Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use An Educator’s Guide to CyberbullyingCyberbullying and Cyberthreats
Young people have fully embraced the Internet and other technologies, like cell phones, as both an environment and a tool for socializing. They send emails, create their own web sites, post intimate personal news in blogs (online interactive diaries), send text messages and images via cell phone, message each other through IMs (instant messages), chat in chatrooms, post to dis- cussion boards, and seek out new friends in teen community sites.
Unfortunately, there are increasing reports of teens (and sometimes younger children) using these technologies to post cruel text or images to bully their peers or engage in other cruel be- havior. There are also increasing reports of teens posting material that raises concerns they are considering an act of violence towards others or themselves.
This documents provides information about cyberbullying and cyberthreats for educators and other professionals who focus on youth safety and well-being and sets forth recommendations for a comprehensive school and community-based approach to address these concerns.
The stories Sitting around the computer with her friends at a Friday night sleepover, Judy asked, “Who don’t These stories are based on actual events. Most we like? Who can we mess with?” They chose names have been changed. Sara, who was always trying to fit into the group. Sure enough, Sara was online. So Judy started A group of girls at his school had been taunting IM-ing with her – with all of the other girls pro- Alan through IM, teasing him about his small viding suggestions. “Ask her who she likes best, size, daring him to do things he couldn’t do. Jack or Nathan,” they urged. The next Monday, They dared him to commit suicide. He discussed the girls were passing Sara’s IM at school. this with them. The girls thought it was a big joke. One afternoon, Alan got his grandfather’s Greg, an obese high school student, was shotgun, loaded it, and killed himself. He had changing in the locker room after gym class. deleted every thing from his computer, except Matt took a covert picture of him with his cell for one message, “The only way to get the re- phone camera. Within seconds, he sent it to spect you deserve is to die.” classmates. Soon the picture was flying around to cell phones at school. By the time Greg left The messages can get really outrageous on the the locker room, all the students were laughing student discussion board, especially when Nick at him. is around. Nick thinks he knows everything. Anyone who dares to disagree with him or who Joanne saw some girls bullying Jessica at posts what he thinks is a stupid comment is at- school and reported the bullying to the office. By tacked with a vicious message. the time Joanne got home from school she had 35 angry messages in her email box and even Unknown middle school students created a web more angry text-messages on her cell phone. site all about Raymond. On this site, they posted Most of the messages are anonymous. Some Raymond stories, Raymond jokes, and Ray- appeared to be from strangers living in other mond cartoons. They posed questions about parts of the country. Now, on a daily basis, Jo- Raymond’s sex life. They invited anyone visiting anne gets many email and text messages using the site to submit their own comments and had vulgar and insulting language. an email link for people to send comments di- rectly to Raymond.
- 1 - Sara watched closely as Emma logged on to her around." “It takes courage to turn the gun on school Internet account and was able to deter- your ownself, takes courage to face death. mine Emma’s password. Later, Sara logged on Knowing you're going to die and actually follow- to Emma’s account and sent a scathingly cruel ing through takes heart, I don't care who you message to Emma’s boyfriend, Alex. are.”“... kind of rocky right now so I might disap- pear unexpectedly.” An anonymous group of students from school have created a web site. The web site contains After he beat another boy in an online game, partially nude images of the girls, apparently several of the boy's friends threatened Michael taken in the girl’s locker room. The web site of- in the game site chat room. "We’ll make you pay fers visitors the opportunity to post comments for this." Now when Michael tries to play on the about each girl. Many derogatory comments site, a group of other players gang up on him have been posted, including some that are and restrict his activities so that he cannot par- sexually explicit. ticipate.
