CYBERPROOF

LEARN UNDERSTAND PREVENT COMBAT TRANSFORM

A GUIDE FOR PARENTS TO COMBAT CYBERBULLYING

WELCOME IDENTIFY & COMBAT THE SIX MOST COMMON CYBERBULLYING TACTICS Cyberproof is a guide based on tactics and advice to help you and your child analyze the conflicts and work toward its solution with the least harm done.

The manual provides a comprehensive rundown of the most harmful digital conflicts teens face online today and the best ways to stop it. It helps identify and combat the six most common forms of cyber bullying through modern digital technologies and social media such as: Digital Pile On, Imposter’s Profile, Sexting, and Hater’s Club. Each chapter is organized in five steps, in logical order of how cyber bullying occurs.

Cybeproof gives advice on each problem and helps you educate your child on specific cyber situations.

CONTENTS 1 UNDERSTAND 05 - 06 2 LEARN 07 - 12 3 PREVENT 13 - 18 4 COMBAT 19 - 24 5 TRANSFORM 25 - 28 6 FAQ 29 - 32 7 SUPPORT 33 - 35 CYBER DICTIONARY 36 - 40

05

UNDERSTAND

1

UNDERSTAND The phenomenon of cyber bullying is one of the most damaging risks that teens can encounter online.

68% teens are being cyber bullied

1out of 5 27%

38%

15.7/100.000 Studies shows that the rate of youth suicide in Ireland is the 5th highest in the EU at 15.7 per100.000 for 15 to 24 years olds.

What is CY·BER·BUL·LY·ING? The use of Internet and other related technologies to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner.

The phenomenon of cyber bullying is the circulation of hurtful messages on line or via mobile technologies. It is one of the most damaging risks that teens can encounter during the course of their internet use.

The impact is striking. It’s upsetting nearly three quarters of teens bullied.

Over half (52%) of teens say they were either very upset or fairly upset by the experience. Among 15-16 year olds, 34% were very upset and a further 22% fairly upset underlining severity of the impact.Girls (32%) are more likely than boys (19%) to say they were very upset after being bullied online.

Almost a quarter (23%) of 9-16 year olds surveyed experienced some form of bullying, online or offline. Bullying online or by mobile is less common (4%) than face to face.

Online bullying happens mostly to teenagers. More experienced internet users and those who frequently use Social Networking Sites reported higher levels of bullying compared to those who use the internet less.

STATISTICS BREAKDOWN Over 50 % of teens that go online use a social network.

Here is what they share on the internet:

82%

of teens share private information online

71%

of teens share their picture

58% age

41%

full name

41%

school name

10%

address

6%

phone number

UNDERSTAND

100% 90%

92% of teens go online

80% 70% 60%

82% share private information 73% use a social network

50% 40% 30% 20% 10%

68% are cyber bullied 26% harassed via msm 11% tell their parents

Statistics Breakdown

68% of teens are cyber bullied

11% tell their parents

06

“ I THINK

THAT TEENS HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE RISKS WHEN THEY DECIDE TO POST ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET. ” MARK ZUCKERBERG FACEBOOK

SUMMARY • 83% of teens share private information on social networking sites.

• Most of it takes place by mobile phone or text messages.

• The first thing you have to do is educate yourself on the dangers of Internet.

• Make sure to always communicate the dangers to your child.

• Depending on the gravity situation, you can ask for legal help.

• If your teen is over 18, and they send something to someone under 18, they could be charged with pornography.

• Always talk to your child about the importance of healthy relationships.

• Take strong action if you feel like you need to in order to protect your child.

• There are programs that will allow you to monitor the use of the cell phones.

09

LEARN

2 LEARN

Be prepared to know the six most common cyber bullying tactics used by teens today.

6 Cyber Bullying Tactics 1 Ranting Websites 2 Hater’s Club 3 Videojacking 4 Digital Pile On 5 Imposter Profile 6 Sexting Tell your teens to never share personal information online, on social networks or other mobile devices.

What you’re UP AGAINST The six most common cyber bullying tactics you need to learn before its too late.

Some methods of cyber bullying are unique to certain kinds of bullies.

And so are the ways the cyber bullies maintain their secrecy or broadcast their actions to others.

Because the motives differ from each type of cyber bully, the solutions need to address their special issues. There is no “one size fits all”.

Most of it takes place by mobile phone or text (10%), followed by some form of online bullying (9%), mostly related to use of social networking sites (6%).

