Rebecca Sedwick committed suicide by jumping from an abandoned cement factory tower in Lakeland, FL on September 9th. She had been a victim of bullying by at least 15 other girls utilizing
on-line social networking sites such as Ask.fm, Instagram, Kik, and Voxer.
For parents, schools and students this is a difficult evolution. According to a 2016 study, 26% of teens state they are the subject of regular cyberbullying, while 40% admit to be on one side or the other over the past year. It is difficult for parents to keep up with the latest trends in social networking. It seems many of us just figured out Facebook only to have to new application such as Instagram or Ask.fm become the application of choice.
The situation is even more complicated by other trends evident especially today. Whether it be the election or immigration or Colin Kaepernick, it is so easy to find hate filled speech tearing everyone apart for their ideas. The action modeled by adults is not consistent with the message to stop cyberbullying with our children and students.
The situation is even more complicated by other trends evident especially today. Whether it be the election or immigration or Colin Kaepernick, it is so easy to find hate filled speech tearing everyone apart for their ideas. The action modeled by adults is not consistent with the message to stop cyberbullying with our children and students.
We are living in a digital age and the responsibilities of parents, schools, and children have changed. We have to educate our children about the proper etiquette for using social networking. As parents we have to be open and honest with our children and have to be willing to learn about new technology and be willing to check on our kids. It is fine line between protecting our children and respecting their privacy.
In addition to parents having more responsibilities, so do you students. Here are some tips on how to prevent and stop cyberbullying:
· Make sure if you are members of social networking sites, protect yourself by using the security features (for example, make your profile private if you are on Instagram)
· Never accept a “friendship” request unless you know the person
· Refuse to pass on cyberbullying messages
· Tell friends or others to stop
· Block communication with cyberbullies, delete messages without reading them
· Never post or share personal information online including full name, parents’ names, address
· Never share internet passwords with anyone
· Never put anything online you wouldn’t want your classmates to see
· Do not send messages when you are angry or upset
· Always be as polite online as if you were in person
If you are a victim of cyberbullying or become aware of cyberbullying, you need to ask for help. Find a
teacher or trusted adult and ask for assistance.
How many different social networking sites do you belong to? Have you ever witnessed acts of cyberbullying? Besides the suggestions I provided, what are steps you believe would be helpful to stopping this behavior?
I am apart of 0 social networks so I have witnessed 0 Cyber Bulling. I think you can avoid Cyber Bulling by not being apart of so many social media sites. You can also avoid it by thinking before you post it on the social media site because after you post it the whole entire world can see it and it is not yours any more.You can also avoid it by deleting random text messages/ emails.
ReplyDeleteI am currently not a part of a social network which means I have never witnessed cyber bullying.I think some good ways to stop cyber bullying is to keep a close eye on people using social devices and to prevent mean texts or blogs about someone.
ReplyDeleteI am not on a social network I have a few times chatting in a game I didn't do it or was cyber bullyed.I think you should block people and delete messages are the main way to prevent cyber bulling.
ReplyDeleteI am only part of Musical.ly, which I haven't used in a long time and my account is private. I have never seen any cyberbullying and I hope I never will. One tip I think people should follow is to not have public accounts
ReplyDeleteI am not part of any social networks and I haven't seen any cyberbullying. I think that people need to be aware what they are saying because it might be interpreted the wrong way. This is why I like emojis because they can show your emotions.
ReplyDeleteI am on 2 social media accounts. I have witnessed cyber bullying a few times but to be honest, I think it is very easy to avoid. I am not saying that cyber bullying is easy to overcome, cause I know it is not. To avoid cyber bullying I think you need to block the user that is bullying and be the bigger person by not responding. Cyber bullying is a bad thing, and I hope it will stop.
ReplyDeleteI am not on any social media accounts. I have never seen cyber bullying. I think one way is to tell a trusted guardian. I assume that they would help you figure out what to do.
