Cyberbullying Effects on Health Name 1 & Name 2 3/25/21 HSCI 466ADO Health Issues of the Adolescent Section 1 Section 1: Presentation Objectives At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to: ● ● ● ● Obj. 1 - Define cyberbullying and give examples of how it applies in different contexts. Obj. 2 - List the how, where, and why cyberbullying happens. Obj. 3 - Describe the mental, psychological, and physical health risks associated with cyberbullying. Obj. 4 - Use a variety of national, state, and local resources available to combat cyberbullying. Section 2: Overview Overview and Description of Cyberbullying Cyberbullying is "bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets… (it) includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation." This embarrassment and humiliation can lead to a variety of health concerns. Where It Happens: ● ● ● ● ● Social Media platforms SMS Text or other messaging apps on mobile devices or computers Online forums and other websites Video game communication platforms Email Unique Concerns: ● ● ● Persistent: digital communication is available 24/7 so there can be little relief Permanent: digital communication can be public and can permanently harm one's reputation Hard to Notice: digital communication can occur out of sight and earshot of teachers and parents (StopBullying.gov. (2020, July 21). What is Cerbullying. ttps://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what it is) Section 2: Overview Incident & Prevalence Rates of Cyberbullying - Per the CDC's 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey, 15.7% of high school students reported being cyberbullied within the 12 months prior to the survey. For California and Los Angeles specifically, the rates are 14.7% and 9.2% respectively. For middle school students in Los Angeles, the rate is 15.3%, with women reporting more incidence than men, 18.8% vs. 12.2% respectively. A 2019 survey run by Google reports that cyberbullying is teachers' top safety concern in classrooms. In 30 countries surveyed by UNICEF in 2019, one in three young people said they had at one point been a victim of cyberbullying, and one in five had skipped school as a result CDC. (2019). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System [data table]. US Dept. of Health and Human Services. Google. (2019). Be Internet Awesome [data set]. https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/ UNICEF. (2019). UNICEF poll: More than a third of young people in 30 countries report being a victim of online bullying [press release]. https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-poll-more-third-young-people-30-countries-report-being-victim-online-bullying Section 2: Overview Incident/Prevalence Rates of Cyberbullying Hinduja, S. and Patchin, J. (2019). Cyberbullying Victimization [data graph]. Cyberbullying Research Center. https://cyberbullying.org/2019cyberbullying-data Section 2: Overview Mortality/Morbidity Rates of Cyberbullying Unfortunately, cyberbullying has been linked to suicidal ideation as well as other psychological issues. Related physical health consequences can result from loss of appetite, substance abuse, and delinquency (Cyberbullying Research Center 2021). "Youth who report frequently bullying others and youth who report being frequently bullied are at increased risk for suicide-related behavior. Youth who report both bullying others and being bullied (bully-victims) have the highest risk for suicide-related behavior of any groups that report involvement in bullying" (CDC 2014). It is unhelpful to think of suicide as a direct result of bullying. Students can be more vulnerable to bullying and suicide due to situational factors, including: emotional issues, exposure to violence, family issues, relationship conflict, lack of support and connectedness, substance use, struggles with disability, and lack of support resources. Cyberbullying Research Center. (2021). Cyberbullying Facts. https://cyberbullying.org/facts CDC. (2014, April). The Relationship Between Bullying and Suicide: What We Know and What it Means for Schools. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying-suicide-translationfinal-a.pdf Section 2: Overview Mortality/Morbidity Rates of Cyberbullying Cyberbullying is also positively associated with a variety of physical health problems in teens. These factors are correlated and thus not necessarily the result of cyberbullying, but they are still important connections to consider. In adolescents grades 9-12, these problems include: Mental health problems Substance abuse Being overweight Playing videogames for more than 3 hours a day ● Having asthma ● ● ● ● Merrill, R. and Hanson, C. (2016). Risk and protective factors associated with being bullied on school property compared with cyberbullied. BMC Public Health. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-2833-3 Section 3: LAUSD Policy LAUSD's Current Policies and Procedures Regarding Cyberbullying LAUSD has the current Social Media Policy for students defined in BUL - 6399.2 Published on July 18, 2018. The policy is broken up into four different sections which can be viewed at the link below. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KrZzr6t95SHPUfw92wNHBOYkLQZf8Rcl/view?usp=sharing Section 1 - Definitions - Defines the different social media platforms as well as cyberbullying. Section 2 - Social Media Guidelines for Students - Clearly states how students should and shouldn’t use social media. Section 3 - Administrator / Designee Responsibilities - For administrators and teachers to use as a reference for actions that they should take to prevent misuse as well as how to proceed when misuse occurs. Section 4 - General Protocol for Responding to Complaints - Clearly defines the step by step process that must be taken when a social media incident including cyberbullying occurs. Provide the victim with a safe environment (LAUSD-Cyberbullying, 2021). Section 3: LAUSD Policy LAUSD Teachers' Specific Role Regarding Cyberbullying Reference BUL - 6399.2 - Part III. Administrative/Designee Responsibilities (Pg. 6 - 8) Teachers should teach their students preventative measures and report violations as needed by: - Modeling appropriate use of online resources or applications that students use by creating a safe environment that encourages respect, team work, and tolerance. Monitoring students' use of devices during learning activities. Encouraging students to report any misuse or instances of cyberbullying. Collecting and reporting all evidence when any form of misuse takes place under their supervision to the