Being the target of nasty or hurtful messages is the most common form of online bullying (3% of all 11-16 year olds). Having such messages passed around the peer group or posted where others can see them is less common (just 1% or 2% of 15 -16 year olds).

Only 1% has been threatened online.

Although being bullied online is generally more common among older children, no particular age trend in forms of bullying is evident.

FACTS Teens who reported that they had been bullied on the Internet, just 11% of parents were aware of it.

93%

of teens go online

82%

share private information

73%

use a social network

53%

involved in sexting

40%

abused on a social network

26%

harassed via msm

11%

of teens tell their parents

10

LEARN

10%

15%

20%

1 Ranting Website

2 Haters’ Club

3 Videojacking

Using Internet polls to get bystanders to vote for their “ugliest,” “fattest,” “dumbest” peers.

Spreading mob mentality on websites to harass or persecute one person.

Videotaping a target without his or hers knowledge or approval and uploading the video to the Internet.

6 MOST COMMON CYBER BULLYING TACTICS TEENS ARE USING TODAY

24%

48%

53%

4 Digital Pile On

5 Imposter Profile

6 Sexting

A group that gangs up on one person through a group chat, comments and Instant Messaging.

Creating a fake website profile to deceive people into thinking it is owned by the target.

Sending an explicit photo of oneself and forwarding it to friends or potential boyfriends or girlfriends.

LEARN

11

HATER’S CLUB

Spreading mob mentality on social sites to harass or persecute one person.

High-Risk

The bullies are posting lewd and/or severely derogatory statements about you or threatening you and telling others to do the same. Or sometimes posts “hate speech” or makes statements to provoke other unknown people to stalk and harass you or post threatening comments suggesting you will be hurt or killed.

Frequency

Even if this happens once, it is considered a high-risk.

What to do

Save every online message and contact the police with the evidence. Once online tactics turn into full-on cyber-harassement or threats of safety, the more help the teen and parents will get from law enforcement to determine if the bully is breaking the law. You can ask for consultation with an attorney whose expertise is in online bullying or defamation to see whether or not the written abuse may be prosecutable.

If you are not ready to make this a case at this point, then the online bullies, bystanders and their parents need to understand the consequences. Because untrue statements may still be linked to the student’s name in search engines, we recommend talking to a reputation management service for advice.

LEARN

VIDEOJACKING

Videotaping a target without his or hers knowledge or approval and uploading the video to internet.

High-Risk

Someone has uploaded a video of you without your knowledge or consent. The video becomes a meme and goes viral by getting hundreds of thousands of hits every day. It seems every area of your life has been invaded by this video from home to school to your community, both online and off.

Frequency

The video has gone viral, and continues to get a large number of hits and comments on the internet.

What to do

At this point you can consider consulting with a cyber crime attorney with police reports and all your saved evidence. If someone sets out to commit International Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, that person can be sued for damages. If the bullying continues to persist at school because of this video, the school has a legal reponsability to protect the student.

Eventually, like all memes, people get tired and move on to the next thing. You will need some help in this experience, so call on your friends and family for support and consult our next chapter on Transform.

12

LEARN

13

IMPOSTER PROFILE

Creating a fake social network profile to deceive people into thinking it is owned by the target.

High-Risk

Save every online message and contact the police with the evidence. Once online tactics turn into full-on cyber-harassement or threats of safety, the more help the teen and parents will get from law enforcement to determine if the bully is breaking the law. At this point you can consider consulting with a cyber crime lawyer with police reports and all your saved evidence.

Frequency

Even if this happens once, it is considered a high-risk.

What to do

Report a profile that violates Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities by clicking the “Report/Block this Person” link in the bottom left column of the profile, usually underneath the list of friends.

The most important part of these terms of use is buried in Section 3 – Safety: “You will not bully, intimidate, or harass any user”. Facebook say that reports of offensive material will be responded to and the target informed of the steps that will be taken against the offender within 72 hours. In our experience it can take anywhere between 1 hour and several weeks for profiles to be removed but it helps if you ask friends to also report a profile and choose carefully from the options listed on the form.

LEARN

SEXTING

Sending explicit photo of oneself and forwarding it to friends or potential boyfriends or girlfriends on the internet.

High-Risk

You are under the age of 18 and have taken explicit nude photos of yourself with your cell phone but haven’t sent them to anyone. Someone you don’t know has retrived them from your cell phone and has sent them to multiple recipients. A public website is now featuring the photos online.

Frequency

This photo has gone viral, and harassment is happening offline because of it.