ReplyDeleteI am a part of 3 social media accounts. I have witnessed cyber bullying a couple of times but none of them have been that bad. To avoid cyber bullying, I think you should immediately tell an adult that you're comfortable telling or block the person and never respond back. Cyber bullying is so an awful thing and all of us need to help prevent it.
ReplyDeleteI am not part of any social media groups, and I am glad i'm not because there is a lot to get hung up on, like cyber bullying. Since I am not on any social media accounts, I have not witnessed cyber bullying, and I hope no one does. If you witness cyber bullying, you should do one of two things, you can get involved and try to help the people work out there differences, or you can just make your account private. Keeping your account private is a smart, civilized thing to do, because if you don't, ANYONE can comment or read what you posted, so you should always be careful on social media.
ReplyDeleteI am apart of 1 social media account. I have witnessed cyber bullying multiple times. if the case is that you are getting cyber bullied you should take responsibility. Stand up for yourself. do not do something mean back. If you do say something then the people will properly say something back again. Have you ever considered that you might have affined someone. By saying something or a picture you have on your account. You might just lay it aside and think who cares I am awesome . They don't even know me. You could turn the person in. Take a stand, stand up for yourself. Or just tell an adult. The social media should not have a place for comments, on the page. This would might stop most cyber bullying. That is what I believe.
ReplyDeleteI am not part of any social networking groups, but I have heard about some cyber bullying at the skating rink. A kid took videos of the employees at the IceWorld, and put it on social media(Instagram, Twitter...). The IceWorld found out, and this kid could have felony charges. I think some ways could be to ignore cyber bullies, and get private accounts. You could also delete any messages from people you don't know, or if you see an inappropriate message, delete it and talk to a trusted adult, such as your parents, teacher, or guardians. Also, don't wait until the awful messages pile up, then tell someone, do it straight away, because by then, it could be too late, and your job, reputation, and other things could be ruined. Last, don't put a picture of yourself on social media, because they might get a 'better view' of the person they are bullying. Think positively, stand up for yourself, and don't let them see they get to you.
ReplyDeleteI only have one social media.I have not witnessed any cyber bullying. I watched the movie of cyber bullying and the girl tried to shut it down but didn't realize that her own friend was doing it.She found out in the end and it was really sad.
ReplyDeleteI have two social have witnessed cyber bullying myself. It made me feel horrible. I think we should tell a teacher or adult and ask for help.
ReplyDeleteI have no social media cites. I have never witnessed cyber bullying and I hope that I never will.I think that we should tell an adult or someone close to you that you trust. I also think that if you have social media to use private accounts and make sure of what you are posting and ask yourself if you really want to share it. I hope that this never happens to me and I hope that It stops everywhere around the country because this is horrible and bullying somebody so much for them to commit suicide is terrible and there is no reason to be so mean to one another like that. It is crazy! I hope that it stops.
ReplyDeleteI am a part of only one type of social media and my account is private. I have never witnessed cyber bullying. I think that we can prevent cyber bullying by telling your parents or a teacher. It will just get worse and worse the longer you wait to tell someone about it. It really can hurt someone. So always ask yourself, am I doing the right thing? Another way I think would help is, not letting anyone see that it has gotten to you. They are probably only trying to hurt you because they are jealous of you. And they want to embarrass you and make you feel bad. Also, if you are on a social media account, make sure that is it private, and delete any anonymous text or pictures and get a trusted parent/adult to help you. But that is why you stand up for yourself and others to help to stop cyber bullying.
ReplyDeleteI am only part of 1 social media group and my account is private so I see who is trying to follow me. I haven't ever witnessed cyber bullying and I sure am glad. I think we can prevent this kind of behavior is to let other people know and talk about it. That is a good way to express your emotions.
