Mobilizing educators, parents, students, and others
to combat online social cruelty

LINK

Welcome to this web site! Cyberbullying is sending or posting harmful or cruel text or images using the Internet or other digital communication devices. The stories are heart breaking. Teens who are ...

Sending cruel, vicious, and sometimes threatening messages.

Creating web sites that have stories, cartoons, pictures, and jokes ridiculing others.

Posting pictures of classmates online and asking students to rate them, with questions such "Who is the biggest ___ (add a derogatory term)?"

Breaking into an e-mail account and sending vicious or embarrassing material to others.

Engaging someone in IM (instant messaging), tricking that person into revealing sensitive personal information, and forwarding that information to others.

Taking a picture of a person in the locker room using a digital phone camera and sending that picture to others.

Cyberbullying is emerging as one of the more challenging issues facing educators and parents as young people embrace the Internet and other mobile communication technologies.

Cyberbully.org is provided by the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use. CSRUI provides resources for educators and others to promote the safe and responsible use of the Internet. The Cyberbully.org web site provides:

Professional Development
Information and Resources for Educators

Educator's Guide to Cyberbullying
New Book for School Leaders:
Cyberbullying: Mobilizing Educators, Parents, Students and Others to Combat Online Social Cruelty.
Cyberbullying Needs Assessment Survey
Cyberbullying Workshops and Online Course
Parent's Guide to Cyberbullying An overview of this phenomenon and practical guidance on prevention, detection, and intervention.


Parent's Guide
Cyberbullying in the News Links to news reports about cyberbullying.

News Reports
Research Basis Review of the research and philosophy upon which the strategies developed by CSRUI are based.

I Can't See You - You Can't See Me: How the Use of Information and Communication Technologies can Impact Responsible Behavior
Coming Soon: Teen's Guide to Cyberbullying

Other online resources

Join a Discussion Group or Monthly Forum on Cyberbullying CSRUI has established a discussion group for professionals to discuss issues about cyberbullying. Please join us. Nancy Willard, Director of CSRUI hosts a live chat discussion on Internet Safety/Cyberbullying through Tapped-In on the third Thursday of most months at 4:00, p.m. West Coast time. More information.

By way of introduction, I have been working on issues related to the safe and responsible use of the Internet by young people, especially in schools, for over a decade. I testified before the COPA Commission and a NRC Committee on issues related to online p0rn and youth and was a reviewer for
the NCR report. It the area of educational technology, I am considered an authority on Internet use policy issues. Prior to this work I was an attorney and prior to that I was a special education teacher of emotionally disturbed children.

The issue that I am focusing on at this time is cyberbullying. Many young people throughout the world appear to be using the Internet, and other technologies such as digital phones, to engage in extensive social cruelty. They are sending harassing messages, posting denigrating material, breaking into a person's account and sending messages that reflect badly on the person, and engaging in other forms of trickery and exclusion.

What are the incident rates? What are the risk factors? The protective factors? All unknown. There has not been any quality research on cyberbullying.

However, we do know that this activity is occurring largely in arenas where there are no responsible adults present -- online arenas that promote significant self-disclosure of highly sensitive material. The social norm in some of these arenas appears to be "I have the right to say anything I want, regardless of the possible harm to others." We know there is a lack of tangible feedback when communicating online. We also know that the bullying can be 24/7 and can reach a child wherever and whenever he/she uses the
technology and even if he/she does not. Damaging information can be sent worldwide in minutes and be very difficult to retrieve.

There has already been one school murder in Japan related to cyberbullying. In talking with teachers in my own small community I have been told of one youth suicide and one attempted suicide that appeared to have cyberbullying elements.

My perspective is that schools must play a leadership role in addressing these concerns. But this is very difficult for schools because much of the activity is occurring off-campus and could be considered to be protected free speech. Therefore, a community-based approach is necessary, with schools providing the leadership. Creating "sunlight" -- public awareness of the concerns and ways to address the concerns -- is the first step. Hopefully schools/districts have established safe school committees with community partners who can undertake the planning and education necessary to address this issue.

I am completing a book on cyberbullying for educators. This book will outline a comprehensive school-based approach to address the issue. There is a needs assessment survey already available on my site that I am encouraging the use of as the first step in planning. I am hoping that schools will be willing to share the aggregated data with me so that greater insight can be gained into the issue.

I would really appreciate communications from others who are focusing on youth safety and the prevention of bullying, suicide, and school violence who might be willing to provide insight and feedback on this particular issue.

Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D.
Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use
nwillard@csriu.org

NYVPRC for youth violence prevention resources
nyvprc@safeyouth.org
Toll Free 1-866-SAFE-YOUTH (1-866-723-3968)
1-800-243-7012 (TTY)


The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center (NYVPRC):
Resources for professionals, parents and youth working to prevent violence committed by and against young people.