What to do

There is no question that this situation is already out of the target’s control, so immediatly contact your local law enforcement officer who have been trained to carefully consider all angles of the alleged misconduct. They will consider a multitude of factors to get to the bottom of it, including who the perpetrator is and if the target is now facing harassment because of her behaviour.

Save all evidence, including any interaction with the school and police.Follow advice directed by the law and work with them to put a message out to the perpetrator, their parents and all bystanders that if they participate in dowloading or viewing these photos they may also be arrested, and even be registered as “sex offenders”.

And parents should consider consulting a lawyer for legal guidance.

14

THE THREE MOST EFFECTIVE ROLES YOU CAN PLAY AS A PARENT: TEACHER, COACH AND LIMIT SETTER.

SUMMARY • The impact of cyber bullying is striking, over half of all teens are bullied online.

• Cyber bullying can have a lasting effect on the victim.

• 68% of parents did not know that their child had been bullied online.

• 24% of teens say they have bullied by others online.

• 28% of victims tried to fix the problem themselves.

• 40% of teens are harassed on a social network site.

• 53% of teens are involved in sexting.

• 82% of them share private information.

• Only 11% of teens tell their parents.

• The most prevalent technical response to cyber bullying is to block the person.

PREVENT

17

3

PREVENT Prevent cyber bullying and learn defense tips to conflict resolution.

4 Steps to prevent Cyber Bullying 1 Talk to your child 2 Restrict access 3 Google your child 4 Block the user

Online, everyone is a stranger. Teach our teens how to talk to strangers safely, and keep them from talking to them outside the internet world.

Common sense to CYBER- SENSE

FACTS Translating what we already know about cyber space.

Online, everyone is a stranger. So we need to teach our children how to talk to strangers safely, and keep them from talking to them outside of the internet world. You also must teach them that anyone can masquerade as anyone else online. The “12-year-old” girl they have been talking to may prove to be forty-five year old man.

It’s easy for our children to spot an adult in a schoolyard, but not as easy to do the same in cyberspace. With children especially, sharing personal information puts them at risk. Make sure your teen understands what you consider personal information, and agree to keep it confidential online to everywhere else.

Also teach them not to give away information at web sites, in order to register or enter a contest, unless they ask your permission first. Before you give your permission, make sure you have read the web site’s privacy policy, and that they have agreed to treat your personal information, and your child’s, with responsibility.

The more risky behaviors teens engage in online, the more likely they will start and online incident.

45%

Interact with online strangers

35%

Add strangers on buddy lists

26%

Send personal information to strangers

15%

Send pictures to strangers

13%

Visiting X-rated sites

5%

Talking about sex

PREVENT

1 Talk to your child This is not a time for them to start a cyberwar. See if they can identity the cyber bully or cyber bullies. Don’t confuse the language most teens use online. Remember, if the language is not shocking to your child, it’s not cyberbullying.

2 Restrict access Consider restricting all incoming communications such as those on your child’s buddy list. Cyber bullies track when your child is online by using buddy lists, tracking programs. It will let them know when one of their “buddies” is online, when they are inactive and where they are.

4 STEPS TO PREVENT CYBER BULLYING 3 Google your child It is essential that you keep an eye on your child’s screen name, nick names, full name, address, telephone and cell numbers and web sites.

You can also set up an “alert” on Google to notify you whenever anything about your child is posted online.

4 Block the sender Someone who seems aggressive, or makes you uncomfortable and does not respond to verbal please or formal warnings should be blocked. This way, they will not be able to know when you are online or be able to contact you through instant messaging.

18

YOUR CHILDREN MAY KNOW MORE ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT’S RIGHT IN LIFE.

SUMMARY • Talk to your child about cyber bullying now.

• Ask questions but don’t interrogate.

• Avoid treating your child as a victim.

• Work with your child’s school if need it.

• Restrict incoming communication from your child’s social networking sites.

• Set up an “alert” on Google to notify you whenever anything about your child is posted online.

• Track the cyberbully’s ISP. • If your child’s account has been hacked, report to the ISP. • Contact the police if the situation is beyond your control.

• Take legal action if its need it.

COMBAT

21

4

COMBAT Learn how to combat and take legal action cyber bullying today.

9 Steps to combat Cyber Bullying 1 Educate yourself 2 Communicate the danger 3 Monitor online activity 4 “Warn” the sender 5 Report to ISP 6 Report to school 7 Criminal charges 8 Report to police 9 Legal action

Take action against CYBERBULLYING Each tactic ethically and legally with the help of parents, school, law enforcement and legal help.