ReplyDeleteI am only part of one social networking site. I have never experienced any cyberbullying, but know people who have experienced it. I think that if we are getting cyberbullied we should first talk to an adult instead of replying with a mean comment. If you reply back with a mean comment then you are only making matters worse. People always say that when you are texting someone talk to them as if you were face to face because we aren't as tempted to say something mean when we can see the expression on their face. Instead of texting someone we can use Face-Time more often or Skype, so that we are less likely to say mean stuff.
ReplyDeleteI belong to 5 different social media sites.I have experienced cyber bulling on instagram to me and my friend by a boy in our class. I think you can add one more thing to that list witch is ask your parents about adds and anything that came up on your phone.
ReplyDeleteI am part of one social media site. I don't have a phone or a device similar to a phone so I haven't experienced anything online but I have been bullied before. I didn't know who it was and I still don't today. I think that you could add a program that goes in to Instagram or Snapchat and it will find and delete anything that is rude or disrespectful. No one is dumb,everyone is special in their own way. I also think that saying something face to face instead of online makes a huge difference, because you don't if they are really excited or not happy because you can't see their emotions. I personally like talking to people face to face because I like to them personally plus you can hug them or give them a high-five. I you think that cyber-bullying is okay than think again.
ReplyDeleteI used to have a social media account, but I don't use it anymore. I have never witnessed cyber bullying while I had that account. The few times I had actually talked to someone online, they had been very polite and generous to me. To stop cyber bullying you should either tell someone you trust if it affects you and your emotions or just block that person if you don't take their comment as personally. You can also take back power and reply to the comment using a sense of humor or indicating that it doesn't bother you.
ReplyDeleteI take part in the app called Musical.ly. This app is one in which you lip sync songs and make short videos to post for people to see. I have never witnessed a cyber bullying incident, but I believe that cyber bullying is a terrible thing that sadly a lot of people are involved in. Some other steps that may be helpful to stop cyber bullying is that people should have a private account if on any social media app, that way you are able to allow people to see your pictures or videos. I also think another good tip would be to not to be the bully and to not say any mean things to other on any social media apps.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I don't belong to any social media whatsoever because my parents don't let me. (not that I would use it anyway) For this reason I have never witnessed cyber-bulling. I think that we should try to make cyber-bulling into a joke like Abby did.
ReplyDeleteI only have one social media account that is on my moms phone, I only have three friends, and I barely use it. I have never witnessed cyberbullying. If you want to prevent cyberbullying you can avoid social media or let your parents check your social media at least once a month .
ReplyDeleteThe only social media I have if it even counts is texting. I only text people I know and have seen face to face. I have never been cyber-bullied and I know I would help anyone who I witnessed being bullied.I think anyone who witnesses cyber-bullying needs to help them, if it is really serious your one act of kindness could give the person hope to keep going and fight through the bullying. You should also tell an adult as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteI belong to three social media groups, Instagram, Text and Musically. I have never witnessed cyberbullying one social media, but I have heard of some people that have seen or were a part of. You can delete random texts or emails. You could also have a guardian check your social media.
ReplyDeleteI belong to two social media groups, but I have never witnessed cyber bullying, and I haven't heard of other people being cyber bullied. Also, my social media groups are both private, and I only accept friend requests by people I know. Some other things that you could add to that list is you could definitely delete any text messages or emails that are random, and if you don't know the number or email, just block them! Also, it's REALLY easy to make a private account, and you can always accept or deny a follow request. Sometimes if I'm not familiar with their account name, then I request to follow them BEFORE I make a choice, because once I see them, and I know them, then I will have my choice.
ReplyDeleteI have only belong to 1 social media group and i have never witnessed cyber bulling to not be able to make 2 accounts and to make your page private so no one can be able to look at your photos or not be able to comment on your account.also i think you should be able to report them so that it can stop and you can stop being bullied.
ReplyDeleteI have belong to 2 different kinds of social media groups and they are both private, and I only accept people I know, or people that my family or well known friends know. I have also never witnessed cyberbullying. I believe we can stop cyber bullying, is to make automatically all accounts private and to cut a person from the app, if other people report that person a certain number of times.
