Solutions to stopping cyber-bullying are often difficult to come across, because there is not one person who can discipline a child for his or her online behavior if the parents themselves do not take action. Schools have attempted to get involved but they often do not have much ground to stand on. “When schools intervene they are often on fragile legal ground. Many schools taking disciplinary action against the cyberbully have found themselves defending a lawsuit brought by a civil liberties group or irate parent. And the school often loses or is required to settle on onerous terms” (STOP Cyberbullying). The way that schools are able to get involved is through a different approach. They don’t necessarily have to discipline the cyber-bully but can call their parents in and have a meeting with the student in hope that the problem will be resolved voluntarily. Awareness campaigns can also be run to teach children of the serious effects that cyber-bullying has on their peers.
Teaching students how to respond to cyber-bullies and when to ignore them is critical to how their situation turns out. Sure, cyber-bullies should not do what they do in the first place, but at this point it is somewhat inevitable. Students should at least be educated on how to make their situations turn out the best possible way they can. Prevention in this case is the best solution because every situation is different, and if students are educated in how to properly deal with the situation, it may just turn out alright. Often times, cyber-bullies simply want their victim to play along. If the student who is victimized blocks the bully immediately and just doesn’t reply, the bully will have no ground to stand on. If the bully continues to attack the him or her, s/he must contact an authority about it. In situations when the victim’s life is being threatened, the police may need to become involved.
Parents need to be educated in netiquette as well as cyber-bullying. They need to know where it happens, when and how. Knowing this can help them to know what restrictions to set for their child’s Internet usage. If children cyber-bullied, parents need to understand the severity of it. Certain cases can be minor, but there are other times when cyber-bullying can be devastating to a child’s life. Parents need to understand the enormity of it all and should never downplay what their child is going through. They need to be there for their child like they would in any other situation.
Below you will find a link that lists some of the do's and don'ts of the Internet. Students need to learn netiquette very early in their Internet experience. These general rules would be a great place to start.
Below you will find a link that lists some of the do's and don'ts of the Internet. Students need to learn netiquette very early in their Internet experience. These general rules would be a great place to start.
These links below will take you to the other pages on my blog. These pages each discuss a certain aspect of E-Sponsibility. I hope you find this information useful!
