Cyberbullying When good technology goes bad…….. Stay safe in cyberspace

What is it? Cyberbullying is when children or teenagers use the web, or mobile phones or any other technology to threaten, tease or embarrass another young person.

Technology is a good thing... Allows feeling of being connected with peers, friends and family Positive, productive and creative part of activity and development of identity Should be promoted to develop a culture of confident technology users Used to support innovation, e-safety and digital literacy skills

Technology is a bad thing….. Used negatively, it allows opportunities for bullying via: –Mobile phones –The Internet / Social Networking sites –Digital media – images, videos, sound –MSN (messaging)

Impacts widely this can happen 24/7 can invade the previously ‘safe’ area of being at home.

Impacts widely potentially a wide audience the bully can be very hard to avoid it's often difficult to work out who the cyberbullies are, as they can hide behind fake names and are never in the same physical space Can take place across generations or between peers/friends

Have you been a cyberbully? Have you: –sent a message without thinking –sent a joke that may be offensive or upsetting –said something negative online –ever thought that this may be forwarded to a wider group –posted a picture without asking for that person’s permission Deliberately or Unintentionally?

What should you do about it? Keep evidence of cyberbullying by saving messages, s and MSN conversations. Screenshot web pages.

What should you do about it? Don’t reply Never retaliate or reply if you’ve been sent a nasty message. If you can, block the bully.

What should you do about it? Report it  To an adult you can trust  To the people running the website, technology service or your mobile phone service provider.  To the police (for serious abuse)

Ideas for preventing cyberbullying Always respect others – be careful what you say and what you send. Messages and images can be made public and could stay online forever. Protect – your school and online accounts and your mobile phone with a password – don’t share it with anyone! ‘Friends’ – should only be people you know in real life and can trust

If it is happening to you… stay away from websites the bullies use and block addresses or mobile numbers that send nasty messages. Changing your username may also help. And as with all bullying, telling an adult it's happening is REALLY important too.

Help! TELL SOMEONE Call Childline on Useful websites…

Don’t be a part of cyberbullying. See it, Get help, Stop it.