ReplyDeleteI have no social media sites. I have never witnessed cyberbullying. Delete the texts,comments,ext.
ReplyDeleteI belonged to NO. I have never witnessed cyber bullying. But I was with a friend at a time she experienced it. Tell your parents if you have social media. Delete the messages. Report them if there is a report option?
ReplyDeleteI am apart of 1 kind of social media group. I have never witnessed Cyberbullied before. I would have an adult or a family member look at it and delete the messege and block the user.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any social media accounts. I think it is sad that anyone would be bullying to the point of committing suicide. I hope that no one that I know would ever get to that point. Maybe we could create a 1-800 number so that kids who are getting bullied have a safe and anonymous place to go. Maybe then they can get the courage to talk to someone local who can put an end to the bullying.
ReplyDeleteI belong to two social media accounts. They are both private and parent monitored. Yes I have witnessed cyber bullying. It was when my friend Sarah was being told mean and inappropriate things on Instagram. I think a way we can stop this is to not let anyone under the age of 13 be let on to social media.
ReplyDeleteI don't belong to any social media accounts. No, I haven't seen any cyber bullying because I don't use social media.
ReplyDeleteI am on one social media group and my account is private. I have witnesses cyber-bullying multiple times. I think that if you want to not be bullied to think before you post something that everyone can see for it could be offensive to some people. I have also heard stories from some of my friends about people making fun of them and recording their calls over the phone and facetime. Hearing people killing themselves over cyberbullying is something that really makes me sad because I have known people that have been victims of cyberbullying.
ReplyDeleteI am on 8 social medias. On Instagram I did witness cyberbullying, and this was about a month ago. An anonymous (I don't to say their name) user was saying very mean and inappropriate to Sarah S. We soon figured out who it was, and Sarah did great handling it. She laughed at the messages, knowing that the person being a jerk to her was only doing it because he had nothing else to do. I think to handle cyberbullying, we should kind of do what Sarah did, and remember that the person might not even know you, they just need to take their anger out at someone. Don't give these people the satisfaction of reacting in ways of anger or sadness. Try to ignore it as much as possible and remember this is some pathetic person looking for attention. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am on one social media, Instagram. I have witnessed cyber bulling, my friend was getting mean comments on many of his posts. one of the things that has helped him was writing the comments down the putting them in a box, he would forget about them. His mom had put the box in her room, and every time she read one my friend's mom would get him ice-cream. One thing that can help is writing them down, then getting rid of them.
ReplyDeleteI am on Instagram and Snapchats. I have been cyberbullies by this kid on my rival soccer team. He called me a bad soccer player, ugly, mean, etc. Just ignore it and ask other people if they think the same thing same.
ReplyDeleteI belong to no online websites I used to though but I stopped because I realized it was tacking quality time that I could spend outside. I have been cyber bullied what happend was someone called me and my friends a few names (I don't want to say them), but I laughed at what he said and responded by kicking him out of my life I never found out who it was and I don't want to. I recommend if you are being cyber bullied that you play outside and stop using electronics for a few days once you start using electronics seek out your friends and expose the bully for who they really are, if your friends are cyber bulling someone tell them to stop and if they don't seek out the victim and make sure their not considering anything absurd. After this consult your friends parents and tell them to talk with their kid and possibly ban them from electronics.
ReplyDeleteI am apart of 2 social media sites, instagram and facebook (my accounts are private). I have witnessed 1 case of cyber bullying. I think that we can stand up to cyber bullying as soon as we see it one of the ways we can do that is by blocking the bullies account.
ReplyDeleteI am apart of snapchat and instagram I have not really witnessed cyberbullying but I have heard of instances of when it has happened and I know it is very real. We can stand up and ignore these bully or block them.
ReplyDeleteI Don't really have any social media. I've never experienced cyber bullying.
ReplyDelete