INTRODUCTION
The CNG Cyberbullying Protocol was established based on the Colombian law 1620 of 2013, which was designed to protect children’s rights within a school setting. Furthermore, the protocol aims at promoting sexual education as well as the prevention and mitigation of school violence. The Ministry of Colombian Education has developed measures to strengthen school coexistence and prevent violence towards minors, thus enhancing the quality of education for all.
As the use of different technology tools has evolved, so too have the channels and chances to bully. Once restricted to the school or neighborhood and to face-to-face situations, bully has now moved into the online and social media world. Bullying behavior through the use of technology is defined as “cyberbullying.” A factor that aggravates the scope of cyberbullying given that it can be exponential and occur 24 hours a day.
CYBERBULLYING: DEFINITION AND DYNAMICS
Cyberbullying is the use of technology to repeatedly and intentionally harass, hurt, embarrass, humiliate, or intimidate another person.
While the definitions of cyberbullying – sometimes called online bullying – vary from source to source, most definitions including the following:
electronic forms of contact
an aggressive act
intent
repetition
harm to the target
(Hutson, 2016 )
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through text and apps or in online social media, forums, or gaming, where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, inappropriate or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about others, causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful, illegal, and/or criminal behavior.
Source: StopBullying.gov
All bullying hurts, whether in person or through technology. The end result is that bullying in any form can be emotionally damaging. Some of the most common cyberbullying tactics include:
Posting comments or rumors about someone online that are mean, hurtful, or embarrassing.
Threatening to hurt someone or telling them to kill themselves.
Posting a mean or hurtful picture or video.
Pretending to be someone else online to solicit or post personal or false information about someone else.
Posting mean or hateful names, comments, or content about any race, religion, ethnicity, or other personal characteristics online.
Creating a mean or hurtful webpage about someone.
Excluding a child from online games, activities, or friendship groups
Sending threatening, upsetting, or abusive messages
Creating and sharing embarrassing or malicious images or videos
'Trolling' - sending menacing or upsetting messages on social networks, chat rooms or online games
Voting for or against someone in an abusive poll
Setting up hate sites or groups about a particular child
Creating fake accounts, hijacking, or stealing online identities to embarrass young people or cause trouble using their names.
Doxing, an abbreviated form of the word documents, is a form of online harassment used to exact revenge and to threaten and destroy the privacy of individuals by making their personal information public, including addresses, social security, credit card and phone numbers, links to social media accounts, and other private data.
Bullying can be a form of discrimination, particularly if it is based on a child’s disability, race, religion or belief, gender identity, or sexuality.
SOCIAL MEDIA SITES & TERMS
Adults may not be conversant with social media sites or platforms. The following definitions may help educators navigate cyberbullying incidents.
● Facebook - a social networking site most often used by adults. Young people rarely have accounts here except to interact with their parents or grandparents.
● Twitter - a social networking site most adults are familiar with that lately has reduced safeguards against protected speech
● Instagram - a photo-sharing site owned by Facebook that is used extensively by young people to share photos or to send instant messaging. Some Instagram terms to be aware of:
●WhatsApp - an instant messaging platform frequently used in international schools for individual or group conversations.
● Instant messaging is an umbrella term used infrequently by young people who refer to individual or group messaging on Instagram, WhatsApp, or other platforms.
● Snapchat - a social media platform used for sending and receiving photos which disappear after a short period of time. Originally, this platform had a reputation for being about sexting but is now frequently used among young people for regular communication.
● Discord - a discussion board platform used frequently by gamers
● TikTok - a short-form video-sharing platform
● YouTube - a video-sharing platform
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN BULLYING
There are differences in the bullying behaviors boys and girls use, and it is important to recognize both.
Boys tend to:
● Bully other boys and girls equally
● Exhibit more physical behavior
● Punch, kick, or shove
Girls may instead:
● Bully mostly girls
● Become friends with the intended victim to gain access to information about them that can later be used to hurt them
● Encouraging others to not be friends with the victim
● Deliberately exclude the victim
UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF CYBERBULLYING
While all bullying is characterized by intentional, often repetitive, hurtful behavior toward another person or group, there are distinguishing elements when it happens online or via smartphone, which include:
● Persistent. Most students have access to some form of technology at all times, which means cyberbullying can happen any time—in the morning, afternoon, and evening—not just while children are at school. It can occur while at home or in the community.
● Hard to detect. While some bullying is very overt, such as pushing or damaging belongings, cyberbullying happens through phones and on computers or tablets, making it much more difficult for adults to detect.
● Anonymous. Cyberbullying can be done anonymously. Those being bullied might not even know who is perpetuating the behavior, which makes it easy for one child to hurt another and not be held accountable.
● Shared with a potentially larger audience. Information online can be easily and quickly shared, making it difficult to contain or stop negative messages once posted online.
● Easier to be hurtful. It is often easier to bully using technology because of greater physical distance. The person bullying does not see the immediate response from the person being targeted. They might not recognize the serious harm caused by their actions because technology distances them from the real-life pain they could be causing.
● Permanent.* Once something is shared on the internet, it is often available to everyone, everywhere. It can be challenging to delete information once it is on the internet.
Note: The one advantage to “permanence” is that online bullying does leave tangible evidence. Unlike physical or emotional bullying, online bullying leaves a digital footprint; the words, images, or videos posted can be documented through screenshots or saving URLs and texts, which can be useful.
WAYS TO HELP YOUTH
Children and youth live in a time of instant access to cell phones, tablets, or computers, which opens the door to exciting new ways of connecting, interacting, and learning. However, these new modes of communication also present new challenges for the adults who are responsible to care for them. Not only do parents and other adults help children and youth navigate in-person social situations, they also need to prepare them for healthy relationships online.
