Cyberbullying
- Approaches in Ireland Country Report
September 2009
Conor Mc Guckin, Mona O’Moore & Niall Crowley
(With thanks to Mr Murray Smith and Ms Lian Maguire)
Anti Bullying Research and Resource Centre,
Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Project N° 142237-LLP-1-2008-1-DE-LEONARDO-LMP
The CyberTraining project and its outcomes has been founded with support form the European
Commission. This report reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be
held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
© CyberTraining 2008-2010
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Government Action: Commissioning of National Reports.
At present, no national level (i.e., governmental) reports regarding the cyberbullying
phenomenon have been issued. ‘Webwise’, the Irish Internet Safety Awareness node of
the EU Information Society’s ‘Insafe’ network (www.webwise.ie), in conjunction with
the National Centre for Technology in Education, and the Office of Internet Safety,
produced a national report on children’s internet use in Ireland (National Centre for
Technology in Education, 2009). The report demonstrates many significant changes in
children’s internet use since 2006, particularly in the frequency and nature of use. The
report asserts that strategies based upon the prevention of online use are likely to be
unsustainable, as the survey showed that most children, even younger children, can
access the internet without their parents’ knowledge.
Rather, they conclude that
educating children, particularly younger children, and encouraging appropriate online
behaviour in independent use, is more likely to prove safer for children in the long-term
(National Centre for Technology in Education, 2009). These findings are supported by
the recent Berkman Centre report (2009) on online safety, published by Harvard
University, which shows that many of the perceived risks of online interaction are less
prevalent and easier to police than the risks of offline interaction. Thus, bullying and
harassment is most often perpetrated by peers than older adults and more likely to be
perpetrated by mobile phone than email or instant messaging.
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Government Action: Establishment of Councils and Committees.
The Irish governmental response to the cyberbullying phenomenon has triggered the
establishment of focused initiatives, such as the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament)
Communications Committee in 2008. The Committee, with parliamentary and industry
representation, has the remit of exploring technological solutions which could prevent
bullying via mobile phones. The Irish Cellular Industry Association (ICIA), an alliance
which represented mobile operators (e.g., Vodafone, O2, Meteor, 3 Ireland) appeared at
the Committee on 17 June, 2009, to present a progress update to the Committee. Whilst
being criticised for their delay in introducing measures to combat mobile phone bullying
of children, the ICIA members told the Committee that while they do not yet have full
services that allow users to block text messages from any mobile number, these will be
available shortly.
At a direct level, ICIA member organizations have released two industrial products in the
Irish market which facilitate the suppression of unwanted mobile phone communication.
For example, O2 Ireland have released the ‘Block IT’ service (www.o2.ie/blockit), a free
service which allows their customers to block the unwanted receipt of text, picture, and
video content on their handset from mobile phone numbers from any Irish mobile
network (Irish Business and Employers Confederation, 2009, p. 1).
3 Ireland has
released Europe’s first voice and text anti-bullying product to Ireland. Their ‘Kidsafe’
product enables parents to know with whom, when, and how their children are using their
mobile phones.” (Irish Business and Employers Confederation, 2009, p. 1). Ms Cara
Twohig, representing Vodafone, reported that they would launch a simple, configurable
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blocking tool (for children and parents) early in the school year. At a more indirect level,
the Chairperson of ICIA, Mr Gareth Davies, reported that “Mobile operators are
continuing to investigate the best means to address some of the issues concerning
bullying. For example, Meteor is involved in a range of consultations with bullying
experts and continues to sponsor the Rehab [non-governmental organization) ‘Heads up
campaign’” (Irish Business and Employers Confederation, 2009, p. 1).
In recognising the knowledge gaps in Ireland regarding internet safety, the Department of
Justice, Equality, and Law Reform formed the ‘Office for Internet Safety’ in 2008
(http://www.internetsafety.ie). The Office has created relationships with other experts
and organizations in the field, such as the National Council of Technology in Education,
Barnardos (a children’s charity), and O2 Ireland. Arising from the successful nature of
this collaboration, the ‘Get with It!’ program was initiated (Office for Internet Safety,
2009).
This program has seen the development of manuals for parents offering
information on best practice regarding cyberbullying, social networking, filtering
technologies, and guides relating to safer mobile phone usage.
Establishment of Research Initiatives.
Recognising the importance of cyberbullying among the country’s youth, the national
broadcaster’s ‘Prime Time’ programme (a popular peak-time extended news /
investigative
documentary
programme:
Radio