Encourage your children to talk to you if anybody says or does something online that makes them feel threatened. It’s important to stay calm and keep communication open with your children. If you or your children are threatened with harm, contact your local police immediatley.

Watch for the warning signs of being cyber bullied, such as a change in your child’s behavior and mood, or reluctance to go to school and use the computer. Your children should always guard their passwords and contact information.

Remind your children that online people have open access to all of their content and information, and they can forward or use any of that information against them. Teens should assume that people will use the information they post online to cause them harm and harassement.

Tell your children that those who bully want to make their victims feel as if there is some thing wrong with them, but it is the bullies who have the real problem.

STATISTICS BREAKDOWN More than half percent of teens witness cruel behaviour online. Here is how they interact online:

95%

of teens witness bad behaviour online

80%

defended the victim

55%

ignore the abuse

40%

try to stop the cyber bully

35%

have done it frequently

27%

report the incident

COMBAT

1 Educate yourself The first thing you have to do is educate yourself. As a parent and the person paying the bill, you have the right and duty to know. Utilize the web, and form networks with other parents of teens to share ideas.

Communication and education can go a long way.

2 Communicate the danger Once that picture arrives on the other person’s phone, you can’t get it back. Some of these situations, have ended very tragically. As parents, we have to be aggressive in communicating and checking on our teens to make sure they’re ok.

9 STEPS TO COMBAT CYBER BULLYING 3 Monitor online activity There are programs that will allow you to monitor the use of the cell phones in your household, even to the point of getting a report of all text messages sent and received.

4 “Warn” the sender If the cyber bully uses another screen name to avoid the block, and he manages to get through or around the block or communicates through others, “warn” them, or “notify” the ISP.

22

COMBAT

23

5 Report to ISP If your child’s account has been hacked or if someone is posing as your child, you should make a formal report to your ISP as well. You can call them or send an e-mail to their security department.

6 Report to School Make sure to notify the school. Most cases of cyber bullying occur off school grounds and outside of school hours. The school can call the parents in and try and mediate the situation.

Also, the school can host an educational and awareness program to help stop further cyberbullying by students, and to help educate parents about the problem.

7 Criminal Charges Depending on the situation, you could cause someone to be charged with child pornography. If your teen is over 18, and they send some thing to someone under the age of consent they could be charged with distributing pornography to a minor.

8 Report to Police Someone who is posting details about your or your child’s offline contact information or instigating a cyberbullying by proxy campaign should be reported to the police.

By using a monitoring program, such as Spectorsoft, you can facilitate the investigation and any eventual prosecution by collecting and saving electronic evidence.

If you feel like your child, you or someone you know is in danger, then contact the police and cut off contact with this person or user, staying offline if need be until you are otherwise instructed.

24

COMBAT

Think! carefully before you decide to take this action 9 Take legal action Many cases of cyberbullying are not criminal. They may come close to violating the law, but may not cross the line. Most of the time, the threat of closing their ISP or instant messaging account is enough.

But sometimes, because of the gravity of the situation lawyers need to be brought in. It may also be the only way you can find out whom is behind the attacks.

“ Encourage your children to

talk to you if anybody says or does something online that makes them feel in any way threatened. �

Kay Stephens Author of Cyberslammed

THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL TO TEACH YOUR CHILD IS HOW TO PROBLEM SOLVE.

24

COMBAT

SUMMARY • Listen to what your child has to say.

• If you were bullied as a child, try not to personalize what is happening.

• Don’t retaliate against the bully or his family.

• Coach your child on how to react.

• Find a teacher or administrator at your child’s school who will help.

• Save all evidence, including any interaction with the school and police.

• Consult with a cyber crime attorney • Follow advice directed by the law and work with them.

• Contact the police if the situation is beyond your control.

• Take legal action if its need it.

TRANSFORM

27

5

TRANSFORM Teen conflict and teach self-defense tips and conflict resolution.

5 Steps to report abuse online 1 Report abuse 2 Contact police 3 Save messages 4 Block user 5 Save comments Tell your teens to “Take 5!” before responding to something online.

Take a stand against CYBERBULLYING Education can help considerably in preventing and dealing with the consequences of cyber bullying.

The first place to begin is with the kids and teens. We need to address ways they can become inadvertent cyber bullies, how to be accountable for their actions and not to stand by and allow bullying to be acceptable.

