Anti-bully Campaigns

In doing some research this weekend on cyberbullying I found that both MTV and Nickelodeon have launched campaigns to help teens and parents deal with this problem. Nickelodeon’s on-air campaign features some of the stars from the television network. These stars offer advice on what to do when confronted with abusive texts, emails, or Facebook messages. On their website Nick is also promoting Common Sense’s Rules of the Road for Kids.

I first heard about MTV’s campaign from Lauren Le Vine’s post in Tonic. MTV apparently launched the website A Thin Line back in February. On this website you can find information about dealing with cyberbullying and how to keep your privacy online. What I found interesting about this website is the new tool they just launched. Over The Line allows teenagers to submit texts, photos, emails, and comments online that may or may not be offensive. Other members of this community can then rate these statements “over” “on” or “under” to determine which comments are actually comments which are offensive. I think that this new feature is great for teens. It gives them the power to decide what is over the line and not the power to adults who may jump to conclusions too quickly out of the desire to protect their child.

Another interesting aspect about the article in Tonic is the quote they use from Miley Cyrus. She has recently starred in a film released April 1^st called Trust. In this film she plays a 14 year old girl who is sexually abused by a man who lied on the internet to her. I am really interested to watch this movie but I think the effect it may have had on Cyrus’s opinion on the internet is a little extreme. In the Tonic article they claim her advice to teens about using the internet is “Don’t go on the Internet, it’s dangerous, it’s not fun, it wastes your life, and you should be outside playing sports or something.” I wonder if this has anything to do with the movie she just starred in or how much of this advice may have to do with some of the cyberbullying she has experienced as a celebrity. Either way I think telling teenagers to not use the internet is a little naïve. Teenagers are growing up in a digital age and it’s not going to change. Instead of telling kids to get off the internet we need to be promoting campaigns like the ones Nickelodeon and MTV have launched.

What exactly is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is a recent twist on the classic issue that has pervaded our schools and playgrounds. It takes the form of a child or adolescent being targeted through the Internet, texts, and other means of technology. An important distinction is that cyberbullying must be conducted between two minors; otherwise, it becomes cyberharrassment. Although cyberbullying was not originally approached with the appropriate level of gravitas, it has now taken the main stage as a serious concern.

Formerly, a bully had to deal with repercussions: pressure to adhere to social norms, gained notoriety and disrespect from peers and adult figures, and probably guilt at seeing the reaction of the bullied. Now, as more children are increasingly involved with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, and numerous blogging websites, others can publicly criticize the subject in an arena that guarantees anonymity, a lack of consequences, and no confrontation.

Several tools are now available, appropriately enough, online. These are intended to educate both parents and kids on how to approach cyberbullying and methods of preventing and dealing with the aftereffects. Two resource, www.stopcyberbullying.org and www.cyberbullyhelp.com provide helpful information and guidelines for dealing with and preventing cyberbullying.

Stop Cyberbullying recommends parents to be proactive with both the bullies and the victims. The website states, “Educating the kids about the consequences (losing their ISP or IM accounts) helps. Teaching them to respect others and to take a stand against bullying of all kind helps too.” Essentially, it is important that kids realize that self-respect is actualized through not only abstaining from bullying and demeaning comments, but also through defending the victims and lending themselves as a support group to the target. Parents also need to be conscientious of finding a balance between apathy and overreacting. While expanding the resources of the target is key (e.g. contacting the guidance counselor, a present religious figure, or family counselor), an immediately antagonistic reaction is not helpful. Angrily confronting the school, the other parents, or even the child creates a new problem and additional shame for the child.

It also advocates being aware of your rights and the law. Two things that should never be tolerated are the posting of personal information and harmful threats. These can and should be taken to a local law enforcement agency in the form of print-outs, and if possible, electronic evidence and live data. Parents can also provide the resource www.WiredSafety.org, if the local law enforcement is not aware of how to properly provide protection and a solution.

CyberBullyHelp encourages parents to have conversations with their child concerning the responsibilities that come along with new pieces of technology, such as phones or online access. Emphasizing the potential fallout of cyberbullying can effectively decrease the number of cyberbullies – children who may not have considered the damage they could induce would now be wiser.

These resources are recommended for all parents, and can be used to stimulate a healthy dialogue with their child.

What I know about cyberbullying

When I was a teenager, I did not even realize there was a term for bullying someone online. I did not realize the significance that the Internet has had on the ways teenagers could bully each other. Cyberbullying is relatively new and I believe it should be studied. I’m not sure how limited my experiences are with this kind of bullying. When I was in middle school, I remember having to change my AOL instant messenger screen name several times because of the harassment I was getting from my schoolmates. Simply blocking their screen names never helped because they would always just create new ones. Also, I felt that there was no one I could really talk to about this situation. I thought that if I told my mother what was happening she would not want me in instant messenger anymore and I loved being online. I had considered telling the school administrators what was going on but because this was happening outside of school, I did not think they held any kind of authority.

While reading Sharon R. Mazzerella’s Girl Wide Web 2.0, I came across a few examples of conversations instant messaging conversations that where very familiar to the ones I experienced. In one example, the two girls are threatening physical violence.

Junkytrunk16: devin dat was real fowl wat u had in ur profile earlier

Junkytrunk16: sayiin BITCHES these days ppl need 2 grow up or wateva

Babyfizzle: yea well ur cruddy and so is aza, and that’s how i feel so oh well

Junkytrunk16: how am I crddy 2an1

Babyfizzle: :-/

Junkytrunk16: an dif sum1 was 2 call u a bitch u wuld be quick 2 fight them devin

Babyfizzle: lest not forget how us said u aint have my back bf, I act like these thing dont bother me but they do and im mad

Babyfizzle: lets*

Conversations like this can escalade. They can be copied and pasted so that what someone says is taken out of context or shared with someone who was not involved in the conversation. Bullying has been an issue with teenagers for a long time but when the Internet becomes involved, it is taken to a different level.

In this blog, I want to explore what cyberbullying is, the effects it has on teenagers and especially young girls, what someone can do when they experience this kind of bullying, and what adults or organizations are doing to help the issue.