December 2005

Q: Many of our students in the community are becoming victims or involved in “Cyber-bullying.” What is it and what can be done about it?

As our communities are incorporating more supports to schools and community service providers, bullying has been an area of focus for treatment and interventions. However, the latest variation of this is “cyber-bullying.” The Internet has created a new world of social communications for young people who are using e-mail, Web sites, instant messaging, chat rooms and text messaging (STM). While most interactions are positive, increasingly kids are using these communication tools to antagonize and intimidate others. This has become known as cyber bullying.

"Cyberbullying involves the use of information and communication technologies such as e-mail, cell phone and pager text messages, instant messaging, defamatory personal Web sites, and defamatory online personal polling Web sites, to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others." -Bill Belsey (http://www.cyberbullying.ca/)

Today’s young Internet users have created an interactive world away from adult knowledge and supervision. MNet research shows that 50 per cent of kids say they are alone online most of the time, and only 16 per cent say they talk to their parents a lot about what they do online. Because bullies tend to harass their victims away from the watchful eyes of adults, the Internet is the perfect tool for reaching others anonymously – anytime, anyplace. This means for many children, home is no longer a refuge from the cruel peer pressures of school.

The anonymity of online communications means kids feel freer to do things online they would never do in the real world. Even if they can be identified online, young people can accuse someone else of using their screen name. They don’t have to own their actions, and if a person can’t be identified with an action, fear of punishment is diminished.

There are several ways that young people bully others online. They send e-mails or instant messages containing insults or threats directly to a person. They may also spread hateful comments about a person through e-mail, instant messaging or postings on Web sites and online diaries. Young people steal passwords and send out threatening e-mails or instant messages using an assumed identity. Technically savvy kids may build whole Web sites, often with password protection, to target specific students or teachers.

An increasing number of kids are being bullied by text messages through their cell phones. These phones are challenging the ability of adults to monitor and guide children because, unlike a computer placed in a public area of a home, school or library, mobiles are personal, private, connected – and always accessible. Kids tend to keep their phones on at all times, meaning bullies can harass victims at school or even in their own rooms.

Schools are struggling to address the issue of cyber bullying among students, especially when it occurs outside of school. When real world bullying occurs in a schoolyard or classroom, teachers are often able to intervene, but online bullying takes place off the radar screen of adults, making it difficult to detect in schools and impossible to monitor off school property.

Young people should be aware that some forms of online bullying are considered criminal acts. It's also a crime to publish a “defamatory libel” – writing something that is designed to insult a person or likely to injure a person's reputation by exposing him or her to hatred, contempt or ridicule.

This information was made available at: (http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/special_initiatives/wa_resources/wa_shared/backgrounders/challenge_cyber_bullying.cfm)

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The following advice was provided by http://www.cyberbullying.ca:

If You Are The Victim of a Cyberbully What Can Be Done Now?:

• Don't reply to messages from cyberbullies - even though you may really want to, this is exactly what cyberbullies want. They want to know that they've got you worried and upset. They are trying to mess with your mind and control you, to put fear into you. Don't give them that pleasure.
• Do not keep this to yourself! You are NOT alone and you did NOT do anything to deserve this! Tell an adult you know and trust!
• Inform your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or cell phone/pager service provider.
• Inform your local police.
• Do not erase or delete messages from cyberbullies - You don't have to read it, but keep it, it is your evidence. You may unfortunately get similar messages again, perhaps from other accounts. The police and your ISP, and/or your telephone company can use these messages to help you. You might notice certain words or phrases that are also used by people you know. These messages may reveal certain clues as to who is doing this to you, but don't try and solve this on your own, remember, tell an adult you know and trust. GET HELP!
• Protect yourself - Never arrange to meet with someone you met online unless your parents go with you. If you are meeting them make sure it is in a public place.

You may need to delete your current e-mail accounts, cell phone/pager accounts and set up new ones. I am working with the Canadian Telecommunications Service Providers to support you in making such changes at no cost to you. If your cyberbullying problems persist, I would recommend that you do this as soon as possible, unless you are working with the police and your Telecommunications Provider to keep the account(s) active to try and catch the cyber bully

If you are more technically inclined, you can do a little cyber-sleuthing of your own to provide the police and your Telecommunications Provider with more information, but NEVER try and meet someone personally who you suspect might be the cyber-bully This is best left in the hands of the legal authorities.

