1	Cyberbullying Basics- FAQs… what every community wants to know…
2	The Key Questions (in-depth answers can be found at aftab.com and netbullies.com) Why do kids cyberbully each other? Is it the same or different from school-yard bullying? How can you tell the difference between the serious stuff and kids-being-kids? How do they cyberbully each other? Who is a typical cyberbully? Who is a typical cyberbullying victim? How can you figure out who the cyberbully is in real life? What can you do to stop it? What can you do to prevent it in the first place? Isn’t it illegal? Why aren’t schools doing more? Who do you call when you need help? Where and how can you report it?
3	Why do kids cyberbully each other? There are four kinds of cyberbullies Vengeful Angels (wanting to right wrongs) Power-Hungry or “Revenge of the Nerds” (traditional schoolyard bullying mentality, doing it for power…the ironic twist is that offline victims often become online bullies) Mean Girls (doing it for entertainment, usually in groups. Not always girls.) Inadvertent Cyberbullies (didn’t mean to cyberbully anyone, reacted in anger or was misunderstood)
4	Is it the same or different from school-yard bullying? A little of both… Same: The power-hungry and mean girls cyberbullies are often offline bullies too Different: Revenge of the nerds are often the victim of an offline bullying – smaller and weaker Vengeful angels exist only in cyberspace, as anonymous vigilantes Inadvertent cyberbullies are misunderstood or lash out in a moment in anger…typical for cyber-communications
5	How can you tell the difference between the serious stuff and kids-being-kids? It’s not always easy, but better to err on the side of caution Offline contact info posted online – serious Cyberbullying by proxy – serious Repeated attacks using different screen names – serious One time attack, stops when blocked – not serious Anything that affects your child emotionally - serious
6	How do they cyberbully each other? Let me count the ways… Any interactive technology: cell phones, text messaging devices, IMs, interactive games, Internet, photo phones and PDAs Any public outlet: Websites, blogs, social networking sites, guestbooks, porn posts, profiles, directories, e-mail, SPAM Any new technology can be abused This is limited only by the technology they possess and their limitless imaginations
7	Who is a typical cyberbully? Between 9 and 14 years of age Usually knows their victim in real life Anyone, if aggravated enough Often the victims of offline bullying Girls typically cyberbully using communications and public postings Boys typically cyberbully using technology, hacking and malicious code Teens over 14 are usually sexually harassed, rather than just cyberbullied
8	Who is a typical cyberbullying victim? Between the ages of 9 and 14 (except for sexual harassment which usually takes over from there) Sometimes a schoolyard bully Someone who didn’t “think before they clicked” and offended someone unintentionally Sometimes the victim of offline bullying too
9	How can you figure out who the cyberbully is in real life? Most people leave a trail of cyber-breadcrumbs behind them in cyberspace Communications carry an IP address IP addresses can be used to trace the sender Tracing beyond the ISP, for subscriber information, may take a subpoena – law enforcement and lawyers can obtain subpoenas Standard investigative techniques are also used – placing the cyberbully at the location of the incident, offline bullying incidents, boasting, etc.
10	What can you do to stop it? Each kind of cyberbully is motivated by different things – no one size fits all! You need to understand the motives of this particular cyberbully Stop, Block and Tell! Don’t fuel the fire, don’t reply “Google yourself” to make sure that the cyberbullying isn’t moving to the Web or online provocation Warn or notify the cyberbully Report them to their ISP for a TOS violation
11	What can you do to prevent it in the first place? Avoid controversial topics and forums Protect personal information and practice secure Internet use (passwords, anti-viruses) Take 5! (put down the mouse and walk away from the computer and no one will get hurt!) – avoiding communications when you are upset ThinkB4UClick! By thinking about the person who will receive your communication Block everyone but approved senders Buddy-list your friends to prevent impersonations Practice the Internet “golden rule”- never do anything online that you wouldn’t do face-to-face offline Practice good netiquette
12	Isn’t it illegal? The Grey Area (telling the difference between “kids-being-kids” and criminal behavior) Most cyberbullying doesn’t qualify as a crime “Credible threats” are hard to determine when kids are always talking “tough” When kids put themselves “out there” with sexual images or sharing personal secrets on blogs, who’s to blame when it gets out of hand?
13	Why aren’t schools doing more? Most cyberbullying takes place after school-hours and off school premises Courts have limited the school’s right to act when incidents occur off-hours and off-premises Parents of the cyberbully frequently sue when the school gets involved Schools need risk-management guides
14	Who do you call when you need help? It depends on the level of attack: Police if there is an offline component Wiredsafety.org’s cyberbullying reportline team Monitoring software suppliers (like Spectorsoft) to gather needed evidence ISP’s terms of service team The school, if students are impacted Technology teachers or library media specialists The parents of the suspected cyberbully (your kids will hate when you do this, though) Other parents and members of your community
15	Where and how can you report it? You need “live” evidence – not a print out A print-out can be helpful to explain the cyberbullying, but not to investigate it If you were smart enough to install a monitoring software program beforehand, print out a report and preserve the evidence If not, come to WiredSafety.org for help in collecting the data Put together a brief outline of the incidents and information that may help, like suspected identity of the cyberbully, offline threats, etc. Don’t be emotional – “Just the facts, Madam!” Don’t make unsubstantiated allegations Don’t over-react – Take 5! yourself before proceeding Decide whether it warrants law enforcement involvement or just the Internet service provider Talk to the school first, unless there are credible threats for an offline attack
16	Some Wired Kids’ community projects to get you started: Create a teenangels.org or tweenangels chapter Hold a local or regional Netiquette Day (for more information visit netiquetteday.org) Create your own cyberbullying guide (reach out to us at WiredSafety.org for help) Contribute a community webpage for Netbullies.com Sign-up for “Take Back the Net” Deliver a Stop Netbullies presentation in your community using Wiredsafety.org’s materials Bring in Teenangels.org or a WiredSafety.org volunteer to hold local sessions on cyberbullying prevention
17	Contact Us Visit netbullies.com Visit InternetSuperHeroes.org Visit WiredKids.org and WiredSafety.org Volunteer your help at WiredSafety.org E-mail us at cyberbullying@wiredsafety.org Contact Parry directly at parry@aftab.com