Cyber Bullying and the Vital Importance of Online Education- by Liam Calvert #3
When I watch Amanda Todd’s silent YouTube narration detailing the torment she suffered as a result of intense, organised and unrelenting cyber bullying, my thoughts are quickly drawn to my own experiences with meanness and cruelty on social media and the effect these incidents had in shaping the person I have become (Boyd, 2014). More than this, the tragic demise of Amanda Todd and others like her lead us to pose the question- could more have been done to minimise or even prevent her suffering, and if so, what measures can be taken in the future to ensure that our young people are protected from this vicious and widespread scourge?
As a bully’s motivation differs depending on the situation, the solution and response required to effectively combat incidents of cyber bullying must differ also, and although they may not necessarily be a “one size fits all” approach to the problem, there is one simple measure we as a society can take to help people like Amanda Todd and others like her (Snakenborg, Acker, & Gable, 2011).
Clear, consistent and cohesive education, that focuses on the propagation of a single key message- being the importance of making smart choices when using social media and the Internet in general.
From our community services, schools, teachers and parents, right down to our teenagers and young children, the cyber bullying challenge confronting us calls for a unified, holistic effort from all involved (Snakenborg, Acker, & Gable, 2011). Essentially everyone must play his or her part if a successful outcome is to be fully realised (Snakenborg, Acker, & Gable, 2011). Expanding further, the learning program must commence at an early age, preferably in primary school, and it to be actively reinforced within the home by parents also (Snakenborg, Acker, & Gable, 2011).
Young social media users for example must endeavour to:
- Fully understand and make the most of their privacy settings.
- Think before they decide to post, comment, ‘like’ and share.
- Understand the importance of keeping their personal and private information safely secured.
- Display a general awareness of who may be ‘out there’ and what can happen if basic online safety precautions aren’t followed.
However the learning does not stop there. It could be argued that parents perhaps play the most important role in this respect as it is their duty to not only reinforce what is being taught in the classroom, but also, to further develop the set of skills required to better understand their own children and their online practices (Snakenborg, Acker, & Gable, 2011). More than this, parents rearing children in the social media age must improve their ability to:
- Listen to what they children have to say more closely.
- Respond to incidents thoughtfully and not hastily, as is often the case.
- Better appreciate the reality that there are often two sides to every story.
In any case, the complex and ever-evolving nature of digital technology means that the solution to online meanness and cruelty relies on a top down, bottom effort from all segments of society (Snakenborg, Acker, & Gable, 2011).
From the top, our lawmakers, government bodies and community services must continue their fight for tougher penalties and other anti-harassment reforms. Additionally our workplaces, tafe institutions, universities, and schools must work in conjunction with employers, teachers, and parents to devise a framework that not only assists in identifying the warning signs of cyber bullying, but also, one that helps young social media users contend with online harassment when they’re confronted by it.
While from the bottom, we must ensure that young social media users, learn, develop and apply these strategies in an effective and confident manner.
References:
Boyd, D. 2014, ‘Bullying: Is the Media Amplifying Meanness and Cruelty?’, It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, pp. 128-152
Snakenborg, J., Acker, V., & Gable, R. A. 2011,’Cyberbullying: Prevention and Intervention to Protect our Children and Youth, Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, Vol. 2, No. 55, pp.88-95