When Annie broke up with her boyfriend, Sam, Celia met Andrew, a.k.a., nazi_bot_sadistic, in a he sent her many angry, threatening, pleading chat room. As they continued to communicate, messages. When Annie blocked his email ac- Celia became concerned. Andrew was obviously count, Sam continued to send messages either a very angry young man. He had no friends at by email or text message. When Annie still re- school and expressed the desire to show the fused to get back with him, Sam posed as Annie other students who he really was. Andrew wrote: in a sex-oriented discussion group and posted a “bring a gun to school, ur on the front of every sexually suggestive picture Annie had given him, newspaper … didnt choose this life, but i damn along with her email address and cell phone well chose to exit it … i cant imagine going number. through life without killing a few people … peo- ple can be kissing my shotgun straight out of Jeff wrote the following comments in a series of doom … i tell it how it is .. if u dont like it u die … chats: "I'm a retarded [expletive] for ever believ- if i dont like the way u look at me, u die … i ing that things would change. I'm starting to re- choose who lives and who dies” gret sticking around, I should've taken the razor blade express last time
Cyberbullying mors about a person to damage his or her reputation or friendships. Cyberbullying is being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful material using • Impersonation. Breaking into someone’s the Internet or a cell phone. Here is how it account, posing as that person and happens: sending messages to make the person look bad, get that person in trouble or • Flaming. Online “fights” using electronic danger, or damage that person’s repu- messages with angry and vulgar lan- tation or friendships. guage. • Outing and Trickery. Sharing someone’s • Harassment. Repeatedly sending offen- secrets or embarrassing information on- sive, rude, and insulting messages. line. Tricking someone into revealing • Cyberstalking. Repeatedly sending secrets or embarrassing information, messages that include threats of harm which is then shared online. or are highly intimidating. Engaging in • Exclusion. Intentionally excluding some- other online activities that make a per- one from an online group, like a “buddy son afraid for her or her safety. list” or a game” • Denigration. “Dissing” someone online. Sending or posting cruel gossip or ru-
- 2 - Cyberthreats Disclosing Personal Information A cyberthreat is online material that threat- Young people are disclosing personal con- ens or raises concerns about violence tact information and massive amounts of sensitive personal information in profiles, against others, suicide, or other self-harm. There are two kinds: Direct threats and dis- web pages, blogs, and through all forms of tressing material Internet communications. They seem to be totally unaware of the public and permanent • Direct threats. Actual threats to hurt nature of these disclosures and the ability of someone or commit suicide. anyone to send whatever material they • Distressing Material. Online material place in electronic form and send or post that provides clues that the person is can be resent to anyone, anywhere in the emotionally upset and may be consid- world. ering hurting someone, hurting him or herself or committing suicide1. Internet Addiction Internet addiction is defined as an excessive amount of time spent using the Internet, re- How sulting in lack of healthy engagement in ar- • Cyberbullying or cyberthreat material – eas of life. Internet addiction is itself a con- text or images – may be posted on per- cern, as well as an indicator of other con- sonal web sites or blogs or transmitted cerns. The Internet offers a time-warped via email, discussion groups, message place where children and teens can get boards, chat, IM, or text/image cell away from their real world concerns—they phones. (See, Internet terms.) can be free, independent, uninhibited, and can find acceptance. The Internet is avail- A cyberbully may be a person whom the • able 24/7. The game is always going on. target knows or an online stranger. A Friends are always available. Life online cyberbully may be anonymous and may constantly beckons. solicit involvement of other people on- line who do not even know the target. One large part of the problem is that com- • Generally, teens are the most actively mercial web sites have designed “sticki- involved, sometimes children are. [We ness” into their operations—activities that use the terms “teen” or “teenager” in this are designed for the specific purpose of en- document.] ticing young people to spend as much time as possible on their site and return fre- Related Online Risky Behavior quently There are other concerns about youth on- Risky Sexual Behavior line behavior related to the concerns of cy- Young people are using Internet communi- berbullying and cyberthreats. Teens who do ties and matching services to make connec- not have strong “real world” connections tions with others for sexual activities, rang- appear to be the ones most attracted to ing from online discussions about sex to these risky behaviors. These are the youth “hook-ups.” In the context of these relation- who are “looking for love in all the wrong ships, they may post or provide sexually places.” suggestive or explicit pictures or videos. Suicide and Self-harm Communities Depressed young people are interacting
1 with sites and groups that provide informa- The stories of Alan, Jeff, and Andrew all demonstrate tion on suicide and self-harm methods and distressing material. Jeff was the student from Red Lake who killed nine people and himself. Celia saved and reported encouragement for such activities. Self- the chat. Andrew was found to be a member of a hate group and possess many weapons. He is now in prison.
- 3 - harm includes cutting, anorexia, fainting, rationalizations include: "He started it." and the like. "Everybody does it." "Nobody ever gets caught." “I was just playing around.” It is a Hate Group Recruitment and Gangs lot easier to rationalize wrong behavior on- Sites and groups that foster hatred against line because of the perception of invisibility “others” are actively recruiting angry, dis- and the lack of tangible feedback. connected youth. Some youth informally use Internet to coordinate troublesome and Role Playing dangerous activities. Teens engage in role-playing online, by creating different “personas” or “avatars” in Violent Gaming different online environments. This allows Violent gaming frequently involves sexual or them to use a new Internet rationalization “It biased-base victims. Young people often wasn’t me. It was my ‘avatar’.” This rein- engage in online simulation games, which forces the perception that all actions online reinforce the perception that all interactions are a game. online, including violent ones, are “just a game.” Online Social Norms The perception of invisibility, lack of tangible Online Behavior feedback, and the ease by which wrong be- havior can be rationalized, and role playing Why is it that when people use the Internet has provided the basis for online social or other technologies, they sometimes do norms that support for cyberbullying and things that they would never do in the “real cyberthreats. These norms include: world?” The answer to this question can be summed up in one statement: “You can’t • “Tell all. On the Internet it is okay to re- see me, I can’t see you.” veal my personal secrets for the world to see.” You Can’t See Me • “I have a free speech right to say what- When people use the Internet, they feel like ever I want about