Cyberbullying PreventionTechnology has revolutionized the way people socialize, transforming the very nature of relationship-building. With the emergence of social media platforms, messaging apps, and online communities, individuals can now connect with like-minded people and others instantaneously.
The Internet can be a wonderful thing.
It is a place to connect and reconnect with families and friends. It can also be a source of distraction to de-stress from our day. It helps us to unwind and be entertained.
More importantly, it is a respite from the world and its worries.
However, for many children, the internet offers not a respite but sorrow — a way for bullies to find and torment them, in school and out.
Cyberbullying may not be something you’ve thought of much as a classroom teacher. After all, most schools typically limit students’ online activity while in class.
Although it may be invisible within the classroom walls, cyberbullying looms large in the lives of students and young people. A 2022 report from the Pew Research Center revealed that nearly half of U.S. teens aged 13–17 (46%) have experienced at least one form of online harassment. Older teens—especially girls ages 15–17—are even more likely to be targets, with 54% reporting they’ve faced some type of cyberbullying.
It’s something that our children, and your students, face with growing frequency and ferocity (frighteningly enough, there’s even evidence that cyberbullying among adults has increased, too).
Today, we’re going to address cyberbullying and six ways you, as a teacher, can work to prevent this form of bullying and aid its victims.
We’ll be discussing:
Let’s get started.
Cyberbullying is the use of digital means to repeatedly do any or all of the following to a person:
Cyberbullying aims to frighten, intimidate, anger, shame, or control the person being bullied.
What differentiates it from other forms of bullying is simply the bullies’ electronic, digital means to carry out the attacks.
These digital means include social media apps, like Facebook and Instagram, text messages, SMS apps, gaming platforms, chat rooms, and even online schooling websites and portals.
Unlike other forms, such as physical bullying, cyberbullying victims seldom find an escape from their attackers. The online world follows us everywhere, and cyberbullies use this pervasiveness to their advantage — especially given current events.
Technological advancement has progressed way faster than humans imagined.
In only a span of a few years, everything — schooling, scouting, shopping, religious services, dance, music, art, celebrations (like birthdays and holidays) — all moved online. Online gaming grew, too, as well as the streaming of entertainment and educational materials.
Social media like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok became ways to be entertained and stay connected. But, too often, those connections were not healthy ones.
As our social lives moved online, the boundaries between the digital world and real life began to blur. Once a space for connection, social media slowly turned into a stage where people present carefully edited versions of their lives.
Young people who are constantly exposed to these “perfect” lives experience a distortion of reality and normalcy. How did these affect their self-concepts? A growing sense of pressure continues to make them feel inadequate or left behind.
Spending life online replaces genuine connection with comparison and approval-seeking. In too many cases, it fuels the same online cruelty that cyberbullying thrives on
Cyberbullying isn’t always one-on-one. Our online world is populated by different people — from our circles of connections, friends, and gaming squads, to our classmates and family members.
In short, cyberbullying almost always has, or tries to find, an audience. This leads to a situation with a potential for public shame and public involvement, otherwise known as “ganging up” on the victim.
This ganging up, and all forms of cyberbullying, can have two severe consequences for the victim.
Further reading: 3 Essential Ways to Prevent & Stop Bullying in Schools
The first is the constant nature of the harassment. After all, you can send texts and DMs at all hours of the day and night with no one the wiser to your actions.
The second is the physical, emotional, and mental effects that bullying has on its victims.
Cyberbullying can cause a physical reaction, such as loss of sleep, tension headaches, stress-induced stomach aches, and more.
It can also cause mental harm, especially feelings of embarrassment and shame. It can even lead to devastating emotional damage.
The emotional effects of cyberbullying often result in depression, anger, and loss of self-respect and self-esteem. In this, it’s not much different from other types of bullying, except that the cyberbullied, for unknown reasons, seem to have a more challenging time with these issues.
Cyberbullying has even been reported in the media to lead to cases of self-harm. Young people who experience this type of bullying are twice as likely to self-harm and attempt suicide as their unbullied peers.
Even the perpetrators of cyberbullying are more prone to suicide.
With all of this potential for long-lasting, and even life-threatening, effects, it’s easy to see why it’s so important to take action and prevent cyberbullying as much as possible.
There are 6 ways recommended by professionals that are best for preventing cyberbullying.
These are:
Learn the difference between a bully using an Instagram post to engage in cyberbullying and a negative comment from a fellow classmate. Learn what cyberbullying is so that you, and your students, can identify it properly.
Parents and teachers who are easy to talk to — trusted communication partners — are often approached earlier by the victim in a bullying situation. Assure your students that they can come to you to be heard.
A child who was once always being scolded for being on their phone in class, and who now suddenly isn’t, likely has a reason for the behavior change. Another sign is deleted accounts, such as suddenly finding a student MIA in a class Facebook or Instagram group.
They may not get good online guidance at home, so a few lessons in class can be of assistance. Teach them simple acts that can help, such as:
Awareness of how and where your students are spending time online in class is a major way to prevent cyberbullying. You can be speedy with an appropriate response to any bully.
With almost half of teens in the United States in 2022 claiming to have experienced cyberbullying, some preemptive guidance and strategy are called for. Make a plan for dealing with this type of bullying in your classroom now.
Integrate an evidence-based bullying solution in your school and classrooms to help students develop empathy and social awareness.
When you snip bullying problems in the bud, you create a safe, inclusive environment for students to learn and grow. Beyond that, you instill social skills that would benefit them into adulthood.
Positive Action understands the importance of a nurturing learning climate. That’s why we offer bullying lessons at NO additional cost with any Pasela K-5 license.
Explore Pasela by Positive Action! Sign in and start your FREE trial now.
Cyberbullying can be very dangerous to young people. Here are some tried and true ways to help those who have been the victim of a cyberbully:
Many children fall prey to online bullies, and even celebrities and professional athletes have been victims. Reminding them that a friend or hero has been in their shoes can shine a different light on their situation.
Whether it’s reporting the bully to online and school authorities, creating a new social media account for class work, or helping them speak with their parents about it, ending the bullying is important and often requires adult help.
Many times, the bully is looking for a reaction or response. They don’t receive the attention by ignoring their attacks and will often try elsewhere to get it.
Most bullies look for weaknesses and use them mercilessly. By reaffirming strengths and positive aspects of the victim’s life, you can work to undo the damage the cyberbully has tried to inflict.
Positive Action is a comprehensive, evidence-based program that helps students navigate the challenges of today’s digital world with empathy, responsibility, and self-respect.
Through lessons that strengthen character and health habits, students learn how their thoughts, actions, and feelings connect — both online and offline.
The program helps them understand the real impact of cyberbullying, encouraging them to pause before they post, communicate with kindness, and make choices that promote respect and safety in digital spaces.
With Positive Action, educators can create a culture where positive behavior becomes second nature. Students not only reject cyberbullying but also actively contribute to a healthier, more compassionate school community.
You can experience it firsthand. Sign in to Pasela, Positive Action’s digital platform, for a FREE trial and explore engaging lessons and tools designed to strengthen students’ character and digital citizenship.
Ready to take the next step? Contact us to learn how Positive Action can help your school prevent cyberbullying and promote positive online behavior.
Further reading: What is Verbal Bullying? How to Prevent it?
