Technology has brought a number of benefits to the population. However, super exposure and increasingly present social networks, including in the lives of children and adolescents, end up generating a serious problem: cyberbullying. Already known to the little ones in the school corridors, bulliyng is characterized by a series of violent and repetitive acts that can cause psychological damage to the victim. And the practice ended up getting to the online universe, in which the repercussion is almost immeasurable.
A survey by Intel Security, conducted with 507 children and adolescents aged 8 to 16 years, shows that the majority (66%) have already witnessed cases of social media aggression. About 21% said they have already suffered cyberbullying and most victims are between 13 and 16 years old.
This means that the subject requires educators’ attention. More than that: these professionals support the awareness on the problem and the execution of activities that help to end the practice in schools. Here are some tips to apply in the classroom:
Wheels of conversation among students: mediation of conflicts and openness to dialogue are the first steps to stop such as bullying and cyberbullying. More than adopting a condemnatory stance, it is up to the educator to talk with those involved and make clear the damage that the practice brings. And not just for the victim, but also for the aggressor. Often practicing bullying is a child’s escape valve for a bigger problem. If you feel welcomed, it is essential for you to reflect on your actions. In the classroom, it is important to create a trusting environment that does not always come up quickly. Putting the theme on the agenda and turning the wheels of conversation (on this and other subjects that are common to each student’s developmental phase) makes them realize that they can trust the teachers.
Parent involvement is key: invite the family to participate in discussions on the issue, involve not only the parents of potential involved in bullying, but the entire school community. Knowledge is essential so that at home practice can also be detected and prevented. Many students access social networks only in the family environment and those responsible need to know about it to create a relationship of transparency with children.
Promote activities that require the participation and cooperation of all: students with learning disabilities or some type of disability are, unfortunately, common targets of bullying. Therefore, activities that promote the interaction of the whole class help the teacher to show that each one is different – and this is completely normal. One tip is to use in class or extracurricular activities, games that can be played by all and share with more players. PlayTable offers a series of games that can be used by up to four children at the same time, have difficulty degrees, the table screen is sensitive to the touch of materials such as brushes, which will help children with motor difficulties.
Count on support material already has several publications that deal with the subject. Some are targeted at students, such as the Enough Bullying portal . There are also special publications to assist the teacher in combating bulliyng and cyberbullying, such as the primer of the National Council of Justice and the handbook for the prevention of cyberbullying directed at adolescents, which contains tips for educators and parents….. However, with the emergence and use of technologies, notably Internet social networks, appeared Cyberbullying, where the attackers took, for example, the photos of the victims to defame their image, or the e-mail of the msn.
Cyberbullying is, according to Belsey, the use and dissemination of information for defamatory purposes, in electronic format, through electronic means of communication such as e-mail, SMS, MSN or Social Network (FaceBook, HI5, etc.). diffusion of contents, where one individual or group intends, in a deliberate and repeated way, to cause harm to another.
The big difference from Bullying to Cyberbullying is that in this, the abuser uses the technologies to remain anonymous.
It is important for parents, teachers, and friends of the Bullying and Cyberbullying victim to be alert to the signs of this aggression, such as:
Isolation;
Decrease in academic or professional achievement or increase in study hours [attention to a task];
Not wanting to be with friends and colleagues
Do not want to leave home
Do not answer the phone
Others.
There are measures that can be taken to combat this type of aggression. To the smallest sign of Cyberbullying, it is good to keep them in mind:
Report Aggression
On various sites and social networks, there is the option of “Report Abuse”, which serves to communicate that something in that place is not functioning according to the established terms and rules, or some information and content is defamatory.
Put the Computer in a Common Place
The mere fact that the Computer is in a place where everyone passes, prevents many times that the attackers are allowed to go further. Especially in children, who are more innocent and do not have so many defenses, so they can always have an adult around to check what goes on online. And if anything happens, you should talk to the child and explain to him that he has no right to be humiliated and beaten.
Do Not Share Personal Information
Although it should be known, there are still those who share personal data such as photos and mobile phone numbers on Facebook, and this makes life easier for the attackers.
Save Messages From Cyberbullying
They may not be very pleasant to read, but they are a test case if the subject becomes more problematic and requires the intervention of specialized entities.
Change Email
When you feel like you are using your email on websites, change it. This also applies to passwords, social networking accounts, etc.
Below, we list some security recommendations to get rid of this real plague of the virtual world, which produces very real effects:
1. Ignore The Offender.
Someone who is practicing cyberbullying has the exact purpose of provoking negative reactions, seeing their victim crying or in a fit of uncontrolled fury. Do not respond, do not give satisfaction, do not exchange messages with your aggressor.
2. Do Not Pay With The Same Currency
In addition to putting you in a virtually endless cycle of assaults and revenge, when you equate with your aggressor, you end up losing your mind in a number of ways. From a legal point of view, for example, the injury (personal offense) repelled by the offender’s response containing another offense against the offender (immediate retaliation) is no longer punished.
3. Separate The Evidence
Record the files that prove cyberbullying , as well as the proven date and time of the event (s). If possible, print them out so you can use them as proof in your favor.
4. Impute Cyberbulling To The Online Service Provider
You should bring to the notice of the company responsible for maintaining the online service (eg Facebook, Twitter and Google) what is happening and ask for action to remove offensive content from the Internet, to exclude or block certain users. When the person in charge of the service is activated and does nothing, in some cases he or she responds with the offender for damages to the victim of the aggression.
5. Identify The Person Who Can Solve The Problem
Generally, cyberbullying cases begin with people who share common points of acquaintance: they study or work together, or they go to the same places, or even members of the same family. At this point, it is interesting to check a person who has a superior hierarchy in the relationship identified to ask for action. It could be, for example, the teacher, the boss, the commander, the father, the grandfather, depending a lot on the case.
6. Take The Matter Seriously
Bullying is not a joke, people who suffer this type of attack are hurt in their intimate feelings, so it is necessary to take the problem and try to solve it. If you are younger, it is important to communicate with the family and the parent figure to discuss a way out.
7. Avoid Online Contact With The Abuser
As we are talking about the electronic version of bullying , you have several tools to ban, block, delete, and finally to remove people from your circle of contacts that are not convenient for you. Unless you are a masochist, moving away from the aggressor is the right measure to take.
8. Do Not Be Conniving And Do Not Practice Bullying
When we talk about bullying or cyberbullying , it is common for everyone to find themselves victims and never offenders. But the truth is that few people stop to reflect on their actions, as far as the joke with the other is no longer a mere nonsense to pass a ritual of psychological torture. It takes a little empathy, a little application of “do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you.”
Staying inert in one group while another is humiliated is not commendable behavior either. Either you leave the group, or show your indignation against a cowardly act practiced via the Internet.
9. Be Polite And Balanced
Immoderate shrieking, unbalanced comments, in short, the lack of basic education applied to digital media end up making this type of person a target for bullying . Besides, because he has nothing to add, he ends up becoming the type that speaks for himself.
10. In Extreme Cases, Consider Taking The Matter To The Judiciary
There is a bill to amend the Criminal Code that criminalizes bullying . While it is not approved, it is important to know that various behaviors that are included in the context of bullying can be included in some of the existing crimes, such as libel, defamation, threat and apology to crime, among others. In addition, the moral patrimony of the individual is understood as a fundamental right by the Federal Constitution; its violation allows the victim to plead, for example, compensation for damages by the offender through indemnification, as well as provisions for the removal of offensive comments or data posted online (in this case, those responsible for the online service, if they do not cooperate, may be required judicially remove the content).