Cyberbullying: What is Being Done in our Province?

Since the suicide of Cole Harbor teen Rehtaeh Parsons last April, the issue of cyberbullying has been brought to the forefront of Nova Scotian society by the provinces media. The scale of the issue of cyberbullying has been realized by people other than the youth of the province, who are the group most affected by cyberbullying. Action was taken by the provincial government and specifically, the Department of Education to help educate Nova Scotians. Cyberbullying does not only affect young people. Perpetrators and victims are all ages, including seniors. The education system in Nova Scotia has taken positives steps to raise awareness about cyberbullying by finding ways to inform students about this prevalent issue. In health classes, students are taught about cyberbullying, how to deal with its affects and how to avoid situations where online conflicts could be an issue. Making young people aware of this problem makes them more conscious of their actions online, which in turn, will hopefully make cyberbullying less of a problem for future generations. In addition to introducing a cyberbullying bill, the government of Nova Scotia has taken a big step forward in cyber law and safety by creating the provincial CyberScan unit, which handles cases of cyberbullying with ties to our province. This is the first investigative force in North America dedicated to review cyberbullying cases and which has been empowered to act accordingly. The unit tries to resolve cases with out-of-court settlements between victims and perpetrators and only resorting to the justice system if it is deemed absolutely necessary, like if the perpetrator violated an informal settlement agreement. On a national level, the federal government has created a campaign called Stop Hating Online. This campaign specifically targets youth, which is evident in their television advertisements. It is designed to notify Canadians to be aware about how their online activity affects others and to be responsible about what they share on social media. The campaign is being promoted by federal justice minister, Peter MacKay, who is discussing his mission in schools across the country and launched it in Halifax at Fairview Junior High. Below is an example of one of the ads aired promoting Stop Hating Online.