site administrator. School sites must provide counseling and resources to victims (LAUSD-Cyberbullying, 2021). Section 3: LAUSD Policy LAUSD Legal Ramifications of Cyberbullying Report to the appropriate reporting agency: Threats: Contact Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD), School Operations, and Crisis Counseling and Intervention Services Inappropriate or Sexualized Images of Minors: Contact law enforcement and LASPD Child pornography: Contact law enforcement and LASPD Police Reasonable Suspicion of Child Abuse: Contact Child Protective Services. Refer to the attached Behavior Intervention Matrix, BUL-5799.0, Threat Assessment and Management (Student-to-Student) If appropriate, the victim may file a criminal complaint with law enforcement on their own (LAUSDCyberbullying, 2021). Section 4: Current Effective Program California currently has a new assembly bill that orders school districts to implement a mandated safety program that includes cyberbullying. The more recent bill below also provides funding to help local school districts develop these plans by the state mandated deadline. Previous programs have been effective in combating bullying by training school staff in ways to spot and prevent all forms of bullying. California Assembly Bill 2291 - School Safety: Bullying. 9/18/18 This bill requires local educational agencies, as defined, to adopt, on or before December 31, 2019, procedures for preventing acts of bullying, including cyberbullying. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. AB 2291 School Safety: Bullying. 2018 (CA) (US) https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2291 Section 4: Current Effective Program California Assembly Bill 2291 SECTION 1. Section 234.4 is added to the Education Code, to read: 234.4. (a) A local educational agency shall adopt, on or before December 31, 2019, procedures for preventing acts of bullying, including cyberbullying. (b) For purposes of this section, a “local educational agency” means a school district, a county office of education, or a charter school. SEC. 2. Section 32283.5 of the Education Code is amended to read: 32283.5. (a) The department shall develop and post on its Internet Web site an online training module to assist all school staff, school administrators, parents, pupils, and community members in increasing their knowledge of the dynamics of bullying and cyberbullying. The online training module shall include, but is not limited to, identifying an act of bullying or cyberbullying, and implementing strategies to address bullying and cyberbullying. (b) The department shall post on its Internet Web site and annually update a list of available online training modules relating to bullying or bullying prevention. (c) A school operated by a school district or a county office of education and a charter school shall annually make available the online training module developed by the department pursuant to subdivision (a) to certificated school site employees and all other school site employees who have regular interaction with pupils. SEC. 3. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code. AB 2291 School Safety: Bullying. 2018 (CA) (US) https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2291 Section 4: Current Effective Program LAUSD Implementation of California Assembly Bill 2291 Online Training - School staff take annual training courses on LAUSD MyPLN website when hired and throughout the year. Professional Development Meetings - Staff acknowledge and talk about cyberbullying incidents and how to prevent them through teacher modeling of appropriate uses of school devices. They also discuss health factors associated with cyberbullying and the resources available to victims. In the classroom - Acceptance, tolerance, respect for others, and the consequences of cyberbullying are constantly reviewed in advisory periods in secondary. AB 2291 School Safety: Bullying. 2018 (CA) (US) https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2291 Section 5: Teacher Resources for Cyberbullying ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Teachers should always be first and foremost familiar with their own school and district's policies related to cyberbullying, including on-campus health resources and action plans The Cyberbullying Research Center has an Educators Resource page which is regularly updated with articles, guides, fact sheets, and classroom activities CommonSense.org has a resource site which includes intervention plans and classroom lesson plans Edutopia has a Bullying Prevention Curriculum as well as resources for instruction in student leadership There are a variety of paid cyberbullying lesson resources available on TeachersPayTeachers.com Galit Breen has compiled a Pinterest board with over 700 cyberbullying-related activities for teachers and parents The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has 24/7 availability for helping people in mental health crisis And as always, if someone is in immediate risk of harm, call 911 for emergency assistance (Citation inserted here). Section 6: References AB 2291 School Safety: Bullying. 2018 (CA) (US) https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2291 CDC. (2019). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System [data table]. US Dept. of Health and Human Services. CDC. (2014, April). The Relationship Between Bullying and Suicide: What We Know and What it Means for Schools. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying-suicide-translationfinal-a.pdf Cyberbullying Research Center. (2021). Cyberbullying Facts. https://cyberbullying.org/facts Google. (2019). Be Internet Awesome [data set]. https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/ Section 6: References Hinduja, S. and Patchin, J. (2019). Cyberbullying Victimization [data graph]. Cyberbullying Research Center. https://cyberbullying.org/2019-cyberbullying-data Los Angeles Unified School District Cyberbulling (2021). Los Angeles, CA. Merrill, R. and Hanson, C. (2016). Risk and protective factors associated with being bullied on school property compared with cyberbullied. BMC Public Health. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-2833-3 StopBullying.gov. (2020, July 21). What is Cyberbullying. https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it UNICEF. (2019). UNICEF poll: More than a third of young people in 30 countries report being a victim of online bullying [press release]. https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-poll-more-thirdyoung-people-30-countries-report-being-victim-online-bullying