STEPS TO TAKE WHEN YOUTH ARE BEING BULLIED ONLINE
Be supportive if a child or youth tells you they are being bullied online. Cyberbullying is often an isolating experience, and you might be the first person whom they have informed.
What should you tell the child?
1. This is not your fault. Make sure they know they should not blame themselves.
2. You are not alone. Many children feel that no one can help and that nothing will change.
3. It is not up to you to stop the bullying; we will work together. It is important that youth and adults are both involved in working toward a solution.
4. Bullying is never okay. Even though it happens, that never makes it right.
5. No one deserves to be bullied. All students have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
One of the unique aspects of cyberbullying is that it leaves behind a trail of evidence documenting the hurt the child has experienced. Keeping a detailed record of this evidence will help plan how to resolve the situation. It might be tempting for children who are being cyberbullied to delete messages and other bullying content sent to them, especially if they are trying to ignore the bullying. Yet, this can become problematic if you need to provide proof of the cyberbullying to parents, school officials, or law enforcement officials later on. Remember that if there is no evidence of the behavior, it is almost impossible to prove.
● Take screenshots of bullying content on a phone or computer. Nude pictures or Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) should be an exception to taking screenshots.
● Save emails, messages, and photos, excluding CSAM.
● Encourage the child to forward hurtful texts to you or another trusted adult so that someone is keeping track of the evidence, but the child can delete it from their own device.
● If bullying is also happening in person, make sure to record the date and description of each instance.
Parents can also be aware of the safety features offered by wireless and internet service providers that help block or manage cyberbullying. The privacy settings are always evolving, with new family safeguard and parental control features designed to offer customized solutions to cyberbullying.
Many social media sites have safety pages that provide guidelines for how to address cyberbullying on their site:
● X (Twitter)
● Snapchat
● Tik Tok
It is important to consider that there may be other social media sites not mentioned on this list.
PARENTS AND SCHOOLS WORKING TOGETHER
For parents, you need to reach out to the school to meet and discuss the situation with the school Principal. Use the steps below to outline a possible plan to address the bullying during the conversation or meeting.
● Describe the problem clearly
● Explain how online bullying is impacting the child offline and in all parts of life
● Provide any documentation that you have, such as screenshots or text messages or the child’s completed
● Review the school’s Conflict and Bullying Protocol at CNG
● Encourage input from all members at the meeting
● Brainstorm (without judging the ideas)
STEPS TO TAKE WHEN YOUTH HAVE WITNESSED CYBERBULLYING
First, let the child know how powerful and impactful their response can be. Many bullying situations end when a peer intervenes, which means students play an important role in bullying prevention. However, many are unsure how to take the first step, especially online. As a trusted educator, adult, or parent, it is important to explain to children and teens that they have the power to help others. There are many effective ways to respond when they witness bullying, so encourage the child to do what feels right for them.
Give them ideas for action steps they can take online, such as:
● Don’t participate or engage. Don’t “like” or share posts that are bullying someone. This sends the message that they do not agree with what is happening, and it takes attention away from the person who is cyberbullying.
● Report it. Follow the established protocol for reporting.
● Respond with positive support. If the child feels comfortable doing so and it is safe, advise them to post a comment showing solidarity with the target. Ask the child to think about how they would feel if they were being cyberbullied — would they want someone to support them? Imagine the difference one nice comment among a bunch of mean ones can make!
● Reach out to the person being bullied. The child can send a private message letting them know that what is happening is wrong, they don’t deserve to be treated like that, and they are not alone.
STEPS TO TAKE WHEN YOUTH ARE CYBERBULLYING OTHERS
If you find out a child is cyberbullying others, it is important to know that bullying is a behavior and that behavior can be changed. Children cyberbully for many reasons, including peer pressure, being bullied themselves, or not realizing the impact their actions can have on others.
Start by talking with the child and exploring reasons for their behavior. This conversation should allow the child to:
● Discuss how they are feeling
● Speak up if they are being bullied by someone else
● Talk about other factors that may be leading to this behavior
Next, teach empathy, respect, and compassion. Children who cyberbully often lack awareness of how others feel. They also often have difficulty understanding that what we do online has real-life consequences; share with them how their online behavior can impact how someone feels or thinks. Try to understand the child’s feelings and help them learn to appreciate how others feel when they are cyberbullied. Let the child know that everyone has feelings and that feelings matter.
Then, make your expectations and consequences clear and consistent. Let the child know that bullying is not acceptable under any circumstance and will not be tolerated. Explain that there will be consequences for their behavior. Be specific about next steps, including the fact that you are obligated to report, and consequences will be considered if it is determined that they’re involved in a cyberbullying incident.
Finally, provide positive feedback and be patient. It takes time to change behavior. Be patient with the child as they learn new ways to handle feelings and conflict. Provide praise and recognition when the child handles online conflict well or finds a positive way to deal with their feelings. This type of positive reinforcement goes a long way! Keep your concern and support visible.
Report through the appropriate channels of the school.
CYBERBULLYING YOUTH OF PROTECTED CLASSES
There are legal rights when a child is part of a protected class and is the target of bullying or cyberbullying. The distinction between bullying and harassment is that when the bullying behavior directed at the target is also based on their status as part of a protected class, that behavior may then also be defined as harassment. Protected classes include race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, and national origin.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
There are legal protections and provisions for students with disabilities who are being harassed. All students with disabilities have protections under Colombian law.
If a student with a disability is being bullied, laws require schools to take immediate and appropriate action to investigate the issue and take any necessary steps to stop the bullying and prevent it from recurring.
Note: If you receive a report of cyberbullying, please follow the Conflict and Bullying Protocol at CNG. CNG is committed to following Colombian Laws and the “Protocolo de Prevención del Ciberacoso y delitos en medios digitales” from the Ministry of Education in Colombia.
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