is via the "student response area," this is where you will provide feedback on what you've learned. Finally, there are a few videos in the book including one on this page. Click it to learn more about how bookbuilder works.
Why Do Kids Post Hurtful Things?
(click the coaches to learn more, and don't forget to answer the questions below!)
Embrace Their World
Try to learn what your kids already know. Using social / digital media is part of what it means to be a kid today, and if you share your kids' enthusiasm for it, they're more likely to come to you for help navigating it.
(Click the coaches for more information!)
Encourage Balanced Use
A general rule of thumb is that the amount of time that kids spend with media and technology should be equal to time they spend doing other activities, whether that's hanging out with their friends face-to-face, spending time with their family, playing sports, or doing their chores.
(Click the coaches for more information!)
Monitor Media Use
With WiFi, mobile devices, and now their laptops, it's nearly impossible to monitor everything that your kids are doing. That's why it's important to ask questions about what they're doing and keep lines of communication open.
(Click the coaches for more information. Don't forget to answer the questions below!)
What is Cyberbullying?
Spreading rumors and bullying is nothing new. Kids have always found ways to be cruel to one another. But today's kids are dealing with something much more sinister: cyberbullying...
(Click the coaches for more information!)
What are Some Examples of Cyberbullying?
Whether it's creating a fake Facebook or Myspace page to impersonate a fellow student, repeatedly sending hurtful text messages and images, or posting cruel comments on the Internet, cyberbullying can have a devastating effect. Nasty comments, lies, embarrassing photos and videos, and snide polls can be spread widely through instant messaging (IM) or phone texting, and by posts on social networking sites. It can happen anytime - at school or home - and can involve large groups of kids.
(Click the coaches to learn more! Don't forget to answer the questions in the response area!)
Why it Matters: The Dangers of Cyberbullying
Nothing crushes kids' self-confidence faster than humiliation. And just imagine a public humiliation sent instantly to everyone they know.
(Click the coaches for more information, and answer the questions below!)
Use these notecards to review the lesson so far. Then continue on to learn more about the effects of cyberbullying and how to prevent it.
Prevent Your Child from Becoming a Bully
Give them a code of conduct. Tell them that if they wouldn't say something to someone's face, they shouldn't text, instant message, or post it.
Ask your kids if they know of someone who has been cyberbullied. Sometimes they will open up about other's pain before admitting their own.
Establish consequences for bullying behavior. If your children contribute to degrading and humiliating people, tell them that their phone and computer priviledges will be taken away.
(Don't forget to click the coaches for more information!)
Parent Tips for Elementary School Kids
Keep online socializing to a minimum. Let your kids use sites like Webkinz or Club Penguin where chat is prescripted or pre-screened.
Explain the basics of correct cyber behavior. Tell your kids that things like lying, telling secrets, and being mean still hurt in cyberspace.
Tell your kids not to share passwords with their friends. A common form of cyberbullying is when kids log in to another child's email or social networking account and send fake messages or post embarrassing comments. Kids can protect themselves from this by learning early on that passwords are private and should only be shared with their parents.
(Don't forget to answer the question below!)
Parent Tips for Middle School Kids
Tell your kids what to do if they're harassed. They shouldn't respond or retaliate, they should block bullies immediately and tell you or an adult they trust. They shouldn't delete the messages because in persistent cases, the content should be reported to a cell or Internet Service Provider.
If your kid is doing the bullying, establish strict consequences and stick to them. That goes for cruel or sexual comments about teachers, friends, and relatives.
Remind them that all private information can be made public. Posts on friend's walls, private instant messages, intimate photos, and little in-jokes can all be cut, pasted, and sent around. If they do not want the world to see it, they'd better not post or send it.
Don't start what you don't want to finish. Chat in online games and virtual worlds can get ugly fast. Make sure your kids are respectful because hurtful retaliation happens all the time.
(Don't forget to answer the question in the response area!)
Parent Tips for High School Kids
Tell kids to think before they reveal. At this age, kids experiment with all sorts of activities, many of which should not be made public. Remind your teens that anything they post can be misused by someone else.
Remind them they aren't too old to ask for your help. There are things some kids can handle on their own, but sometimes, they just need help. Coming to their parents isn't baby-ish; it's safe.
(Don't forget to answer the question below!)
Case Study: Attacked from All Sides
Eric gets a lot of pressure from his parents to do well in school. Other kids in his school tease him because he works so hard but he still gets poor test scores. He gets instant messages and text messages during the day and at night about his poor grades. The word “loser” is in most of them, and the language becomes stronger every day. Today he received a text message from another number he did not recognize, with a photo of his body and a turkey’s head. A thought bubble above the picture reads: “Why am I so STUPID? What the *!*#&** I am.” Eric thinks Alexis, the most popular girl in his school, is behind the message.
(Click the coaches for more information. Answer the questions below too!)
Case Study: Election Sabotage
Tanya is pretty popular. She is running for class president. The election is a week away, and Tanya is neck and neck with Sara. Sara’s friends decide to sabotage Tanya. They create a fake social network page for Tanya. They use a photo of Tanya for her profile picture, and for her interests, they write: “partying, making fun of anything ASIAN, loving myself.” Most of the students at the school are Asian, and rumors start to spread that Tanya is a racist. As election day nears, Sara’s friends star to flame Tanya with texts that say things like “racist” almost every hour.
(Click the coaches for more information. Don't forget to answer the questions below!)
**Pictures were free to use in media from stock.xchng. Click here for more information.
As a parent, you have a lot of power to protect and influence your children. If you set the example by monitoring children's time with media, and teach the principles of internet safety, and helping children develop self-regulation skills, you can prevent cyberbullying.
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