others online, without they are invisible. It is just them, the key- regard for the harm I might cause.” board, and the computer. In fact, people are not really invisible, because they are leaving • “What happens online is just a game. It little “cyberfootprints” wherever they go. The is not real. So no one can get really perception of invisibility is enhanced be- hurt.” cause of the ability to create anonymous • “What happens online, should stay on- accounts. When people are invisible, this line.” removes the concerns of detection, social disapproval, and punishment. Why are educators (and par- I Can’t See You ents) out of the loop? When people use the Internet they do not Because in too many cases educators (and receive tangible feedback about the conse- parents) aren’t paying attention and teens quences of their actions, including actions aren’t talking. that have hurt someone else. The lack of • Many educators think that if their stu- tangible feedback interferes with empathy. dents are using a computer in the library This also leads to the perception that online or a computer lab at school, they are actions are “just a game.” safe and not getting into trouble. Noth- Rationalizations ing could be further from the truth. Sometimes when people do something they • Educators may think students are pro- know is wrong, they provide excuses or ra- tected because the district has installed tionalizations for their behavior. Common filtering software. Filtering software pro-
- 4 - vides false security. Not only can stu- get, or tell an adult. We need more of dents still get to the kinds of material these kinds of bystanders! they should not access, it cannot pre- vent cyberbullying. Students could be the target of emotionally damaging har- Insight into cyberbullying and assment or be causing pain to others – cyberthreats using school computers. This is a spe- cial concern if the school has a lap-top Bullying Behavior program that allows the students to use • Bullying involves behavior intended to computers from many locations, includ- harm or disturb that occurs repeatedly ing home. over time among youth with an imbal- • There are strong social norms against ance of power. disclosure of online concerns to any • Cyberbullying involves repeated behav- adult for fear of increased attention to ior with intent to harm and repeated na- online activities and restrictions and vi- ture, but online communications can cious retribution. change power balance providing greater opportunity for a lower status target to Bully, target, and bystander retaliate. Any student who has been actively social- Bullying Actions izing online, has probably been involved in • Bullying includes actions that are physi- cyberbullying in one or more of the following cal, direct verbal and indirect relation- roles: ship aggression. Bullies • There is no physical form of cyberbully- • “Put-downers” who think they have the ing. Direct verbal forms include flaming, right to harass and demean others, es- harassment, and cyberstalking. Indirect pecially those they think are different or relationship aggression includes deni- inferior. gration, outing, trickery, impersonation, exclusion, and also cyberstalking. • “Get-backers” who have been bullied by others and are using the Internet to re- Ages taliate. • There is extensive bullying behavior in Targets. middle school, especially the first years, with decreased bullying in older grades. • The target of the cyberbully. Some peo- ple call teens who are targeted by bul- • It appears that cyberbullying peaks in lies “victims.” We choose to use the older grades. term “target” because we do not believe Profiles that teens should ever be identified as “victims.” • Bully and victim profiles include aggres- sive bullies, social climber bullies, pas- Bystanders sive victims, bully/victims. • Bystanders Who Are Part of the Prob- • Cyberbullying appears to frequently lem. Those who encourage and support based on social climbing interactions. the bully or watch the bullying from the Sometimes, this involves students who sidelines, but do nothing to intervene or would not normally be perceived by help the target. school officials as bullies. Targets of • Bystanders Who Are Part of the Solu- bullying are retaliating online. tion. Those who seek to stop the bully- Gender Differences ing, protest it, provide support to the tar- • It is frequently stated that “boys bully
- 5 - more than girls.” But this may be based problem-solving. on a failure to recognize socially harmful • A frequent Internet use survey finding is acts of girls as bullying. Boys engage in that parents are not involved in their more physical bullying. children’s online activities. Promotion of • It appears that girls are more active in filtering software has lead to false secu- cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is verbal, rity and lack of parent monitoring. not physical. Girls are more involved in online communications, whereas boys Media Influences play online games. • Some media glorifies bullying and vio- lence and excessive personal disclo- Sexual Harassment sure. • Sexual harassment is sometimes in- • Teens can be star of their own “reality cluded in definition of bullying. TV” show in their personal blog or web • There appears to be a significant site by sharing personal information or amount of relationship-based cyberbul- slamming others. Online violence can lying, including failed relationships and be perceived as “just a game.” Cyber- relationship-based fights. Risky online bullying is a form of entertainment. sexual behavior can lead to failed rela- tionships and the existence of sexually Impact explicit images that can be used for cy- • It is widely known that face-to-face bul- berbullying. lying can result in long-term psychologi- cal harm to targets. This harm includes Hate and bias low self-esteem, depression, anger, • Bullying can be motivated by hate and school failure, school avoidance, and, in bias, based on gender orientation, obe- some cases, school violence or suicide. sity, race, and religion. • It is possible that the harm caused by • Angry, disconnected youth are attracted cyberbullying may be even greater than to online hate groups or informal asso- harm caused by traditional bullying be- ciations with other disaffected youth. cause... Online games reinforce bias-based – Online communications can be ex- hate. Both of these factors appear to in- tremely vicious. fluence cyberbullying. Students who are – There is no escape for those who are obese or perceived to have a different being cyberbullied – victimization is sexual orientation are significant targets. ongoing, 24/7. Bystanders – Cyberbullying material can be distrib- uted worldwide and is often irretriev- • Bystanders reinforce bullies and main- able. tain social norms. Efforts to address – Cyberbullies can be anonymous and bullying are focusing on empowering can solicit the involvement of un- bystanders. known “friends.” • There are no responsible adults in these – Many teens are reluctant to tell adults online environments. Empowering on- what is happening online or through line bystanders to disapprove, assist, their cell phone because they are and/or report will be essential to ad- emotionally traumatized, think it is dressing the concerns of cyberbullying. their fault, fear greater retribution, or fear their online activities or use of a Parents cell phone will be restricted. • Parents of bullies have been found to demonstrate lack of involvement, no Cyberthreats – Direct Threats limit setting, and model aggressive • Youth make threats all of the time. Their
