Cyber Bullying & School Bullying

Research and experience suggest comprehensive efforts that involve administrators, teachers and other school staff, students, and parents who are concerned about school violence and bullying are more likely to be successful than those based solely in the classroom. Comprehensive intervention encompasses clearly worded policies and stated codes of behaviors with consistent and supportive follow-through. Many resources needed come from the existing school community, including all school staff (including hall monitors, cafeteria workers, janitors), administrators, and parents.

It takes time to change attitudes and behaviors. But a community that perseveres can be successful.

More than 10 years ago, Harvard University convened international experts on school violence and bullying to study prevention strategies. Sponsored by the National School Safety Center and the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice, Delinquency and Prevention, the practicum included prominent researchers, mental health professionals, and school and law enforcement personnel. This effort resulted in the development of a list of services, strategies, and suggested training classes for addressing bullying. It also led to the recommendation that schools provide:

* Rules against bullying that are publicized, posted school-wide, and accompanied by consistent sanctions
* Student and adult mentors who assist victims to build self-esteem and to foster mutual understanding of and appreciation for differences in others
* A “buddy system” that pairs students with a particular friend or an older student who is aware of the buddy’s class schedule and is available if help is needed
* An on-campus parents’ center to recruit parents to participate in the educational process, volunteer, and assist in school projects and activities
* Parenting and anger management classes for adults
* Behavior contracts signed by students and parents, and written behavior codes for students, teachers, and staff members
* Discipline policies that emphasize positive behaviors rather than punishments for wrong behaviors
* Training for all adult supervisors in cafeterias, playgrounds, or other “hot spots” where bullying is known to occur
* Classroom and school-wide activities designed to build self-esteem (for those who are bullied) by spotlighting special talents, hobbies, interests, and abilities of all students

Source: http://pathwayscourses.samhsa.gov/bully/bully_6_pg4.htm

One of the most damaging aspects of bullying in schools is that it poisons the atmosphere of learning for everyone. All students need to feel safe and secure in order to learn, and learning entails much more than the academics. Middle school students, in particular, are focused at that age on peer acceptance and vulnerable to messages about what is acceptable behavior for “fitting in.” Prevention efforts must recognize the role of the peer group, as well as the relationship between the person who bullies and the person who is bullied.

Promoting this environment of health and safety is a community-wide responsibility. Lack of adult supervision, acceptance of bullying behavior, and inconsistent enforcement of rules provide fertile conditions for the propagation of bullying activities. Many children who are bullied can’t always handle the problem on their own. Adults must play a significant role.

Studies have shown that the most effective programs aren’t those that rely on negative, punitive measures. Effective prevention programs promote positive and just practices, while also setting firm limits to unacceptable behavior. Some schools and communities have created exemplary programs to reduce bullying and its detrimental effects on children. Replicating these programs and creating new responses can reduce the “fear factor” in the nation’s schools.

Source: http://pathwayscourses.samhsa.gov/bully/bully_6_pg2.htm

by: Michael Ryan

The emergence of the internet, and associated technologies like email and instant messaging, present problems for today’s parents that were unimaginable just twenty years ago. Children use computers for homework, surf the web at their leisure and socialize through instant messaging – all activities that are often outside direct parental control and by themselves leave little or no record of their occurrence.

Some parents attempt to solve the problem by banning computer use entirely or allowing it only when a parent directly supervises, but most find this is not a realistic solution and places their child at an academic and social disadvantage compared to other children. On the other hand, unfettered access to a computer with access to the internet poses real dangers to children. Consider the following:

* Computer-sex offenders almost always meet potential victims in instant message chat rooms. Chat rooms grant these predators anonymity and a belief their instant messages are not monitored or recorded.

* The average age of first exposure to pornography is over the internet is 11 years old.

* The FBI recommends you monitor your child’s access to all types of live electronic communications, including instant message and email.

* One out of five children were aggressively pushed to have face-to-face meetings with strangers in the last year, often via instant messaging.

* Because young people often find instant messaging easier than talking face to face, they often say things they wouldn’t say in person. Cyber-bullying has become a new form of harassment.

* While online predators usually gradually seduce their targets through attention, affection, kindness, and even gifts, some predators work faster than others, engaging in sexually explicit conversations immediately.

Many parents are finding an acceptable middle-ground between no supervision at all and direct personal control of their children’s computer use is to use inexpensive and readily available keylogger software. Keylogger software monitors a child’s actions on the computer and stores this information for later review by a parent. Quality varies, but keylogger software is usually easy to install and setup, requires no advanced knowledge by the user, and often can be purchased for less than $30( one vendor of keylogging software is PCSentinel Software – www.pcsentinelsoftware.com ). Outside of physically being present and watching while a child uses the computer, keylogger software is the only way for a parent to know exactly how their child is using their computer.

Unfortunately, some parents are reluctant to use keylogger software because they feel they are they are spying on their children, or that their children are good kids and don’t require this level of supervision. However, the fact remains that even “good” or “smart” children are still just children and often make, or can be induced to make, very bad choices with awful consequences. Even savvy children who feel they are protecting their private information from strangers in chat rooms often don’t realize how much personal information they may reveal over many conversations – and predators are known to keep detailed files on their victims, often piecing together small bits of information gathered over many conversations to construct an outline of a child’s daily routine and whereabouts.

Ultimately, it is hard to argue that keylogging software is not a necessary tool for every parent with children who have access to the internet. Simply put, it is the parent’s responsibility to know with certainty what is going on in their children’s lives – and given the dangers of unmonitored internet access the only way parents really know how their children are using their computer is through keylogging software.

About The Author

Michael Ryan owns and operates PCSentinel Software, developer of easy-to-use keylogger software such as PCSentinel’s Busted: Keylogger and Instant Message Monitor and PCSentinel’s Red-Handed: Record Instant Messages!