Telefis
Éireann:
www.rte.ie/news/primetime), in consultation with the personnel of Trinity College
Dublin’s Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre, conducted the first major piece of
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research into the cyberbullying phenomenon among Irelands young people. As part of
this project, PrimeTime aired a special programme on the issue to coincide with the
release of the study results.
Utilising a 38-item questionnaire styled on Olweus’ Bully/Victim Questionnaire (Olweus,
1989), with categories of cyberbullying from Smith, Mahdavi, Carvalho, and Tippett’s
(2006) Cyberbullying Questionnaire, O’Moore, Minton, and Mc Guckin (under review)
explored ‘traditional’ (i.e., non cyber-) bullying, cyberbullying, and personality correlates
among a representative sample of 3,004 students in attendance at nine post-primary
schools (12-16 years; male = 66.3%, n = 1,988, female = 33.7%, n = 1,010). O’Moore,
Minton, and Mc Guckin (under review) found that, over the past couple of months,
41.8% (45.1% boys, 35.3% girls) of the sample had been involved in ‘traditional’
bully/victim problems, and 18.3% (15.7 % boys, 23.6% girls) had been involved in
cyberbullying problems. In relation to sex differences, it was noted that boys’ greater
involvement in general bully/victim problems, and girls’ greater involvement as
(especially) targets of cyber-bullying pose particular areas of concern.
Published to mark Safer Internet Day 2009, Microsoft (2009a) report upon data collected
as part of the ‘European Online Safety Survey’. The survey, which examined the rise in
social media and the habits and attitudes of European teenagers, was posted on
Microsoft’s MSN websites across Europe during January 2009, and polled a total of
21,765 people in the UK, Denmark, Austria, Finland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Switzerland,
Portugal, and Ireland (MSN attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per
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month). In relation to the data collected from Irish teenagers, the survey found that 22%
had experienced bullying online, with 40% reporting that they experienced it frequently.
Just over half (52%) of the teenagers surveyed felt the internet made it easier to bully.
Instant messaging was the most common form of cyberbullying, with 70% of those who
were victims of cyberbullying experiencing it while using the chat programmes. Almost
half of the teenagers (48%) reported that they were targeted on social networking sites.
However, 76% said they had not reported the behaviour. Commenting on the results of
the study, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan
said, “Unmonitored internet access is an emerging trend in Ireland with 55% of teens
claiming they surf the web without any restrictions from their parents. Although they
may claim to be aware of the risks when using the internet, teens appear uneducated on
the risks. Vigilance by parents is essential to protect children and I welcome Microsoft’s
intervention and efforts to raise awareness of the issue. It builds on the valuable work of
the makeITsecure campaign which has sought to promote safe internet use by
consumers.” (Microsoft, 2009b).
Conducted with assistance from the Anchor Youth Centre at the Young Scientist
Exhibition in January 2008, the National Council for Technology and Education’s (2008)
‘Watch Your Space’ Survey is the second annual survey of how young Irish people are
using social networking websites, such as Bebo, My Space, and Facebook. The results
indicated that the popularity of social networking websites shows no signs of decrease.
Overall levels of usage in January 2008 were similar to those found in 2007 in terms of
frequency of access. The Report also found that there were a combination of successful
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awareness raising activities in Ireland, which may lead to a reduction in risk behaviour by
Irish teenagers.
Barnardos’ (children’s charitable organization) Childhood Poll (2007) represented a
quantitative assessment of the general life attitudes of parents and children. The results of
the survey indicated that the top concern for both children and parents was bullying
(including cyberbullying).
The report also highlighted the increased use of mobile
phones and websites, which make bullying actions less visible, therefore further isolating
victims of bullying. Only one-third (32%) of parents had monitored their child’s text or
picture messages (Barnardos, 2007).
Cyberbullying and the Law: The Legal Response.
While there is no specific law dealing with school-related cyberbullying, there are a
number of criminal law and education law provisions, and guidelines given to schools,
which implicitly include this behaviour. A number of publications issued by the Office
of Internet Safety explicitly include this behaviour.
For example, under Criminal Law, remedy may be pursued under the Criminal Damages
Act 1991 (e.g., Section 5(1) deals with the unauthorised accessing of data). Also, Section
10(1) of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 states that any person who,
without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, by any means including by use of the
telephone, harasses another by persistently following, watching, pestering, besetting or
communicating with him or her, shall be guilty of an offence (italics added). Dealing
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specifically with telephones, Section 13(1) of The Post Office Amendment Act 1951 has
