Stop Cyberbullying

 

            This week I got to study the extremely important issue of cyberbullying. As the image presents, cyberbullying is a broad term that affects each individual differently. The image demonstrates a young girl opening her laptop to a list of rude comments that are meant to tear her down. Cyberbullying is an enduring issue as technology continues to advance. Growing up in the era of social media has only made the issue worse and has created this issue at an earlier age for many. A digital footprint is something that is extremely important because posts on the internet become accessible to everyone. This can happen through the sharing of posts, screenshots, or posting on public forums. Anyone can be subject to internet harassment. As seen from the video Dark Cloud: The High Cost of Cyberbullying, cyberbullying caused more implications for one's mental health than what may meet the eye. It brought me back to earlier topics we discussed and how we need to better check up on the mental health of students and consider counseling for trauma. Hearing Carol Todd explain the story of her daughter’s death and then hearing Brooke’s story really displayed the severity of the issue. Brooke’s story really stood out because she attempted to over-medicate herself because she felt consumed by the amount of cyberbullying she was encountering. She felt alone and misunderstood and did not talk about the severity of it with those closest to her.
            As a future educator, cyberbullying is inevitably something many of my students might face. I recently read “More than one-third of American youths age 12 to 17 report being victims of cyberbullying in the past year” (Tonn, 2022) and this statistic is way too high which makes it concerning. In many situations, adults are not aware of all the chatter that is occurring on social media and the web, so they are not always aware of the situation. Teachers play a large role in limiting the amount of cyberbullying that occurs. One way to do so is to “promote a positive and safe classroom culture” (Wilkey, 2019). This is something that I will strive to do. Brooke’s story really stood out to me because she had nobody she felt safe confiding in. I want my students to feel safe reaching out to me if they need help in any way. The video also made a suggestion to begin teaching students when they enter grade school about social skills. I think that is something I would love to implement in my classroom because it will foster safe conversations about kindness and safety for all which is really important to practice at an early age. I think teachers can take a more active role in learning about social media, as well as chatrooms. We need to be aware of the sites our students are frequently on to understand how what they see or are being sent affects them both positively and negatively. I think as a future teacher I can “increase my digital awareness” (Stopbullying.gov, 2021) so that I can see things from the perspective of my students to better understand their feelings. I am a firm believer that seeing things through the eyes of others helps broaden your understanding of certain topics and if I can relate to my students I will be able to help them on a deeper level.
            I am growing up in the digital age and I have seen cyberbullying occur on the internet. It is very hard to do anything about it. A lot of times I can block a page or delete a message from my feed, but other than that not much can be done. It is important to check on your friends and make sure messages are not misconstrued. Sometimes tone does not translate through the phone. As someone still learning about how to manage this issue, all I can do is further educate myself so I am best equipped to handle it when my students are faced with cyberbullying.


References

Dupej, H. & Embry, M. (2020). Dark cloud: The high cost of cyberbullying. TELUS Wise.

Wilkey Oh, E. (2019, March 25). Teachers' Essential Guide to Cyberbullying Prevention. Common Sense Education. https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/teachers-essential-guide-to-cyberbullying-prevention

Tips for Teachers: Warning Signs a Child is Being Cyberbullied or is Cyberbullying. (2021, May 21). stopbullying.gov. https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/tips-for-teachers

Tonn, J. (2022). Cyber Bullying. Retrieved 10 October 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/technology/cyber-bullying/2006/08

Cyberbullying. (2022). [Image]. Retrieved from https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/cyberbullying