With the increasing use of technology by society as a whole, coupled with the growing numbers of social media and gaming platforms, the issue of cyberbullying is on the increase. For some children/young people this has reportedly led to tragic consequences, and the ability to hide behind technology means that some people are regularly being trolled by others.
Cyberbullying can take many forms:
- threats and intimidation;
- harassment / stalking;
- the forwarding of images (including nude / semi-nude images) and information that has been shared privately by the victim;
- isolation or rejection (including by peer groups);
- defamation of character;
- revealing sensitive or personal information about someone without their consent ;
- using tagging / memes to embarrass / humiliate;
- impersonating someone in order to belittle them;
- creating or adding to an abusive poll about someone.
As parents, carers, teachers and practitioners, there is a need to ensure that we help children and young people stay safe when online whilst also accepting that for children/young people today there is no differentiation between online and offline worlds.