been amended a number of times, including by the Communications Regulation
(Amendment) Act 2007, Part 2. It now says that any person who sends (by telephone)
any message that is knowingly false, grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing,
for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, or needless anxiety to another
person, persistently without reasonable cause, commits an offence.
A case was
prosecuted under this Act, in the Dundalk District Court (large conurbation north of
Dublin city). On 31 January, 2008, a man of 27 posted offensive and obscene messages
on a page of the social networking website Bebo belonging to a 16 years old girl. He was
prosecuted, pleaded guilty, and agreed to pay the girl €3,000. Judge Conal Gibbons
placed the defendant under the supervision of the Probation Service and the case was
adjourned for the compensation to be paid (reported in the Irish Independent Newspaper,
Friday, 6 June 2008) (see below for Case Example).
Under Educational Law, Section 9 of the Education Act 1998 says that any school
recognised by the Minister of Education shall ‘use its available resources’ to, among
other things, ensure that the educational needs of all students are identified and provided
for, and that the school promote the moral, spiritual, social and personal development of
students, having regard to the characteristic spirit of the school. Section 23 of The
Education Welfare Act 2000 provides for the need for a code of behaviour regarding the
students registered at the school, in accordance with any guidelines issued by the
National Educational Welfare Board (e.g., National Educational Welfare Board, 2008).
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Case Example: Legal Action.
Believed to be the first case of its kind to come before the Irish courts, a father of
one (aged 27) has been prosecuted for uploading offensive and obscene messages on
a 16 year old girl’s page on the social networking site Bebo. The Court was told that
the man had a previous disagreement with the then 16 year old girl and posted the
messages on her Bebo page.
The man posted what the judge described as
‘outrageous’ messages ‘for all the world to see’ on a teenage girl’s page on January
31, 2009. Praising the Gardaí (Irish police service) for taking the matter seriously,
the Judge added that ‘It’s a shocking state of affairs that this rubbish can be put up
on sites.’ He also said that while most people used modern communication for
positive ends, some, used it ‘to do evil’. The case was brought under Section 13 (I)
of the Post Office Amendment Act 1951 which refers to the sending of offensive or
indecent material by means of telecommunication. The man was placed under the
supervision of the Probation Service and had to pay compensation to the girl.
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Provision of Guidance / Best Practice for Educators, Parents, Children, and Young
People.
Arising from the successful collaboration between the National Centre for Technology in
Education, O2, Barnardos, and the Office of Internet Safety, the ‘Get with It!’ program
was initiated (Office for Internet Safety, 2009). This program has seen the development
of manuals for parents offering information on best practice regarding cyberbullying (‘A
guide to cyberbullying’), social networking (‘A parents’ guide to social-networking
websites’), filtering technologies (‘A parents’ guide to filtering technologies’), and
understanding the benefits of filtering to help protect your child online and guides
relating
to
safer
mobile
phone
usage)
(all
available
at:
http://www.internetsafety.ie/website/ois/oisweb.nsf/page/publications-en).
Aimed at children and young people, and their teachers and parents, Webwise
(www.webwise.ie), the National Council of Technology in Education’s Internet Safety
initiative, centralises a vast amount of knowledge and research on cyberbullying.
Social and Personal Health Education (SPHE) is a subject area within both the primary
and post-primary school curricula. In collaboration with the Department of Education
and Science’s SPHE Support Service, Webwise has created an Internet Safety teaching
and
learning
programme
for
post-primary
(http://www.webwise.ie/article.aspx?id=8664) (see below for Case Example).
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schools
Case Example: Provision of Guidance / Best Practice for Educators, Parents, Children, and Young
People.
Launched by the Minister of Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, T.D., the programme is the first
educational programme of its kind in Europe designed to address the personal safety needs of our
young people when online and to help them become safe and responsible Internet users for life. Each
of the 13 lessons in the programme has been mapped to the SPHE Junior Certificate curriculum (in the
context of the SPHE unit on Personal Safety) and the internet safety concepts and lessons have become
part of the SPHE ‘in-service’ (i.e., post qualification) training programme for teachers since January
2008.
The programme consists of a Teachers’ Internet Safety Lesson and Resource Pack for 1 st , 2nd, and 3rd
Year Junior Certificate SPHE classes. The resources enable students to explore their attitudes and
safety when using the internet. The module contains teacher notes, glossary of key terminology, lesson
plans, activity sheets, and downloadable resources.
The lesson plans and workshop materials enable the discussion and exploration of: (i) students’