If you receive and unsolicited harassing e-mail message from a cyber-bully, you can often use your mouse to right-click on the header of the offending message and choose the "Options" section of the menu. This will often reveal greater details about the message, such as:

Return-Path: <abc123@cyberbully.hurt>
Received: from [218.242.20.53] by ns1.netizenship.org (NTMail 5.06.0016/LC0008.00.11c4cb1f) with ESMTP id eahnhaaa for needhelp@cyberbullying.org; Thu, 13 Mar 2003 10:58:30 -0700
Received: from oc.xqna.org [158.148.129.96] by 207.228.118.41 id IGj585W6h0WK for <needhelp@cyberbullying.org>;
Thu, 13 Mar 2003 23:58:15 +0600
Message-ID: <l$d0-9x7---s5@8nkq.bo61.g29l>
From: "" <abc123@cyberbully.hurt>
To: <needhelp@cyberbullying.org>
Subject:: I Hate You!
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 03 23:58:15 GMT
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.2616
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="CB8ECC1D.E.F3ED22__.91"

You can then look at the root-domain of the sender, which in this case is the fictitious "cyberbully.hurt". You can then go to do a "WHOIS" search with a domain name registration company such as CIRA if the last two letters of the cyberbullies e-mail address end in .ca (this means it is a Canadian domain name and was registered in Canada). If the last letters are something other than .ca, such as .com, .org, .net etc. you can do a "WHOIS" search internationally with Internic.com, This Web site was been established to provide the public information regarding Internet domain name registration services and is updated frequently.

The "WHOIS" search will often provide information as to who owns the domain name, and their contact information. Share this information with your local police and your telecommunications or Internet service provider.

If you are receiving harassing messages from cyber bullies through Web-based mail services like Hotmail, Yahoo Mail etc., it becomes very difficult to trace such accounts as cyber-bully@hotmail.com. You may have to delete your current e-mail account and start a new one. Tell only a select few people you trust about your new e-mail account when, and if you choose to reestablish one.

If you are receiving harassing messages from cyber bullies through Instant Messaging (IM) software such as ICQ, MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger etc. such programs usually have a "Block", "Ignore" or "Ban" feature. Use this feature to try and "Block", "Ignore or "Ban" the cyber bullies

If you are the victim of a cyber bully who has set up and Web site that is defaming, or mocking you, contact the Internet Service Provider and inform them about what is happening, also inform the police. Use the "WHOIS" search tool to help you in the manner describe above.

If this is a large Web hosting company, it may take a long time to get a response and a promise of action. ISPs are often very reluctant to act in such cases. Unfortunately, some people have only received a response, or seen such cyberbullying Web sites taken down after the threat of legal action. www.cyberbullying.ca is trying to work with the telecommunications Industry to act in a more responsive, proactive way.

Are You Aware of, or Are You Supporting Someone Who Is the Victim of cyberbullying?

The best defense against cyberbullying for now is a watchful, involved parent, guardian, family member or friend.

How do you know if someone is being cyberbullied? Here are some signs to look out for:

• Long hours on the computer
• Closes windows on their computer when you enter room
• Is secretive about Internet activities
• Behavioral changes
• Is always doing homework on the Internet, but always in chat groups and getting behind with school work
• May find unexplained long distance telephone call charges
• Won't say who they are talking to
• May find unexplained pictures on computer
• Trouble sleeping
• Stomach and headaches
• Lack of appetite, throwing up
• Fear of going to out of the house
• Crying for no apparent reason
• Lack of interest at social events that include other students
• Complains of illness before school or community events often
• Frequent visits to the school nurse or office complaining of feeling sick - wants to call Mom or Dad to come & get them
• Lowered self-esteem
• A marked change in attitude, dress or habits
• Unexplained broken personal possessions, loss of money, loss of personal items
• Stories that don't seem to make sense
• Acting out aggression at home
• Missing or incomplete school work, decreased success in class
• Teach your child to communicate. If an adult or a child someone is being cyber bullied, do not accept the bullying behavior as a problem your child has to live with. The bullying behavior is the responsibility of the bully, not the child being bullied