Cyberbullying: A whole school community issue

Cyberbullying is the use of Information Communications Technology (ICT), 

particularly mobile phones and at the  internet, deliberately to upset someone else. 

 

You must remember:

• Cyberbullying can take place at any time and can intrude into spaces that have previously been regarded as safe or personal.
• The difficulty in controlling electronically circulated messages means the scale and scope of cyberbullying can be greater than for other forms of bullying. Electronically forwarded content is hard to control, and the worry of content resurfacing can make it difficult for targets to move on.
• People who cyberbully may attempt to remain anonymous. This can be extremely distressing for those being bullied. The person cyberbullying may never be in the same physical space as their target.
• Cyberbullying can take place both between peers and across generations; teachers have also been targets. Age or size are not important.
• Some instances of cyberbullying are known to be unintentional. It can be the result of not thinking (something sent as a joke may be deeply upsetting or offensive to the recipient) or a lack of awareness of the consequences – for example saying something negative online about another pupil, or friend that they don’t expect to be forwarded or viewed outside their immediate group.
• Many cyberbullying incidents can themselves act as evidence: it’s important to know how to respond!

Be attentive and careful!