personal safety issues when using the internet, (ii) the opportunities and benefits of being on-line, (iii)
the responsible use of social networking sites, (iv) procedures for protecting personal safety and
security when online, (v) students’ awareness of the potential risks in disclosing personal information
online and posting inappropriate photos.
The 5 topics address the issues of: (i) cyberbullying, (ii) rights and responsibilities online, (iii) personal
information and the internet, (iv) internet literacy and decisions, (v) finding help and support.
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Whilst O’Moore (2000) highlighted critical issues in relation to teacher training regarding
countering bully/victim problems in the country, O’Moore and Minton (2004) have
provided a training manual for teachers, parents, and other professionals to deal with
bully/victim problems.
The National Centre for Technology in Education, working with the National Parents
Council (for Primary Schools) has developed a seminar to take the mystery out of the
internet for parents and to give them the skills to engage with their children’s online lives.
Since September 2007, over 100 seminars have been delivered in both primary and postprimary schools around the country.
The Irish Cellular Industry Association (The Irish Cellular Industry Association: 2008)
developed guidelines for parents in relation to the safe and sensible use of mobile phones.
The guide provides parents with an easy to use reference book, which describes the range
of mobile phone services on offer in Ireland, as well as the latest technology available.
The guide also gives a range of useful tips and advice to parents on how to keep their
child safe.
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The release of the Microsoft (2009a) survey coincided with the launch of a new
Microsoft volunteering programme designed to educate children, parents, and teachers on
safe internet use. As part of the programme, trained Microsoft employees (n = 700) go
into schools across 22 European countries to help over 40,000 children, parents, and
teachers get to grips with the internet and promote a safer world of social media.
Microsoft have also developed a set of guidelines for parents on how to tackle
cyberbullying and issues of internet safety (http://www.microsoft.ie/protect).
Non-Governmental Organizations and Charities: Campaigns and Actions.
The Safer Internet Day 2009 was organized to promote safer and more responsible use of
internet and mobile phone technologies, particularly amongst children and young people.
In conjunction with this initiative, the Office for Internet Safety, the National Centre for
Technology in Education, the National Parents Council (Primary Level) and Childline
(charity providing telephone support to children and young people), launched a series of
television and online awareness campaigns in Ireland specifically tackling the issue of
cyber bullying.
As part of EU Kids Online II (see: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/EUKidsOnline/),
Ireland will be collecting comparable data regarding children’s use of online
technologies, with a focus on online risks and safety. The survey will also map parents’
experiences, practices, and concerns regarding their children’s online risk and safety the
first findings will be available in autumn 2009).
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Involvement of Children and Young People in the Action.
The development of ICT tools has opened many doors in the educational and mental
health arenas in Ireland. One such development has been the creation of the Inspire
Ireland Foundation (http://www.inspireireland.ie), a charitable organization with the aim
of helping young Irish people lead happier lives. As part of an international network of
similar organizations, the Foundation seeks to establish http://www.reachout.com, an
online service that offers information, support and resources to improve the mental health
and well being of Irish young people. The internet has also provided a medium for youth
support groups to communicate with Irish youth.
One example is SpunOut
(http://www.spunout.ie), an independent youth powered national charity working to
empower young people to create personal and social change.
Action by Schools.
In 2009, the educational theatre group, Team (www.teamtheatre.ie), in conjunction with
transition year students at St Kevin’s CBS Secondary School, Finglas, County Dublin,
developed a three-part DVD drama called ‘Get Real’ (www.getreal.ie), to highlight the
dangers of the online social networking phenomenon amongst teenagers. The project
also invites parents to learn more, in that talks have taken place in the school where
parents can find out more about the activities that occur within the home computer room.
The story in the drama is based around a teenage girl who has a large ‘port-wine stain’
birthmark on her face. She moves to a new town with her mother and creates a new
identity by covering up her birthmark with makeup. She sets up a new online profile
with pictures that only show her with the birthmark covered up and ignores calls from old
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friends as she tries to make a fresh start. However, an old boyfriend sees her online
profile and decides to upload some pictures showing her birthmark. The initiative is
coordinated by teachers via the Civic, Social and Political Education module of the
curriculum (Holden, 2009).
List of Useful Websites on Cyberbullying.
Government sponsored:

