Cyberbullying.. could it be the elephant in New Zealand’s classroom’s?? “Awareness & Education are the key preventions to cyberbullying” Bullying.org With recent news headlines regularly covering the topic of bullying in schools and among youth, it is surprising we do not address the issue of “cyberbullying” at all really, at least among media anyway… Ongoing reports have emphasized and reinforced this apparent ignorance. One report stated that something like 91% of kids, under the age of 18, had at some point or another been the victim of “cyberbullying”. Yet shockingly, only 11% of parents reported to have ever heard the term… In this day and age, it is not enough for a parent to ignore or avoid conversations about behaviour online when it comes to their kids.. And we need to remember, more than technology– what we are really talking about boils down to be just another way to kids & adults alike to communicate. “In 2007, 1 in 5 Kiwi High School Students reported to being cyber bullied” - Netsafe, Guide
WHAT IS CYBERBULLYING? Cyberbullying is not unlike normal bullying, yet instead of occurring just in person, technologies & websites can now facilitate bullying from a distance for some kids. Technology now means that bullying not only occurs in the playground but after school and can even follow kids home. With this medium largely unmonitored, bullying online can be hidden even more than traditional bullying and this causes a serious sense of isolate in a large number of cases. In other countries, the talk of suicides in child who were victimised in such ways has been far and wide, we think more than a few Kiwi kids taking their own lives after suffering this kind of bullying is more than enough (RIP
WHAT MAKES CYBERBULLYING ANY DIFFERENT? There are a number of reasons which seem to make the nature & occurrence of Cyberbullying significantly more concerning than even traditional constructs of bullying in many cases. Cyberbullying can be extremely hard to escape. It can also be anonymous & impersonal and those acting as “bullies” don't have to directly experience the pain inflicted on their victim. The virtual invasion of the home and spread of the targeting that these technologies allow is also significantly concerning. Often outside of legal bounds & difficult for the schools to manage, the ubiquitous nature of these medias means that the refuge of one’s bedroom even, is no longer safe for kids today. While PM John Key emphasised the duty of care carried out & upheld by schools to provide a safe environment for kids, fact is- bullying is a NZ wide issue and this kind of behaviour is rarely limited just to the playground. Most commonly reported concern by many remains the apparent obliviousness of the parents to these issues. “Bullied kids need to know that bullies are cowards & that what goes around, comes around.“
Deborah Coddington, NZ Herald (10.4.11)
Its more than technology, kids needs to understand that, just like in the “offline” world, when they are “online” they need to use manners and be considerate. While they may think they have the maturity to handle these issues, much of what is concerning us when we talk about these issues is the lack of awareness from these kids that they may not want to have every single thing they write, post or upload online following them around forever! While “digital natives” may continue to shock and surprise us with their innate ability to use these technologies, remember to remind yourself; they do not know a world without the Internet. And in this world, a contract has been turned into a “click” and minors are “signing” them often, sometimes even without even parental knowledge, let alone Adult consent. And did we mention this world lacks a “King” or “regulator” of any kind, appears to largely be above the law and features public permanence as part of the main show.... Still sure it’s not a good idea to set some boundaries around your children interacting online... PROJECT OBJECTIVE-
Cyberbullying.. could it be the elephant in New Zealand’s classroom’s?? To get a wide representative sample of Kiwi’s to talk about being respectful & smart online, urging others to support victims of bullying and not to be bystanders when bullying is occurring. We want NZ public figures to show support by recording a run through of the script and encouraging other users to do so. We will then assign some prizes to encourage general user entries after building the collect with a few more “samples”. The plan is to utilise these collections & samples to mix & mash into several 40 sec advertising campaigns for TV and Radio advertising to be used later in the year. We want to get governments to understand and support the schools rather than blame them for these instances and build awareness of the common issues among parents who are still largely none the wiser. Want kids and parents alike, to “Stop & Think, cause once you Click, you lose control”. (Sweet As Social Media also aims to address concerns of Online Rights for users & the issue of the Digital Divide –there are already a lot of great resources out there related to all of these issues, we just make them available and obvious to those who need it most at that moment.)
SCRIPT INSTRUCTIONS: { Please see the example from 6 yr old Shizzi Bowden on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/sweetassocial } Please read through the following script. In the initial space where it states “your take here” please select a sound bite that represents what ‘social media’ means to you best… (samples available online if needed). Record yourself, your friends &/or family reading the script to the camera & upload it to YouTube (using “Be Nice Online” in the title) post a link to our Facebook page, email (sweetas@assistnz.com), tweet us @sweetassocial ... There are prizes up for grabs (details to come) and there is absolutely no limits to entry… prizes however, will be restricted to only one per person!
PRESENTER TO READ THE FOLLOWING:
Social Media…It’s <insert your take here > The Internet made the world different. And technology has changed the way we’re interacting… But at the end of the day… Its still, just about talking. So whether it’s online or off, speak to people with respect, don’t say things you don’t mean and treat others the way you would like to be treated. When you see someone getting picked on, have the courage to say something… And remember, in the online world… things are not always as they seem. So… Stop and Think… Cause once you click, you lose control. Upload your ”Be Nice Online” video to YouTube or check out more on the site for more details - www.sweetassocialmedia.com Share the message and let’s show others how to be Sweet As with Social Media!