The CyberBully

As a middle school counselor, I often assist students in resolving internet conflict on Monday mornings. Monday mornings? Yes. Usually over the weekend someone posts a bulletin about someone else using myspace or facebook and it gets circulated through text messages or it is printed and distributed to those students whose parents restrict computer usage. The damage is usually repairable if adults get involved at the onset. However, there are more severe acts such as threats of physical violence and graphic images that convey imminent danger that require assistance from school administrators and local law enforcement.

Cyberbully is defined as the use of technology to support deliberate, hostile and hurtful behavior towards an individual or group of individuals.

Just like other forms of bullying, cyberbullying is about power and control. Those who bully others are trying to establish dominance over people they perceive to be weaker than them. While technology can be used as a positive communication tool it can also be used to hurt others.

There are sevreal ways that people bully others online. They do it by: sending emails or instant messages containg insults or threats directly to a person, spreading hateful comments about a person through e-mail, instant messaging or posting on websites and blogs, stealing passwords and sending out threatening e-mails or instant messages using an assumed identity, or building websites, often with password protection, to target specific people.

Some forms of online bullying are considered criminal acts. Under the Criminal Code of Cananda it is a crime to: communicate repeatedly with someone if the communication causes them to fear for their own safety or the safety of others, or write something that is designed to insult a person or likely to injure a person's repution by exposing them to hatred, contempt or ridicule.

A person may also be violating the Canadian Human Rights Act, if he or she spreads hate or discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or disability.

Internet service providers and cell phone providers can repond to reports of cyberbullying over their networks, or help clients identify the appropriate service provider to contact.

Parents should tell their children not to delete messages so that they can be saved and referred to the appropriate people for resolution. Most cyberbullying occurs when adults aren't around.