Great first post Chad!

I totally agree that students will ‘likely joke about the stupid kid who over reacted about a stupid text message’. I don’t believe this is necessarily a bad thing, more likely just an immediate reaction in front of their peers. I also believe that cyberbullying would typically occur not in front of peers, but rather when the student is alone at home. It’s at these moments of weakness that I’d like to think they’d pause and think about the video, its message and the consequences of their actions, if only for a split second before clicking the send button.

As a student, your perspective on this offers invaluable feedback, thanks for the comment.

Chad

Two things:

1. It is important to be aware that as we make this very real issue a priority with parents, it does “over inflate” the frequency of it. In reality, it happens less than we think, hence the kids not taking it seriously, but the single anecdotes we tell when it does happen are so bad that they scare parents (with reason). This is not to say that we take it lightly or blow it off, but it is something to bring up with parents as you share these instances.

2. As addressed in the second comment, it is not just about helping kids protect themselves, but also about teaching children from a young age to use the communication tools responsibly. Responsible use is as important as personal safety and needs to be in any conversation with kids about cyber-safety. Ultimately, bullying in any form has little to do with technology and lots to do with personal difficulties, peer pressure and life issues. Get the counseling department involved. They can’t farm this off as a “tech” issue.

Educators don’t have a choice to teach responsible use. It’s our obligation.

The suggestions put forward by the blogger and a commenter will face one massive problem – being taken seriously. The poster campaigns and videos during assemblies face the major risk of desensitizing the student body to the issue; rather than taking the issue as something worth thinking about, they are far more likely to joke about the “stupid kid who over reacted about a stupid text message.” For that reason, especially as students reach their “anti-authority” age where it is difficult to indoctrinate them, I do not think that this route should be pursued. At this level, awareness campaigns do indeed raise awareness, but mostly as a joke.

It was also stated that trials are being conducted which will track keywords that are associated with cyberbullying. Though this may prove to be an effective solution, student resentment is almost guaranteed. Even with resentment, this solution tackles the issue of kids not ratting out on their classmates, and therefore being bullied even more. It would also allow for a very firm and practical policy to be set by an administration. The key point would be defendability to students, parents, and all community members. If the administration is willing to back this, and develop a reasonable line of argument that can appeal to the majority of the community members, then this is probably a step worth taking. I think the biggest problem this will be the resentment, and developing a system that filters cyberbullying without invading anyone’s privacy. The resentment will not be targeted to the act itself, it will be far more focused on the lost sense of privacy.

On a deeper level, there is something very unsettling about having to intervene and externally force this kind of change. Firstly, this means that if any changes occur, it will be far less sincere than it should be. Secondly, it demonstrates a flaw within the community to create these perpetrators in the first place; perhaps they are inevitable. Either way, it seems that a solution which only offers accountability and punishment will not fix the problem into the future. For that, the cause for the cyberbullying will have to be addressed in the solution. This will require far more thought and time.

Some basic home guidelines include regulating computer time, ensuring that computer (& TV) time is only after homework is done, and making sure the machines stay in public places — not hidden in bedrooms. While this doesn’t address the SMS bullying as much, it can help some students be accountable, knowing that parents may be looking over their shoulder.

Fortunately, as I recall from my (US) school law class, private schools have much more leeway in terms of regulating student speech, as the students (and school) make a choice to attend the school and funding isn’t based on tax dollars.

But beyond all that, creating a school culture where bullying (of any kind) isn’t tolerated, and values of respect and courtesy are important, is essential in dealing with issues of harassment.