Cyberbullying:
Implications & Responses
Adrienne Katz Regional Adviser
West Midlands
• Cyberbullying first
emerged as an issue
in 2002 (NCH)
Threats or bullying by
mobile or on PC
experienced by 1 in 4
of 856 people, 11 -19
Exciting enabling
technology but there
are risks
Was this
replacing age
old prank
phone calls?
Or something
more
serious?
• In 2003 research confirmed this as a new
form of bullying, although numbers were
small (Oliver & Candappa) 1,200 yrs 5 & 8
• 4% had received nasty text messages
• 2% nasty emails
• SHEU found 2% of nearly 10,000 year 6
reported bullying via mobile phone
• By 2005: a picture of girls of 15 using
phones for nasty messages (Sugar)*
• 16% sent them, nearly 1/2 received them.
• NCH: 770 people, age 11-19, found:
• 20% had experienced some bullying or
threat via email, chatroom or text.
• 14% text bullying
• Internet chatrooms 5% and email 4%
In the NCH study:
Almost ¾ knew the person, but 1 in 4 said
it was a stranger.
We began to become aware of risks.
Same year: Goldsmiths College: 92 pupils
From 14 London schools.
Up to 1 in 5 experienced bullying via phone or net
Picture clips, texts, emails and some chatroom
bullying.
In 2005 Becta – 444 schools teachers in 25 LAs
• 87% of teachers: no incidents in average month
• 11% encountered between 1 and 5 per month
• Less than 1% more than 11 per month
• Older age groups and girls more likely.
• 15.5% of teachers did encounter 1-5 incidents
involving websites chatrooms or emails.
• 83% of teachers: not aware of any incidents
Was it being exaggerated? Are they telling?
Discussion of types of cases seen
Complex video clips & ‘Happy Slapping’
• Adults slow to realise implications until
teachers were targeted.
• Dis-inhibiting effect of being unseen
• ‘Remote’
• Humiliating – enormous reach
• Teens not aware of electronic footprint left
• Little robust research, media creates fear
Emerging
Fear
Media
Hype
Now:
understanding
evaluating
responses
practical steps
MSN, websites, videoclips, social networking,
outweigh emails and texts as ‘most hurtful’.
Principles of bullying the same, but new tools greater power, secrecy and reach - humiliate
• Guidance - Childnet and CEOP
• Protection from Crime and Harassment Act
• Malicious Communications Act 1988
• Section 43 Telecommunications Act
• Byron report
• Work with providers
• Blocking technology growing
• Training for Safeguarding, netiquette, responses
http://wiredforsafety.org.gb/stalking/index.html
What is the most recent local picture?
We all ask the questions in different ways so
nothing is comparable.
• In West Midlands figures ‘appear’ low but
certain cases can be very serious.
• Wide gap between adult/parent
understanding and what young people say
(Get I.T.Safe NCH & Tesco 2006)
• 30% bullied by mobile, by email or on the
net
• Of 2132 young people, well over 90% said
it had never happened to them
asked:
‘nasty messages or pics by text/email and
nasty calls to mobile.’ No net?
• Are new forms not being captured?
(small in-depth Midland survey August 2008 ongoing).
(2007)
• 1/3 children regularly blog
• 67% of parents don’t know what blog is
• 46% of kids can get round parental blocks
• 53% of children are unsupervised online
• 78% of children use IM
• 29% of parents don’t know what IM is
Content, Contact, Commerce, Compulsion
•
(Get I.T.Safe NCH & Tesco 2006)
Excellent resources available
www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications
Ref DCSF-00685-2007
www.digizen.org.uk Childnet
CEOP Becta Byron report
Local resources: Sandwell
Action points: what would you want to see?
Educate adults – parents, carers, managers
and staff in residential settings.
Educate young people to be e-safe, consider
e-footprint, the law, unsafe contacts, giving
out personal data, hurting others.
Develop better monitoring tools
Evaluate what we do – Keep up!
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Start younger
Look at clubs
Social networking
Websites, blogs
Misuse of photos
Embed ‘Safe To
Learn’
Anti Bullying work is about
• Inclusion
• Participation
• Equality
• Rights
• Citizenship
How we want our communities
to be
adrienne@abawestmidlands.org.uk