Cyberbullying: Prevention and Response for Teens and Parents, Study notes of Industrial Technology

Download Cyberbullying: Prevention and Response for Teens and Parents and more Study notes Industrial Technology in PDF only on Docsity! Today’s teens use technology more than ever. Most have high-speed Internet access, which they use to send instant messages to their friends, create blogs and online videos, keep personal profiles on social networking websites, share photos, and more. Many teens also have cell phones and spend hours text-messaging friends. Technology, especially the Internet, allows all of us immediate access to information, which can greatly benefit our lives. However, it has also pro- vided some people with the means to exploit the innocent, commit crimes, and inflict injury on others. This technology has allowed some teens to take the bullying that thrives in school hallways into cyberspace. Cyberbullying is using the Internet, cell phones, video game systems, or other technology to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person. Cyberbullies victimize teens in a variety of ways:  Nearly 20 percent of teens had a cyberbully pretend to be someone else in order to trick them online, getting them to reveal personal information.  Seventeen percent of teens were victimized by some- one lying about them online.  Thirteen percent of teens learned that a cyberbully was pretending to be them while communicating with someone else.  Ten percent of teens were victimized because someone posted unflattering pictures of them online, without permission. Youth give many reasons for bullying; as adults, you can help stop cyberbullying by learning why youth cyberbully and by teaching youth how to interact positively in cyberspace. An overwhelming majority of teens believe that youth cyberbully because they think it’s a joke, not realizing the negative impact it may have on the victim. Many teens also think that youth cyberbully because they are encouraged by friends or because they believe that everyone else cyberbullies. Dealing with cyberbullying can be difficult, but there are steps parents, edu- cators, and other caregivers can take to prevent it. Parents and caregivers have a responsibility to help keep youth safe online. In order to do this, parents have to be aware Forty-three percent of teens have been victims of cyberbullying in the last year. Eighty-one percent of youth said that others cyberbully because they think it’s funny. Almost 80 percent of teens said that they either did not have parental rules about Internet use or found ways around the rules. of the types of activities youth are engaged in online and teach teens about cyber-ethics, responsibility, and Internet safety. Parents can  Talk with teens about some of the risks and benefits posed by the Internet  Share examples of inappropriate incidents that can happen online, which teens may view as harmless or normal (e.g., a stranger initiating a conversation with a teen regarding pictures the teen has posted of him- or herself online)  Learn what their teens are doing online and keep track of their online behavior  Visit websites that teens frequent (such as social net- working sites) to see what teens encounter online  Tell teens never to give out personal information online (including their names, addresses, phone num- bers, school names, or credit card numbers)  Let teens know that they should never arrange a face- to-face meeting with someone they meet online  Communicate online rules and responsibilities to teens and enforce rules with tangible consequences  Keep computers in a highly trafficked room in the house where online activities are hard for teens to hide  Teach youth about cyberbullying and let them know that engaging in cyberbullying is unacceptable  Explain that youth who cyberbully sometimes bully because they have a feeling of anonymity and a lack of accountability; however, cyberbullying is harmful and can have negative consequences  Explain that youth who cyberbully aren’t always anonymous; they can be traced, located, and punished if the bullying becomes harassment  Speak to teens about how to react if they are cyber- bullied What if Teens Are Bullied? Despite our collective efforts to teach teens about cybersafety, they can still be victimized by youth who cyberbully. Moreover, cyberbullying can be an extension of bullying that teens are experiencing in school, and it may be more emotion- ally destructive. Threats and taunts posted on websites are vis- ible throughout the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Youth who cyberbully often create websites that encourage friends and classmates to make disparaging comments about another youth. Thus, teens who are cyberbullied can face con- stant victimization and do not have a safe retreat. Because of this, cyberbullying can elicit a strong emotional response from teens. Some teens change their daily online and offline behav- iors. Over 50 percent of teens felt angry after they were cyber- bullied. Roughly one-third of teens felt hurt, and almost 15 percent of teens felt scared by cyberbullying experiences. Teens currently use their own methods to counter cyber- bullying, and many teens respond with a variety of reactions:  Thirty-six percent asked the bully to stop.  Thirty-four percent blocked communication.  Thirty-four percent talked to friends about the bullying.  Twenty-nine percent did nothing about the bullying.  Twenty-eight percent signed offline. Parents can help teens who are cyberbullied by teaching them methods that can prevent bullying.  Teach teens not to respond to cyberbullies. Show them how to block the bully’s messages or to delete messages without reading them. (Blocking and deleting mes- sages/contacts may be executed differently through websites, instant messengers, or email providers. For help, contact the site/software administrators.)  Tell teens that they should never try to seek revenge on a bully or cyberbully.  Let teens know that they can report bullying inci- dents to Internet service providers (ISPs) and website moderators. These groups may be able to control some of the bully’s Internet capabilities. More than half of the teens surveyed thought that moderators of online groups should be used to prevent cyberbullying incidents. Nearly 30 percent of teens wanted to seek revenge on those who cyberbullied them. Only 11 percent of teens talked to parents about inci- dents of cyberbullying.