- 6 - tone of voice, posture, overall circum- They might think that if they post this stances allow others to determine kind of material online, they will meet whether or not the expression is a “real someone who cares about them. Un- threat.” fortunately, they may meet a dangerous • Threat communicated online could be stranger or hook up with other teens real or NOT. Just because it is written who reinforce their bad feelings. and communicated electronically, does • It should be assumed that emotional not make it “more real.” Online material distraught youth with Internet access will that appears to be a threat could be: likely post online material that provides – Good-natured fun, a joke, nuisance significant insight into their mental state. activity, or a form of parody. • Schools must learn how to find, analyze, – An online game or role-playing, where and effectively respond to online “leak- no part of the interaction is “real.” age” and specifically encourage youth to – Material posted by an anonymous in- report this material. dividual impersonating another to get • District threat assessment processes that person into trouble. and suicide prevention processes MUST – The last chapter in an ugly online incorporate an analysis of the online fight, which has built to excessively postings of students. harsh and threatening language, but with limited potential for any face-to- face violence. Legal Issues – A hormonal outburst that came and There are many legal issues related to cy- went. berbullying and cyberthreats. – A cry for help. Search of Internet Records An imminent threat of violence to self – When can a school monitor and search stu- or others. dent Internet use records and files? – Something else? The locker search standard should apply to • School officials must be vigilantly cau- student Internet use. Students have a lim- tious when responding to cyberthreats ited expectation of privacy on the district's • If a student is arrested for posting mate- Internet system. Routine maintenance and rial that appears threatening, but is a monitoring, technically and by staff, should joke, the most significant result will be be expected. An individual search of com- that students will never again trust puter and Internet use records can be con- adults to respond appropriately and will ducted if there is reasonable suspicion that not report subsequent possible threats. the student has violated district policy, in- cluding policies against bullying. Schools Cyberthreats – Distressing Material should determine who has authority to • “Leakage" or “suicide ideation” is con- authorize individual search and record- sidered to be one of the most important keeping procedures. Clear notice to stu- clues that may precede a violent act. dents can enhance deterrence. Leakage occurs when a student inten- Free Speech tionally or unintentionally reveals clues to feelings, thoughts, fantasies, atti- When can a school legally respond to cy- tudes, or intentions that may signal an berbullying by disciplining the student? impending violent act. The First Amendment places restrictions on school officials when responding with formal • Some teens have no one to talk with disciplinary actions in situations involving about how bad they are feeling and how online speech by students. Case law is lim- horrible their life is. So they post mate- ited and provides unclear guidance. The rial online that shares how hurt they are. basic legal standard is that school officials
- 7 - can place educationally based restrictions though there is no case law in this area, on student speech that appears to be spon- reasonable precautions should include: sored by the school or that is necessary to • Policy provisions that prohibit the use of maintain an appropriate school climate. This the district Internet system and cell standard probably applies to student speech phones on campus to bully or harass through the district Internet system or via other students. cell phones used at school. For off-campus online speech, the courts have ruled that • Education to students and staff about there must be a substantial and material these policies. threat of disruption on campus. But how this • Effective supervision and monitoring, standard might be applied to severe off- which should likely include intelligent campus, online speech by one student technical monitoring of Internet use. against another student is unknown. • A vehicle for students to report cyber- bullying and cyberthreats confidentially The best way to handle the concern that the or anonymously. legal standards are unclear is to search dili- gently for, and document, a school “nexus” • An established procedure to respond to to bring case under the educationally based such reports. restrictions standard and to document the Civil Litigation substantial and material harm that has been When should parents consider civil litigation caused by the speech. A school “nexus may against the bully and parents of the bully? be found by demonstrating that harmful Civil laws provide the ability for cyberbully material was posted, sent or displayed to targets to sue the bully and the bully’s par- other students through district Internet sys- ents to recover financial damages for inju- tem or on campus. If cyberbullying is closely ries or require actions, such as removal of connected to on-campus bullying, a school material and discontinuation of cyberbully- official may be able to address the cyber- ing. Some cyberbullying activities meet the bullying in the context of the whole situation. standards for what is called an intentional If school “nexus” can’t be found, it is safest “tort” (wrongdoing). to support target in finding ways to resolve the situation or to contact the parents of the In many jurisdictions, there are parental li- cyberbully to seek informal resolution. The ability laws that allow someone who is in- school resource officer may have more tentionally injured by a minor to hold the flexibility and influence in seeking an infor- parents of that minor financially responsible. mal resolution. Parents can also be found negligent in fail- Liability ing to provide reasonable supervision of When must a school respond to cyberbully- their child. Depending on the facts, the fol- ing and cyberthreats? lowing legal actions might be possible: District liability concerns are raised when • Defamation. Someone publishes a false cyberbullying or cyberthreats are occurring statement about a person that damages through district Internet system or via cell his or her reputation. phone on campus. The parents of a target • Invasion of privacy/public disclosure of a may file a claim based on negligence or a private fact. Someone publicly discloses civil rights violation, if the target is a mem- a private fact about a person under con- ber of a protected class under state or fed- ditions that would be highly offensive to eral law. Schools have a duty to exercise a reasonable person. reasonable precautions against student cy- Intentional infliction of emotional dis- berbullying through the district Internet sys- • tress. Someone’s intentional actions are tem and via cell phones on campus. Al- outrageous and intolerable and have
- 8 - caused extreme distress. This comprehensive approach is not yet re- search-based. If seeking to use federal safe An attorney can send a letter to the bully’s schools funds to implement this program, a parents and seek informal resolution or file district must request waiver of Principles of a lawsuit. Parents may also file an action Effectiveness. The necessary components through small claims court, although this to meet the waiver have been built into the may require some sophistication. approach.
