Cyberbullying

By Mara Isabel Pico Lozano

What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is the use of information technology to harm or harass other
people in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner. [1] According to U.S.
Legal Definitions, Cyber-bullying could be limited to posting rumors or
gossips about a person in the internet bringing about hatred in others
minds; or it may go to the extent of personally identifying victims and
publishing materials severely defaming and humiliating them. [2]
How do you make sure you stay safe online?
The Cyberbullying Research Center also did a series of surveys that
found these cyber bullying statistics:

Over 80 percent of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the

most popular form of technology and a common medium for cyber
bullying
About half of young people have experienced some form of cyber
bullying, and 10 to 20 percent experience it regularly
Mean, hurtful comments and spreading rumors are the most common
type of cyber bullying
Girls are at least as likely as boys to be cyber bullies or their victims
Boys are more likely to be threatened by cyber bullies than girls
Cyber bullying affects all races
Cyber bullying victims are more likely
to have low self esteem and to consider suicide

Private or public
Do you know how to change your privacy settings on social media? For
example, you can click on the flower icon or on settings on Facebook to
get to your privacy settings. Then you can decide who sees your posts and
personal information: friends, friends of friends or everyone.
Do you want everyone in the world to be able to see your email address or
just friends?
The BBC Share Take Care campaign is all about helping everybody, from
little kids to the over 55s, to make their online activity safer and protect
themselves on the web. The campaign says adults and teenagers need to
be more careful with personal information and images online. An online
security expert from the BBC was given only the names and the home town
of two pairs of mothers and daughters in the UK and then he searched
online for information that they had shared in social media.

One mother and daughter pair are keen Twitter users. They had frequent
personal Twitter chats that they thought were private but were in fact public!
Now they both know that Twitter has a private messaging function and their
chats really are private.
The other mother was very embarrassed when the security expert showed her
a picture of her partner in his underpants! She had forgotten about posting the
photograph and quickly removed it. The security expert also found lots of their
personal details like dates of birth, addresses, maiden names, favourite football
teams and popstars. Nothing embarrassing, but potentially useful information
for a cyber criminal.
Safer Internet Day
Safer Internet Day, or SID for short, tries to help people to use the internet
correctly. SID started in 2004 and is organised in February every year in 74
countries around the world to promote safe and responsible use of online
technology and mobile phones. Each year there is a different topic such as
cyberbullying or social networking. The focus for SIDs next campaign is
Lets create a better internet together. SID organisers want children and
young people, parents and carers, teachers and educators, as well as
industry and politicians to work together to build a better internet for all of
us, but particularly for children and young people.

1. Check your understanding: matching

1.. social media

a. to publish something online

2.. to chat
example steals

b. a person who does something illegal, for

money,online

3.. personal details

c. to tell a person in authority about a problem

4.. cyber criminal

person

d. to exchange messages online with another

5.. to post

e. information about a person such as your

birthday, your address, your phone

number
6.. to report
written
7.. cyberbullying

f. websites where people can create and share

messages and photographs
g. communicating with other people online

8.. social networking h. sending cruel messages online

2. Check your understanding: true or false

1. A BBC online security expert says that teenagers are more careful online
than adults. True False
2. A mother and her daughter wanted to have public chats on social media.
True False
3. The security expert found an embarrassing photo posted by an adult.
True False
4. Its a very good idea to keep your privacy settings on maximum.
True False
5. You should tell an adult immediately if you see something bad online.
True False
6. People sent unkind messages to Tom Daley.
True False
7. SID is organised only in Britain.
True False
8. Children in the UK can learn about SID at school.
True False