Teach your children to “Take 5!” before responding to something they encounter online is a good place to start. We then encourage them to find ways to help them calm down. This maybe doing yoga, or deep-breathing. It may include running, playing catch or shooting hoops. It may involve taking a bath, hugging a stuffed animal or talking on the phone with friends. Each child can find their own way of finding their center again. Teach them the consequences of their actions.

If we can help teens understand how much bullying hurts, fewer may cooperate with the cyber bullies. They will think before forwarding a hurtful e-mail, or allowing others to take videos or compromising the photos of others.

STATISTICS BREAKDOWN Here are few of the reasons why teens engage in the act of cyber bullying:

11%

to show off

14%

to be mean

16%

other reasons

21%

to embarrass others

28%

for entertainment

58%

to get back at someone

TRANSFORM

1 Report abuse Learn what constitutes abuse according to the Social Networking Site’s Terms and Conditions page. Click the ‘Report Abuse’ link and type a description of the abuse in the text field labeled ‘Message.’

Try to include the name or profile name of the person whom you are reporting, and submit it to the social networking site.

2 Contact police If you feel you and/or someone you know are in danger, contact law enforcement immediately.

5 WAYS TO REPORT ABUSE ONLINE 3 Save messages Do not respond to messages from the individual and be sure to keep copies of messages or correspondences from the individual.

4 Block user Block the individual from contacting you and remove the individual from your “Friend List.”

5 Save comments Save any comments the individual has left on your profile page.

28

REMEMBER TALK TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT THE SAFE USE OF MOBILE DEVICES. ADVISE YOUR CHILD TO NEVER SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION SUCH AS ADDRESS AND FULL NAME ON THE INTERNET.

SUMMARY • Be as anonymous as possible.

• Use privacy settings.

• Think before they post.

• Avoid in-person meetings.

• Remember social networking sites are public spaces.

• Avoid posting anything that could embarrass them later or expose them to danger.

• Remember that people aren’t always who they say they are.

• Check comments regularly.

• Avoid inappropriate content and, if encountered, report it to the social networking site.

• If you feel you and or someone you know are in danger, contact the law enforcement immediately.

FAQ

31

6 FAQ

Answers to CYBER BULLYING

Is my child at risk?

There are a few things you can check. Has their behavior changed recently? Are they spending dramatically more or less time online? Are your cell phone bills through the roof suddenly? The first place to start is by talking to your child. Being open, and not spying on them helps.

Be worthy of their trust.

IT’S OUR JOB TO TRY ELIMINATE RISKS It’s our job to try and eliminate and reduce those risks and to try and teach them how to handle the ones we can’t avoid. The rest involves a combination of hope, prayers and anything you can evoke to keep your children safe where ever they go and whatever they do. Your job is to be there for them when things go wrong, without judging them or being part of the problem.

Ultimately, our job is to help develop the “filter between their ears.”

We need to remember that we must upload to that filter often, with our life lessons and ways our children can be productive and good people.

FAQ

Why do teens cyber bully each other?

Who knows why kids do anything? When it comes to cyber bullying, they are often motivated by anger, revenge or frustration. Sometimes they do it for entertainment or because they are bored and have too much time on their hands and too many tech toys available to them. Many do it for laughs or to get a reaction.

TEENS ARE OFTEN MOTIVATED BY ANGER, REVENGE OR FRUSTRATION Some do it by accident, and either send a message or don’t think before they do something. The “Power-Hungry” do it to torment others and for their ego. “Revenge of the Nerd” may start out defending themselves from traditional bullying only to find that they enjoy being the tough guy or gal. “Mean Girls” do it to help bolster or remind people of their own social standing. And some think they are righting wrong and standing up for others.

Because their motives differ, the solutions and responses to each type of cyber bullying incident has to differ too. Unfortunately, there is no “one size fits all” when cyber bullying is concerned. Only two of the types of cyber bullies have something in common with the schoolyard bully.

Experts who understand schoolyard bullying often misunderstand cyber bullying, thinking it is just another method of bullying. But the motives and the nature of cyber communications, as well as the demographic and profile of a cyber bully differ from their offline counterpart.

32

33

FAQ

What’s the parent’s role in this?

Parents need to be supportive of your child during this time. You may be tempted to give the “stick and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you” talk, but words and cyber attacks can wound a child easily and have a lasting effect.

These attacks follow them into your otherwise safe home and wherever they go online. The risk of emotional pain is very real, and very serious.

Don’t brush it off.

PARENTS NEED TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF THEIR CHILDREN DURING THIS TIME. If there is any indication that personal contact information has been posted online, or any threats are made to your child, you go to your local law agency. You’ll need an electronic evidence and live data.