Criminal Law The recommended components of this When should a school contact, or assist a comprehensive approach include the fol- parent in contacting, law enforcement offi- lowing components. cials? Extremely harmful online speech can violate Comprehensive Planning Through Safe criminal laws. The following kinds of speech Schools Committee can lead to arrest and prosecution: It is assumed that the district and schools • Making threats of violence to people or have functioning safe schools committees. It their property. is recommended that these committees that assume responsibility for addressing cyber- • Engaging in coercion (trying to force bullying and cyberthreats. Safe school someone to do something he or she committees generally include: administra- doesn’t want to do). tors and counselors/psychologists, and • Making obscene or harassing telephone school resource officers. Hopefully, they calls (this includes text messaging). also include community representatives in- • Harassment or stalking. cluding parents and mental health organiza- tions. • Hate or bias crimes. • Creating or sending sexually explicit im- In many districts, the safe schools commit- ages of teens (this is child pornogra- tee has historically had no responsibility for phy). issues related to management of student • Sexual exploitation. use of the Internet, including the district In- ternet use agreement. Such management is Taking a photo of someone in place • generally the responsibility of the educa- where privacy is expected (like a locker tional technology committee. Frequently the room) safe schools committee and the educational technology committee function within two Comprehensive School and different district departments. Community-based Approach The following is a research-guided ap- Addressing the concerns of cyberbullying proach to address cyberbullying and cyber- and cyberthreats will require a systemic threats based on: best practices in bullying, change. Most members of the safe school violence, and suicide prevention programs, committee will have little understanding of research insight into bullying, violence and how the district Internet system is managed suicide, standard threat assessment and and may have little insight into Internet suicide intervention processes. This insight technologies and activities. While some of has been combined with: insight into online the teacher or librarian members of the behavior of youth, analysis of legal issues, educational technology committee may and an understanding of effective Internet have insight into safe schools issues, the use management practices in school and technology staff may have much less in- home. sight. To manage the concerns of cyberbul- lying and cyberthreats, these two commit- tees must work together, with the safe
- 9 - schools committee moving into a position of responsibility. The use or establishment of a student court to review cyberbullying concerns should be Ideally, the safe schools committee will also considered. Students are going to be far work closely with a group of students to ad- more receptive to the admonishment of dress this concern. However, this is poten- other students on issues related to the use tially problematical because these students of new technologies. This may also be an could be viewed as traitors by their peers. effective way to handle incidents that could reach the level of a violation of a criminal Needs Assessment—Bringing “Sunlight” law in lieu of processing through the juvenile to the Problem justice system. An interesting area to ex- A comprehensive student survey is neces- plore would be the possibility of using a stu- sary to identify the scope of the concerns in dent court as a vehicle for a student target the district and to provide insight into un- to bring what would be the equivalent of a derlying issues. The survey should address civil law suit requesting injunctive relief on-campus and off-campus instances, rela- (demanding actions but with no demand for tionship to on-campus bullying, impacts, financial damages). reporting concerns, and attitudes, Professional Development In addition to providing insight into the local It is recommended that a “triage” approach concerns, the needs assessment survey be implemented to accomplish the neces- results may be instrumental in bringing bet- sary professional development. To address ter awareness to the extent of the concerns, issues of in-school bullying all staff require a prerequisite to bringing attention to the professional development. This is not the concerns. case with the concerns of cyberbullying and cyberthreats. The results of this survey, and other as- sessment instruments, can help to gauge Several key people in the district (or region) success and provide insight into necessary need high level of expertise in the area of modifications of the program and also meet these concerns. Safe schools planning the requirements for a waiver of the Princi- committee and all “first responders” (disci- ples of Effectiveness. plinary administrators, counselors, school resource officers, librarians, and computer Policy and Practice Review lab coordinators) need insight into problem All policies and practices related to Internet and ways to detect, review, and intervene. use, cell phone use on campus, and bully- These individuals will be able to gain nec- ing, violence, and suicide prevention proc- essary guidance on specific incidents from esses for reporting, assessment, and inter- district level personnel. Teachers who are vention should be reviewed in the context of instructing students about cyberbullying the concerns of cyberbullying and cyber- need insight into the concerns and how to threats. motivate safe and responsible behavior. All other staff require only general awareness. One specific new practice that is recom- mended is better notification to students Parent and Community Outreach and during log-on to any district computer about Education policies against the use of district technol- The school, as well as parent and commu- ogy resources for bullying, the existence of nity members can help to facilitate parent monitoring and the right of the district to re- and community outreach and education. view individual student records, and an on- Information should include an overview of line confidential cyberbullying and cyber- the concerns, how to prevent, detect and threats reporting vehicle. intervene if children are a targets, prevent-
- 10 - ing children from being cyberbullies, legal Evaluation and Assessment consequences, and strategies to empower Ongoing evaluation is critically important. and activate bystanders. Cyberbullying is an emerging concern in a new environment that is not fully under- Information can be provided to parents stood. The needs assessment survey, as through newsletters and parent workshops. well as other assessment instruments, can Having “just-in-time” information resources help to assess program components. available in office and online will be helpful Evaluation and assessment should be used because most parents are not likely to pay to modify and improve implementation ef- attention until they need the information to forts. respond to a concern.