www.webwise.ie

www.internetsafety.ie

www.watchyourspace.ie

www.getreal.ie

http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/EUKidsOnline/ (Supported by the EU)
Non-government sponsored:

www.abc.tcd..ie

http://www.spunout.ie/health/bullying/stop-bullying/70-1293

http://www.barnardos.ie/media_centre/our-latest-news/cyber-bullying-amongstkey-concerns-for-children-and-parents.html

www.o2.ie/blockit

http://www.microsoft.ie/protect

http://www.icia.ie/IBEC/BA.nsf/vPages/Business_Sectors~Telecommunications_
and_Internet_Federation~mobile-phones--a-parents-guide-to-safe-and-sensibleuse-16-12-2008/$file/Mobile%20Parents%20Guide.pdf
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
www.inspireireland.com

www.reachout.com
Guidelines and Training Manuals.

Get With IT! (http://www.internetsafety.ie)

Wbwise Course for SPHE (http://www.webwise.ie)

Microsoft guidelines for parents (http://www.microsoft.ie/protect)

Irish Cellular Industry Association guides
(http://www.icia.ie/IBEC/BA.nsf/vPages/Business_Sectors~Telecommunications
_and_Internet_Federation~mobile-phones--a-parents-guide-to-safe-and-sensibleuse-16-12-2008/$file/Mobile%20Parents%20Guide.pdf)
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References.
Barnardos (2007). Childhood Poll 2007. (Retrieved September 7, 2009, from
http://www.barnardos.ie/policies_and_campaigns/barnardos-2007-poll.html).
Berkman Centre (2009). Enhancing child safety and online technologies. Massachusetts:
The Berkman Centre for Internet and Society. (Retrieved September 18, 2009, from:
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/4987).
Holden, J. (2009). Screening out the bullies. (Retrieved September 18, 2009, from:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/0211/1233867930625.html)
Irish Business and Employers Confederation (2009). New measures to combat bullying
via mobile phones - ICIA [Electronic Version] (Retrieved September 7, 2009, from
http://www.ibec.ie/IBEC/Press/PressPublicationsDocLib3.nsf/vPages/BC0C90AD35B0B
888802575D800597E9E?OpenDocument)
Irish Cellular Industry Association (2008). Mobile Phones: A parents guide for safe and
sensible use. [Electronic Version], from
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http://www.icia.ie/IBEC/BA.nsf/vPages/Business_Sectors~Telecommunications_and_Int
ernet_Federation~mobile-phones--a-parents-guide-to-safe-and-sensible-use-16-122008/$file/Mobile%20Parents%20Guide.pdf
Irish Independent Newspaper (2008). Man (27) prosecuted over obscene Bebo messages.
Friday, 6 June. (Retrieved September 18, 2009, from:
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/man-27-prosecuted-over-obscene-bebomessages-1399572.html)
Microsoft (2009a). European Online Safety Survey. (Key data retrieved September 7,
2009, from
http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/pressreleases/OnlinebullyingPR_100209.ms
px and http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0210/breaking36.htm)
Microsoft (2009b). European research finds 22% of Irish teens experience bullying
online – while 55% of teens use the internet without restrictions. (Retrieved September 7,
2009, from
http://microsoftireland.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!1024FF975ACC773B!536.entry)
Minton, S. J. & O’Moore, A. M. (2008). The effectiveness of a nationwide intervention
programme to prevent and counter school bullying in Ireland. International Journal of
Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 8, 1-12.
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National Centre for Technology in Education (2009). 2008 Social Networking Survey.
Dublin: National Centre for Technology in Education.
National Educational Welfare Board (2008). Developing a code of behaviour: Guidelines
for schools. Dublin: National Educational Welfare Board.
Office for Internet Safety (2009). Get With IT! Series. (Retrieved September 15, 2009,
from: http://www.internetsafety.ie/website/ois/oisweb.nsf/page/publications-en)
Olweus, D. (1989). Bully/Victim Questionnaire For Students. Department of Psychology,
University of Bergen.
O’Moore, M. (2000). Critical issues for teacher training to counter bullying and
victimisation in Ireland. Aggressive Behavior, 26, 99-111.
O’Moore, M., Minton, S., & Mc Guckin, C. (under review). Bullying, cyber-bullying,
gender, and personality.
Smith, P. K., Mahdavi, J., Carvalho, M., & Tippett, N. (2006). An investigation into
cyberbullying, its forms, awareness and impact, and the relationship between age and
gender in cyberbullying. Research Brief No. RBX03-06. London: Department for
Education and Science (DfES).
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The Communications Regulation (Amendment) Act 2007. (Retrieved September 15,
2009, from: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2007/en/act/pub/0022/index.html)
The Criminal Damages Act 1991. (Retrieved September 15, 2009, from:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1991/en/act/pub/0031/index.html)
The Education Act 1998. (Retrieved September 15, 2009, from:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1998/en/act/pub/0051/index.html)
The Education Welfare Act 2000. (Retrieved September 15, 2009, from:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2000/en/act/pub/0022/index.html)
The Post Office Amendment Act 1951. (Retrieved September 15, 2009, from:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1951/en/act/pub/0017/index.html)
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