Spot the difference between friendly communications and dangerous ones. But remember, if in doubt, report it.

Let the school know, and also you may want to notify your pediatrician for support if things progress. It is crucial that you are there to provide the necessary support and love. Teens committed suicide after having been bullied online. Take it seriously.

34

FAQ

What is the school’s role?

Schools can be effective brokers in working with the parents to stop and remedy cyber bullying situations. They can also educate the students on cyber ethics and the law. If schools are creative, they can avoid the claim that their actions exceeded their legal authority for off-campus against cyber bullying actions.

SCHOOL CAN EDUCATE THE STUDENTS ON CYBER ETHICS AND THE LAW. We recommend that a provision is added to the school’s acceptable use policy reserving the right to discipline the student for actions taken off-campus if they are intended to have an effect on a student or they adversely affect the safety and well-being of student while in school.

This makes it a contractual, not a constitutional, issue.

“ Tell your teens to never

share personal information online, on social networks or other mobile devices. ” Kay Stephens Author of Cyberslammed

TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT WHAT’S APPROPRIATE AND WHAT’S NOT ON THE INTERNET. LET US KNOW YOU’RE CONCERNED AND WE’LL WORK WITH YOU. HEMANSHU NIGAM MYSPACE

SUPPORT

37

7

SUPPORT

Teen Support and Youth EMPOWERED SOLUTIONS

Teen Intervention School intervention programmes give teenagers support and educate them about the risk factors and symptoms of self harming and suicide.

The programmes also teach teenagers techniques designed to manage suicidal thoughts.

IN THE EFFORT TO COPE WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, BE AWARE OF SILENCE The programmes explain to teenagers how to engage adults when they experiences suicidal thoughts. The success of these programmes has been proven, with a decrease in the reports of adolescents attempting suicide in schools in which the programmes are in place.

In the effort to cope with suicidal thoughts, be aware of silence. Talk to your GP. You could call a suicide hotline or go to the closest emergency hospital. All of these avenues will lead you to someone who cares about what you’re going through and can offer help you.

SUPPORT

Youth Empowered Solutions We need to teach our children that silence, when others are being hurt, is not acceptable. It’s a tall task, but a noble goal. And in the end, our children will be safer online and offline. We will have helped create a generation of good cyber citizens, controlling the technology instead of being controlled by it.

Teaching your teens how to respond to and, more importantly, when to ignore cyber bullying is crucial. Some should be simply ignored and the sender blocked. The easiest and most effective was to any form of cyber bullying. Others should be reported to parents and teachers. In certain instances, sometimes the police have to get involved.

THE EASIEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO STOP CYBER BULLYING IS TO IGNORE IT This becomes a serious problem when children are reluctant to get adults involved. Fearing more harassment if they do, they often try to handle it themselves. But they have no guidance on how to do that safely. If they wait too long to get adult help, they may find themselves at physical risk.

In cases where physical risk isn’t an issue, victims often find themselves ignored. They may be advised to turn the other cheek or lectured on “sticks and stones” not breaking bones and how words will never hurt them. But words can hurt them deeply. There have been instances of children committing suicide after having been targeted by a cyber bully.

There is at least one instance of a child killing another after being involved in a cyber bullying incident. In addition to the physical risks, some emotional scars can run very deep as well.

38

SUPPORT

39

Educational Resources The issue of cyberbullying is a complex one that transcends the school environment. Education in its wider sense, within the home and the community, is critically important. There are many ways to minimise the risk of online bullying, some which can be achieved by using simple common sense and others by introducing polices into schools or youth organisations.

All schools and youth groups should have a policy or statement that is made known to the pupils or members of the youth organisations and their parents. Anti cyber bullying statements should also be incorporated in an acceptable use policy (AUP).

All members of the community should be involved and these policies should be rigorously implemented regularly.

EDUCATION WITHIN THE HOME AND THE COMMUNITY, IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. While it is recognised that home factors play a substantial role in the prevention of bullying, the role of the school is crucial and should not be underestimated. The National Health Education Programme provides students with opportunities to develop the skills and competencies to care for themselves and others and to make informed decisions about their health, personal lives and social development.

The National Centre for Technology and Education curriculum bodies has developed resources that help students to explore their attitudes and their safety when using the internet.

40

SUPPORT

CONTACT Cyber Hot Line

Provides parents and teachers with educational resources, advice and information about potential dangers online.