Information can also be provided to com- Comprehensive Internet Use munity mental health professionals, faith- Management based organizations, youth organizations, the public library and community technology Anecdotal reports from schools reveal that centers and the media. there is reason to suspect that cyberbullying behavior is occurring through district Inter- Student Education net systems. The needs assessment survey While it is necessary to improve monitoring will provide insight. It appears that districts and apply consequences within a school or schools with laptop programs that allow environment (as well as encouraging par- the students to take the computers home ents to do this at home), it must be recog- are at a high risk for misuse. nized that cyberbullying is occurring in on- line environments where there are no re- sponsible adults present. Empowerment of Many districts are using filtering software as youth to independently prevent and address a primary means of seeking to manage stu- these concerns is the goal of the student dent Internet use. Not only will filtering soft- education. ware not fully block access to inappropriate material, it is exceptionally difficult to use The prerequisite to addressing cyberbullying this as a tool to prevent cyberbullying. Es- is effective social skills education. Most sentially, it would be necessary to block or schools are already providing this kind of prevent all student use of the Internet for education. Social skills instruction should communications to do this. Such limitations enhance predictive empathy skills and would limit the educational value of the In- teaching ethical decision-making and con- ternet. flict resolution skills. A more comprehensive approach to man- In addition, students need to have a better aging student Internet use focuses strongly understanding of family, school, and legal on protection for younger students by gen- limits on online speech, negative influences erally limiting their access to sites that have on online behavior, and Internet privacy been reviewed for appropriateness and protection. Students should be warned completely open and transparent communi- about the negative consequences of online cations. For older students, this strategy retaliation and posting material that could be must focus on standards and effective tech- perceived as a threat. Students need spe- nical monitoring to ensure accountability. cific guidelines on how to prevent and stop The key components of an effective ap- cyberbullying. Educating bystanders about proach to manage student Internet use in- the importance of speaking out, providing clude the following. assistance to targets and reporting con- cerns is important.
- 11 - Focus on Educational Use not to rely on monitoring, but should report It is necessary to increase the level of use any concerns. for high quality educational activities and decrease “Internet recess” activities. We all Cyberbully Situation Review know what happens during recess. This re- Attached to this document is a chart that quires effective professional and curriculum outlines an approach to manage the review development and specific expectations for of any reports of cyberbullying or cyber- teachers about the instructional use of tech- threats. nologies by students. Educational technol- ogy-based instruction should be coordinated by curriculum and instruction department, School Action Options not the technical services department. The Situation Review will provide the back- ground to determine possible actions op- Clear, Well-communicated Policy tions. These options include: The Internet use policy be coordinated • Off-campus cyberbullying establishes a with other school disciplinary policies reasonable suspicion of wrong behavior, and should address: which should give the school the right to • Access to inappropriate material. search the student’s Internet use re- cords, which could reveal evidence of a • Unacceptable communication and communication safety. “school nexus.” If the district can establish a school • Unlawful and inappropriate activities. • “nexus,” and substantial interference • Protection of student personal informa- with the target’s ability to fully participate tion. in school activities, the school can im- • Notice of limited expectation of privacy. pose a formal disciplinary response. • Requirement of reporting cyberbullying • But do not simply impose a formal disci- or threats. plinary response and expect the situa- tion to be resolved. If a student has Supervision and Monitoring been victimized at school and is retali- Effective supervision and monitoring is im- ating online, it is necessary to stop the portant for deterrence, detection, investiga- on-campus bullying, as well as the on- tion, and responding to incidents of cyber- line retaliation. Formal discipline could bullying and cyberthreats. Monitoring should also trigger greater online retaliation be sufficient to establish the expectation against the target by the cyberbully among students that there is a high prob- and/or anonymous online “buddies.” Get ability that instances of misuse will be de- to the root of the problem! tected and result in disciplinary action. • Parents will need to initiate some ac- Technical monitoring of district Internet use tions, see below. School officials can that utilizes intelligent content analysis is help the parents or the target figure out recommended as the best approach. This the most appropriate response(s) and kind of a technology monitors all traffic and provide a range of assistance in follow- reports on traffic that has elements that ing through, including technical support. raise a “reasonable suspicion,” thus allow- The school counselor or school security ing an administrator to review such reports. • officer can seek an informal resolution The technology works in accord with with the parents of the cyberbully. The “search and seizure” standards. Notice of cyberbully’s parents may be totally un- the existence of monitoring will help to deter aware, concerned to find that their child inappropriate activity. However it is impor- has engaged in this kind of activity, and tant for students and staff to understand that get the cyberbullying to stop. Or they no technology is perfect. Students should
