Health Cyberbullying THE BULLIES


Schools and parents are tackling cyberbullying head on by taking greater digital responsibility, says Emily Jenkinson


I


n February this year, LittleGossip. com, a social networking site, popular with school pupils, that let users spread malicious rumours about their peers online, was shut down after a storm of protest from parents and teachers alike. T ey were angry that such a site could operate without any apparent accountability and without regard to the cyberbullying that was happening as a direct result of its presence. Cyberbullying, which is defi ned by using the internet or mobile phones to upset someone deliberately, has become an extremely common issue among young people. In a survey of 2,500 young people carried out by cybermentors.org. uk, a project run by Beatbullying (one of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s chosen wedding-list charities), 50% said that they had been cyberbullied with 11% admitting to being a cyberbully. So why is cyberbullying so


worrying? In a guide, produced by Childnet in 2008 for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Childnet noted, that, like other forms of bullying, cyberbullying can: “seriously impact on the health, wellbeing and self-confi dence of those targeted.” Unlike normal bullying, cyberbullying can take place 24/7, intrude on victims’ private space, reach a large audience very rapidly and be carried out anonymously. Electronically


NETTING


Cyberbulling can take place 24/7, intrude on


victims’ private space and be carried out anonymously


50 www.fi rstelevenmagazine.co.uk


PHOTOS: ISTOCK


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