1890 303 301

Cyber Proof

Further information on internet safety issues, including cyber bullying for parent support.

1890 303 302

Cyber Talk

Can help you identify teens at risk of suicide.

1890 303 303

“ Teaching your teens how

to respond to and, more importantly, when to ignore cyber bullying is crucial. �

Kay Stephens Author of Cyberslammed

CYBER DICTIONARY

FROM A TO ;)

CYBER DICTIONARY

2L8 - Too late 2U2 - To you too 4GM - Forgive me

A AAMOF - As a matter of fact AAYF - As always, your friend AFAIK - As far as I know AFK - Away from keyboard ASAP - As soon as possible ASL - Age, sex, location?

ASLP - Age, sex, location ATM - At the moment ATYS - Anything you say AWA - As well as

B B4 - Before B4N - Bye for now BAC - Back at computer BBIAB - Be back in a bit BBL - Be back later BBS - Be back soon BCNU - Be seein’ you BD - Big deal BF - Boyfriend BFN - Bye for now BC - Be cool B/C - Because BCNU - Be seein’ you BIL - Brother in law BME - Based on my experience BOT - Back on topic BRH - Be right here BRB - Be right back B TDT -Been there, done that BTW - By the way BYTM - Better you than me

C

CMIIW - Correct me if I’m wrong CU - See you CUL - Catch you later CUS - See you soon CUL8R - See you later CWOT - Complete waste of time CYA - See ya

D

DIIK - Darned if I know DIY - Do it yourself

E

EAK - Eating at keyboard EG - Evil grin EOD - End of discussion EOL - End of lecture

F F - Female F2F - Face to face FCOL - For crying out loud FIL - Father in law FITB - Fill in the blanks FNB - Football and beer FWIW - For what it’s worth FYA - For your amusement FYI - For your information

G

G - Grin G2G - Gotta go GA - Good afternoon

42

GA - Good afternoon GAL - Get a life GAS - Greetings and salutations GBH - Great Big Hug GE - Good evening GF - Girlfriend GFN - Gone for now GG - Good game GI - Good idea GIWISI - Gee, I wish I said it GJ - Good job GL - Good luck GM - Good morning GMTA - Great minds think alike GN - Good night GR8 - Great

H H - Hug HB - Hug back H&K - Hugs and Kisses HAGD - Have a good day HCIT - How cool is that HF - Have fun HH - Ha-ha HHSF - Ha-ha, so funny HHVF - Ha-ha, very funny HOAS - Hold on a second

I IAC - In any case IAG - It’s all good IAGW - In a good way IC - I see / In character IDGI - I don’t get it IDNDT - I did not do that IIRC - If I remember IK - I know IKWUM - I know what you

CYBER DICTIONARY

43

IMAO - In my arrogant opinion IME - In my experience IMHO - In my humble opinion INRS - It’s not rocket science IOW - In other words IRL - In real life IRSTBO - It really sucks big time IS - I’m sorry ISWYM - I see what you mean

J JMHO - Just my humble opinion JTLYK - Just to let you know J/K - Just kidding J/P - Just playing

K KK KIR - Keepin’ it real KIT - Keep in touch KWIM - Know what I mean?

L

L8R - Later LMK - Let me know LTR - Long term relationship LYK - Let you know LMAO - Laughing my a•• off LMBO - Laughing my butt off LOL - Laugh out loud LTNS - Long time no see LUM - Love you man

M

M - Male ME2 - Me too MIL - Mother in law

MIL - Mother in law MMA - Meet me at ...

MMAMP - Meet me at my place MYOB - Mind your own business

N N - In NBD - No big deal N2M - Not too much N/C - Not cool NE1 - Anyone NM - Nevermind NMH - Not much here NMJC - Nothing much, just chillin’ NNITO - Not necessarily in that order NO1 - No one NOYB - None of your business NP - No problem NRN - No reply necessary NW - No way

O

OIC - Oh, I see OMG - Oh my gosh OOC - Out of character OT - Off topic / Other topic

P

PLZ - Please PPL - People POS - Parent over shoulder

Q

QT - Cutie Q4U - Question for you

R RESQ - Rescue RFC - Request for comment RHIP - Rank hath its privileges ROF - Rolling on the floor ROTFL - Rolling on the floor laughing RTFM - Read the flippin’ manual

S S2R - Send to receive SCNR - Sorry, could not resist SIL - Sister in law SLY - Still love you SWALK - Sweet, with all love, kisses SWAK - Sealed with a kiss SYSOP - System Operator

T TCO - Taken care of TOH - The other half THX - Thanks TNX - Thanks TIA - Thanks in advance TMA - Take my advice TMI - Too much information TTFN - Ta ta for now TTYL - Talk to you later TY - Thank you TYVM - Thank you very much

U U2 - You too UR - Your U! - Screw you

CYBER DICTIONARY

44

V

X

Z

VBG - Very big grin

XOXOXO - Hugs and kisses

W

Y

ZZZ - snoose ZPL - I’m sleeping

W2F - Way too funny W8 - Wait W8AM - Wait a minute WB - Welcome back WE - Whatever WRT - With Regards to WTF - What the freak?