- 12 - could be very defensive. Send the cy- • Avoid going to the site or group where berbully’s parents a letter that includes he or she has been attacked. the downloaded material and requests a • Change email address, account, user- meeting to address these concerns. It name, or phone number. may be best to start with a school coun- selor initiated attempt at resolution and File a Complaint then shift to involving the school re- • Cyberbullying is a violation of the source officer if the parents are not re- "Terms of Use" of most web sites, ISPs, sponsive. and cell phone companies. File a com- • All staff should be informed about the plaint by providing the harmful mes- cyberbullying and advised to report any sages or a link to the harmful material negative incidents of in-school bullying and ask that the account be terminated between the participants, even very mild and any harmful material removed. negative interactions. – If the cyberbully is using email, con- • The school counselor should provide tact the ISP of the cyberbully (deter- ongoing support to the target. The mine the ISP from the email address), counseling support should address the contact the company at
– Recognize the need to leave an on- – If the material is on a web site with its line situation that has gotten out of own domain name (e.g. control. http://www.xyzkid.com), go to Whois (http://www.whois.net) to find the – Conduct a self-assessment of his or owner of the site and the host com- her behavior or communications that pany. Go to the host company’s web may be contributing to victimization. site and file a complaint through the Learn how to respond in an assertive, – “Contact Us” email address. but not aggressive, way to any harm- If the cyberbully is using a cell phone, ful communications. – trace the number and contact the Know when and how to gain assis- – phone company. tance from an adult. – Be sure to save the communications. – One problem is that the cyberbully Parent, Student, Staff Action can easily set up a new account. = Options Contact the Cyberbully's Parents Options for parent, student, or staff include: • The target’s parents can send the cy- Tell the Cyberbully to Stop berbully’s parents a letter that includes • The target could send a non-emotional, the downloaded material and requests assertive message to the cyberbully that the cyberbullying stop and all telling him or her to stop. harmful material be removed. Ignore the Cyberbully Contact an Attorney or File a Small Claims Action • Block or filter all further communications through email and IM contact list. • An attorney can send a letter to the cy-
- 13 - berbully’s parents demanding that the submit comments. cyberbullying stop. An attorney can also • Email. Asynchronous (not real time) communica- help file a lawsuit or help the parents file tion sent to individual(s) or a discussion list. a small claims action against the cyber- • Discussion groups or boards. Asynchronous bully’s parents for financial damages group communications around a topic. Students and a requirement that the cyberbullying often establish discuss groups that are school- related. stop. • Chat. Synchronous (real time) group communi- Contact the Police cation, with ability to establish private chats. • Instant messaging (IM). Synchronous private • If the cyberbullying appears to be a communications with anyone on a contact or crime, contact the police. Cyberbullying “buddy list.” Teens can have up to 450 “friends” that involves threats of violence, coer- on their “buddy list.” cion, obscene or harassing text mes- • Text/digital image messaging. Messages or im- sages, harassment or stalking, hate or ages sent via cell-phones. bias crimes, creating or sending sexu- • Gaming. Online interactive games that are played ally explicit picture, sexual exploitation, user against the machine or that involve two or or taking a picture of someone in private more users. Some gaming sites include exten- sive ongoing simulation activities where the place could be a crime. gamer assumes a permanent character (persona or avatar) whenever he or she is involved in the Internet Terms gaming site. Many games involve violence, sometimes sexual or biased-based violence. • Profiles. Established on community sites gener- • Social networking communities. Web sites that ally during registration. Allow users to provide combine the features of profiles, personal web personal information and interests. Can be sites, blogs, discussion groups/boards, chat, searched by other users. gaming, and messaging. All the rage with teens! • Username. A fake name that a user establishes Look at http://www.myspace.com, during registration that identifies the user on that http://www.bolt.com, http://studentcenter.org, site. The username(s) that a teen selects can http://www.livejournal.com. provide insight into the image or persona the teen • Important insights about online environments: seeks to establish in the particular community. Web site or provider Terms of Use generally pro- • Personal web sites. Sites to post material, in- hibit harmful speech, but do not review postings. cluding writings, drawings, and pictures. Gener- Concerns must be reported to the site. Many ally more static. May allow users to comment. sites have age limits older than 13 or 16, but • Blogs (weblogs). Interactive personal online dia- youth know they can easily lie about their age ries or journals. Teens share a significant amount during registration. of personal information in blogs. Others can
About the Writer for distribution. Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D. has degrees in special education and law. She taught “at risk” children, practiced computer law and was an educational technology consultant before focusing her professional attention on is- sues of youth behavior when using information communication technologies. Willard frequently lectures and conducts workshops for educators on policies and practices to help young people engage in safe and responsi- ble use of the Internet and has written numerous articles on this subject.
Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use The Center conducts research and provides resources and professional development to school districts and others. Please visit the Center’s web sites at http://cyberbully.org or http://csriu.org for additional resources.
Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats Part I: A Guide for Counselors, Teachers and Parent Educators Available December 2005. Part I contains a reproducible Teen’s Guide (student curriculum) and Parent’s Guide. Part II: A Comprehensive School, Parent, and Community Approach will be available Summer 2006.
© 2005 Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use. Readers may make a limited number of copies for distribution. Please contact the Center for permission - 14 - for more extensive distribution. Cyberbullying or Cyberthreat Situation Review Process
Review Team Members Violence or Suicide Risk Assessment • Does the evidence gathered raise concerns that • Administrator Evidence Gathering and Preservation student(s) may pose a risk of harm to others or self? • School counselor or Recognize that the threat of violence or suicide may psychologist o Step 1. Preserve the Evidence come from student(s) who posted the material or • Technology Preserve any evidence on district Internet system. from student(s) who were victimized. coordinator • • Advise parents/student/staff to preserve evidence • Librarian on home computer/device. Conduct violence or suicide risk assessment in • School resource officer o Offer technical assistance, if necessary. accord with district process. • Community mental health resource • Key district/regional Step 2. Seek to Identify Creator(s) resource Responsibility: Technology coordinator. Entire team may not be Cyberbullying Assessment • May be obvious, anonymous, or impersonation. needed in all cases. Step 1. Determine if School Can Respond • Identification may not be immediately possible. Directly • Offer technical assistance to parents/staff. Is there a school “nexus?” • If anonymous cyberbully or concerns of • impersonation, and there are reasons to suspect • Is there a material and substantial threat of certain student(s), conduct a search of Internet disruption? use records of student(s). • If criminal action is involved, law enforcement has Step 2a. Evaluate speech directed at staff or significantly greater abilities to identify anonymous creators. school Determine the nature of the material. • Nuisance activity Ignore it. Step 3. Search for Additional Material • Legitimate protest speech Fully protected Online Incident Responsibility: Technology Coordinator and speech. Learn from it. Librarian. • “Put down” material, targeting teacher for • Search should include all suspected participants. perceived “negative” feature If school nexus, • Conduct search of files and Internet use records respond. If no school nexus, support teacher in through district Internet system (even if it appears responding. If the online material to be off-campus activity). • “Get back at” material, angry retaliation against appears to present a • Conduct an additional search including teacher Must determine why student is legitimate imminent o Online environment where initial material retaliating and address overall concerns. threat of violence appeared. Search engine search for name and persona of and danger to o Step 2b. Evaluate material directed at student(s) student, friends, enemies, school name. others, contact law Must get to “root cause” understanding of Online communities used by students in school. enforcement, and o relationship between students. Highly recommend this step be taken in the context initiate a protective • “Put down” material Possible continuation of response. of any threat assessment process! in-school bullying. • “Get back at” material Possible retaliation for BUT continue with in-school bullying or other cyberbullying. the following evidence gathering Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use and preservation Website: http://cyberbully.org and http://csriu.org steps. Email: [email protected] © 2005 CSRIU Determine Response Options (See page 2) School and Parent Action Options
School “Nexus” Parent, Target, or Staff Member Action Options If there is a school “nexus” and substantial harm, the school can impose formal discipline. Tell the Cyberbully to Stop • Send the cyberbully a non-emotional, assertive But do not simply impose a formal disciplinary • message telling the cyberbully to stop. response and expect the situation to be resolved. Get to the root! • Other actions by the school or by the parent, target, Ignore the Cyberbully or staff member may be necessary. • Block or filter all further communications through email and IM contact list. No School “Nexus” • Avoid going to the site or group where the attacks have If there is no school “nexus,” provide support to the occurred. target and parents, and seek an informal resolution with cyberbully and parents. • Change email address, account, username, or phone number. • School officials can help the parents or the target figure out the most appropriate response(s) and provide a range of assistance in following through, File a Complaint including technical support. Cyberbullying is a violation of the "Terms of Use" of most web sites, ISPs, and cell phone companies. File a complaint by • The school counselor or school security officer can providing the harmful messages or a link to the harmful material seek an informal resolution with the parents of the and ask that the account be terminated and any harmful cyberbully. The cyberbully’s parents may be totally material removed. unaware, concerned to find that their child has engaged in this kind of activity, and get the • If the cyberbully is using email, contact the ISP of the cyberbullying to stop. Or they could be very cyberbully (determine the ISP from the email address), defensive. Send the cyberbully’s parents a letter that contact the company at