According to a definition by stopbullying.gov, cyberbullying is “bullying that can take place over digital devices… Cyberbullying includes, sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else.” We live in a “pics or it didn’t happen” society where everything is posted about online, even things that can be hurtful to others. People sit behind their computer or phone screens and think they can say or post whatever they want without consequence. I think part of this is due to having so much access to the digital world. The amount of social media outlets available in 2020 is crazy, we have Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and many others. This large number of platforms can open someone up to various amounts of criticism. Let's take the Monica Lewinsky scandal for example, the internet was just taking off when news broke of this indiscretion. Even though the myriad of social media apps didn’t exist yet, the whole world seemed to know all about Lewinsky and the President just from one click on a news website. The amount of backlash she would have received if it were 2020 when the story broke would have been insurmountable. People who experience this kind of bullying can have low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideations. The CDC states that any involvment with bullying behavior can be a stressor that can raise the risk of suicide (Center for Disease Control, 2014). One in five kids between the ages of 9 and 12 have been cyberbullied (Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center, n.d.). The fact that this incident begins with kids so young is heartbreaking and needs to be addressed. How can we address this? As an educator we need to be proactive in teaching students about digital citizenship as well as their digital footprint. However, teachers are not the only ones who should be educating these children about the effects of their online presence, it needs to be addressed at home too. In order to make online communities a better place where cyberbullying isn’t present we need to keep our private information private, watch and report any negative or harmful behavior we see, and support others who have been cyberbullied. If people want to truly make strides to improve cyberbullying, they need to quit being the bystander who stands off and does nothing, get involved!
This week’s videos, readings, and discussions have really made me think about my students who are just 4 and 5 years old. It made me think about the digital world they are growing up in and how at just 9 years old we have students who are getting bullied online. These students should understand that their words and actions carry weight and that it can either put positive or negative vibes into the universe. I, as an educator, want to teach my students and their families how to better be a digital citizen by helping to prevent and handle cyberbullying.
References
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA). (2020, September 15). What Is Cyberbullying. Retrieved December 13, 2020, from https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it
Center for Disease Control. (2014, April).
. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying-suicide-translation-final-a.pdf
Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center. (n.d.). Cyberbullying. Retrieved December 13, 2020, from https://www.pacer.org/bullying/resources/cyberbullying/
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