Unit 2
Lesson 1
by Readworks
When 13-year-old Katie recently went online, she couldn't believe that some classmates were making fun of her. The seventh grader from New Jersey discovered mean and hurtful comments written about her in an online Web journal.
"It was really offensive and upsetting to me because I knew everyone could see it online," Katie told Weekly Reader. "There was nothing I could do to take it down."
Katie's story is not unusual. She is one of the many victims of cyberbullying. "Cyberbullying is when a child torments, humiliates or tries to frighten another child using interactive technology," online safety expert Parry Aftab told Weekly Reader
Instead of teasing or picking on kids in the school yard, bullies have new territory—cyberspace. The explosion in technology, such as computers, cell phones, and interactive games, gives bullies more places to do their dirty work.
Cyberbullies use e-mail, instant messages, text messages, and online journals to spread nasty rumours, post embarrassing photos, and tease other kids. Breaking into others' e-mail accounts and sending out mean messages to their buddy lists is a common practice for cyberbullies. Cyberbullies also run up other kids' cell phone bills with text messages. Some kids have even conducted online votes for the ugliest person in class.
A Growing Problem
For many kids like Katie, online bullying has become part of everyday life. Most cyberbullies are between the ages of 9 and 14. Studies show that about 55 percent of kids in grades 4 through 8 have had mean or hurtful remarks made to them online. "Cyberbullying is a huge problem in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades," said Aftab.
Why is cyberbullying such a growing problem? For starters, kids spend a lot of time online both at home and at school. Nearly two-thirds of American kids have computers in their homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Online experts say being mean online is easier because computers give kids a sense of being anonymous, or not being known. Kids say things on the Internet that they would never say face-to-face.
Some kids also don't realize that they're cyberbullies because they don't see the consequences of their actions. "In face-to-face communication, we see when we've gone too far," she says. "We lose all those visual cues online."
Fighting Back
To address the problem, more schools and communities are educating kids about online etiquette and are holding anti-bullying seminars. Aftab trains groups, called TweenAngels and TeenAngels, to become safe and responsible cybercitizens who share their knowledge with others.
TeenAngel Kendall, 12, experienced cyberbullying when kids at school blocked him out of gaming sites. His advice for dealing with a cyberbully: "Don't be afraid to tell your parents, teachers, or whomever you trust the most."
Another recommended way to combat, or fight, cyberbullying, is to take a stand against it. "The only way cyberbullying will stop is if kids protect each other," says Aftab. "If you stand by and let someone else hurt someone, you're part of the problem. You need to be part of the solution."
Dealing With Online Bullies
Online safety experts offer the following tips to protect yourself from cyberbullying:
• Guard private information. Don't give out your passwords or any private information to anyone, even close friends.
• Be responsible. Don't post any information online that you don't want others to read.
• Stop, block and tell. Don't answer a mean or threatening email, block the person who sent you the offensive message and tell a trusted adult. That person can help you take action.
• Think B4U click. Don't react to a mean message. Walk away from the computer and do something else that you enjoy for a few minutes.
• Google yourself. Run your name through search engines, such as Google, to check whether there is information that you don't want on the Internet. Some search engines let you set up alerts that send you an e-mail if a new posting includes your name.