WTG - Way to go!

Y - Why? YRG - You are good!

YW - You’re welcome

EMOTICONS ARE SYMBOLS USED TO DISPLAY FEELINGS FOR THESE LITTLE THINGS CALLED “EMOTICONS” OFTEN THE IDEA IS TO TURN YOUR HEAD SIDEWAYS, AND IT MAKES A PICTURE ON A LOT OF THE SMILEY FACES. THESE SMILEY FACE ;-) FOR EXAMPLE WHERE THE ; (SEMI-COLON) ARE THE EYES, THE - IS THE NOSE, AND THE ) IS THE MOUTH. ALSO, YOU SEE SOME PEOPLE USE THE HYPHEN (-) TO SHOW THE NOSE, WHILE OTHERS WILL SHOW THE SAME EXPRESSION WITHOUT THE NOSE, FOR EXAMPLE :-) AND ;) WHICH SIGNIFIES THE SAME THING.

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) ;-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

EMOTICONS

47

:-& - Tongue-tied :-> - Smile of happiness :->< - Puckered up to kiss :-< - Very sad :-( - Frown :-) - Classic smiley :-* - Kiss :-, - Smirk :-/ - Wry face :-6 - Exhausted :-9 - Licking lips :-? - Licking lips :-@ - Screaming :-C - Astonished :-c - Very unhappy :-D - Laughing :-d~ - Heavy smoker :-e - Disappointed :-f - Sticking out tongue :-I - Pondering :> - What? :@ - What? :C - Astonished :e - Disappointed :P - Sticking out tongue :X - Hear no evil :x - Kiss :\’ - Crying :\’( - Crying :\’-) - Tears of happiness :^D - Happy, approving :`-( - Shedding a tear :{ - Having a hard time :~) - A cold :~-( - Crying :~/ - Confused ; ) - Wink M:-) - A salute O 8-) - Starry-eyed angel O :-) - Angel

|-D - Big laugh |-O - Yawn |-{ - Good grief! |-| - Asleep |I - Asleep |^o - Snoring }-) - Wry smile }: [ - Angry, frustrated }{ - Face to face ~ :-( - Steaming mad @}->-- - Rose B:-) - Sunglasses on head d :-o - Hats off to you!

IOHO - In Our Humble Opinion M-) - See no evil O :-) - Angel O+ - Female O-> - Male O:-) - Angel P* - French kiss Q:-) - College graduate X-( - Just died [:-) - Wearing a Walkman [:-] - Square head [:-| - Frankenstein [:] - Robot [:| - Frankenstein [:|] - Robot [[ ]] - Insert a name in brackets [] - Hug \’) - Winky \’-) - Winky \_/ - Empty glass \~/ - Full glass ]:-> - Devil ]:-) - Happy devil ][ - Back to back ^ ^ ^ - Giggles ^5 - High five `:-) - Raised eyebrow

:> - What? :@ - What? :C - Astonished :e - Disappointed :P - Sticking out tongue |-D - Big laugh |-O - Yawn |-{ - Good grief! |-| - Asleep |I - Asleep |^o - Snoring }-) - Wry smile }: [ - Angry, frustrated }{ - Face to face ~ :-( - Steaming mad :~/ - Confused ; ) - Wink ; P - Wink with a raspberry ;( - Crying ;-( - Angry, or got a black eye ;-) - Winkey ;-D - Winking and laughing = O - Surprised = X - My lips are sealed =):-)= - Abraham Lincoln =:-) - Punk, or hosehead =====:} - Snake =^* - Kisses =^D - Big grin ?( - Black eye ?-( - Black eye (:-\ - Very sad (::()::) - Bandaid (:| - Egghead * - Kiss *<:-) - Santa Claus *<|:-) - A clown *-) - Shot to death !-( - Black eye (:& - Angry

Design and Art Direction

Alexandra Soranescu