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Mike Donlin, Senior Program Consultant (aka Program Manager), for Seattle Public Schools (and our good friend and esteemed colleague) recently asked us a few thought-provoking questions about cyberbullying prevention and response.  They are as follows:
1. How can we consistently involve all the major stakeholders – educators, legal, the tech industry, families and youth – in sustained conversations around these critical issues?
2. Assuming that the digital immigrants all begin to get it with all the current technologies, what’s going to be the next big thing we will have to be on the lookout for, cyber-danger-wise?
3. We (Seattle Public Schools) are implementing a full cyberbullying curriculum, starting with the middle school/junior high grades. What do you see as something we absolutely should not overlook in our materials?

We thought we’d take the opportunity here to discuss these issues.  School districts should contact relevant private sector companies who may want to demonstrate that they care about the community, and have them fund/sponsor events that the school district can organize which brings together the multiple stakeholders.  Local foundations also can help – this has been successful in my school district.  Parents’ nights can be sponsored, and speakers can be brought in to administer assemblies to youth (even in elementary school).  We have found these efforts bear much fruit, and are prompting youth to go to parents and other youth-serving adults more readily with their cyberbullying problems.  These events should happen annually at worst and biannually at best – there are many issues to cover and so material needn’t be repeated.  The next big thing cyber-danger-wise in my opinion isn’t harassment on Second Life and IMVU and other 3-D virtual realms, but cyberbullying among pre-teens and even children on the new social networking sites that cater to them (e.g., Club Penguin) – even if they are somewhat “locked-down” and supervised web-based environments.  Even if certain curse words or hateful words are filtered, youth can still ostracize (through silence and passive-aggressive methods) others in these venues…and can still reveal personal information that may get them into trouble….  I should also say that we may see more picture- and video-based forms of cyberbullying, which will likely include more sexually-explicit images of teens.  Finally, cyberbullying curriculums would be remiss if they fail to include the cultivation of empathy and self-esteem among youth.  Honestly, if our kids were more naturally inclined towards the golden rule, and had internal and external buffers that provided a protective bubble from hurtful words or actions of peers, this wouldn’t be the problem that it is.

Both Sameer and I will be at the Ophelia Project National Conference in Evanston, IL, Thursday and Friday this week (Oct. 16-17) talking about cyberbullying.  We will be presenting a couple of breakout sessions covering issues related to preventing and responding to cyberbullying incidents and legal issues facing educators.  If you are there, stop by and say hi!

We will be participating in a live web chat for EdWeek today from 1-2 Eastern time.  From EdWeek:

“At its best, the Internet helps students find information and stay in touch with friends through everything from text-messages and blogs to social-networking and other video- and photo-sharing Web sites. But the Internet can also enable students to aggressively target and harm their peers. This chat will inform educators and parents on how to recognize cyberbullying and protect young people from becoming victims. Please join us to discuss cyberbullying, a problem affecting growing numbers of students, administrators, teachers, and parents.”

If you are interested in participating with us, log onto http://www.edweek-chat.org around 1pm Eastern today. We look forward to chatting with you this afternoon!

This is another one of those questions that we get all of the time.  Of course, there is not one easy answer to this question.  Moreover, what causes one adolescent to cyberbully may not influence another to engage in similar behaviors.  So, while we have a number of theories or hypotheses, what do you think?  We are going to leave this discussion up to you all, loyal readers of this blog.  Let us know that you are out there and reading this by posting your answer to the question: Why do youth engage in cyberbullying?  We’ll share our thoughts in a future post.

There is an interesting article in this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education in which legal expert Robert M. O’Neil discusses many of the legal challenges facing those who wish to “stand up to cyberbullies.” In the article, O’Neil presents just some of the issues confronting the legal community in responding to cyberbullies. The questions are often so contentious that legal experts themselves cannot agree. Courts have been grappling with free speech issues relating to the Internet for over a decade, but it still seems there is very little clarity. No wonder victims of cyberbullying (and the teachers, parents, and others dedicated to helping them) struggle to know what to do.

In our presentations to teachers and parents, we are forced to update the information regarding legal issues almost continuously as new decisions are filed and new conclusions are reached. The most general advice we give is: Cyberbullies must be punished, but it is important to use the least restrictive punishment available to get the message across. Expelling a student for sending an email to another student calling him or her “fat” is excessive. That said, even the most trivial of cyberbullying behaviors CANNOT be ignored. Take informal action (contact parents, convene a meeting with a principal, etc.) and you will be sure to remain on firm legal footing. When in doubt about any of these issues, consult with a lawyer. Until more cyberbullying cases reach the higher courts, we will have to take actions that seem reasonable and hope for the best…