Students
Here are some of the implications of Cyberbullying on children:
- lower grades than normal
- depression/withdrawing
- sudden loss of interest in normal activities
- low self-esteem
Effects on home-life
Cyberbullying mostly takes place outside of school, at home. It also takes place at a very fast and frequent rate, therefore the effects on the victim may seem severe. Since many of the incidents occurr at home, the student may not feel safe in his or her own house. The bully may remain annonymous, heightening the child's fear . These encounters do not happen face to face, therefore the nature of the comments tend to be extremely cruel and harsh.
- lower grades than normal
- depression/withdrawing
- sudden loss of interest in normal activities
- low self-esteem
Effects on home-life
Cyberbullying mostly takes place outside of school, at home. It also takes place at a very fast and frequent rate, therefore the effects on the victim may seem severe. Since many of the incidents occurr at home, the student may not feel safe in his or her own house. The bully may remain annonymous, heightening the child's fear . These encounters do not happen face to face, therefore the nature of the comments tend to be extremely cruel and harsh.
Parents
It is a parent's job to educate their child on ethical use of technology. In this clip, Katie Couric will tell more on this issue:
If you think that your child is a victim of cyberbullying, it is important to be supportive and listen to her. Do not blame her for being in the situation, but rather offer reassurance and seek help.
Schools
When you talk about cyberbullying and school then boundaries suddenly get fuzzy. This is because if cyberbullying occurrs off school property and outside of school hours, the school does not have the right to infringe on a students constitutional rights to free speech. However, schools can be creative in working with parents and students to combat cyberbullying. They can educate students and parents on ethical use of technology and on the proper steps to take if they think they are the victim of cyberbullying. The website stopcyberbullying.org recommends that schools ammend thier Acceptable Use Policies to allow for the discipline of students that become cyberbullys if their actions start to affect the welfare and safety of a student while in school.
Schools in the United Kingdom teach students to "zip it, block it and flag it." This means that children should not share personal information online, block the contact, and tell a trusted adult when they encounter a situation with cyberbullying or one that puts them in danger. This is an action that schools in the United States could benefit from as well.
Schools in the United Kingdom teach students to "zip it, block it and flag it." This means that children should not share personal information online, block the contact, and tell a trusted adult when they encounter a situation with cyberbullying or one that puts them in danger. This is an action that schools in the United States could benefit from as well.