Cyberbullying -- What it is and how to prevent it

Definition according to stopcyberbullying.org: "'Cyberbullying' is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. It has to have a minor on both sides, or at least have been instigated by a minor against another minor. Once adults become involved, it is plain and simple cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. Adult cyber-harassment or cyberstalking is NEVER called cyberbullying."

Cyberbullying is a very serious issue because it has ended in suicide and murder. Threats made from one student to another should be stopped and dealt with as soon as they are noticed. It is important that as a teacher, I keep a look out for cyberbullying, especially if it is occurring within the classroom. It is difficult for schools to get involved in cases of cyberbullying that occur off school grounds, for that matter exactly. They would be attempting to work out of their boundaries.

However, schools and teachers can get involved at the level of prevention. Teachers can inform their students on what cyberbullying is, how they can notice it, and what to do if they come face-to-face with it. Teachers can also educate students on cyberethics and laws surrounding cyberbullying. The more students know about the problem, the easier it is to report before it goes to far, and hopefully will help prevent it from happening in the first place.

In this case, a blog was created to spread harmful gossip about a high school's various students. The creator can be charged for what they have created, however the creator still remains anonymous. (http://atgeist.com/blog/cyber-bullying-case-at-lawrence-central-highlights-online-issue/).

In this case, a woman posed as a teenage boy and targeted another teenage girl, ulitimately leading to her suicide. (http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20241577,00.html)

When exploring cyberbullying, I found this site very helpful: http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/index2.html