Cyber bullying is a “growing phenomenon.” It is defined as “using information and technology to intentionally harm a target by affecting his or her social status, relationship and reputation (Bauman & Newman, 2013).” Being that blogging, social networks, emails, instant messaging, and other technology driven platforms are this savvy culture’s way of communication, cyber bullying has to be bought to the forefront. Through research, it is clear that with this growing phenomenon, new policies throughout schools are having to go into place. Cyberbullying is hard to detect and often, teachers and administrators must stay on top of it before it gets to the point of no return. In order for teachers and administrators to stay on top of bullying of all kinds in schools, they must also be educated. Bullying incidents usually involve three elements: 1) they are relatively brief, 2) outside the view of adults, and 3) are not reported (Toledo, 2008).“ As administrators, it is imperative that you make sure you have established cyber bullying policies in your school. Educate teachers, parents, and especially students on how to be proactive against being bullied.”
Bauman, S., & Newman, M. (2013). Testing Assumptions about cyberbullying: perceived distress associated with acts of conventional and cyber bullying. Psychology o f Violence, 3(1), 27-38.
Toledo, G. (2008). The Guardians Initiative. Education Digest, 74(4), 10-15.