CYBER BULLYING AND

PREVENTION
 WHAT IS CYBER BULLYING?
There is no single definition of
bullying and cyberbullying
agreed upon internationally
and at European level.
However, attempts to define
these phenomena have been
made by international
organizations, EU
institutions and academia.

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 WHAT IS CYBER BULLYING?
Bullying is generally understood
as an aggressive and
intentional act or behaviour
carried out by a group or an
individual repeatedly and over
time against a victim who
cannot easily defend him or
herself.
The term cyberbullying is used to
describe bullying taking place
on the internet mostly through
mobile phones and social
media. 3
 WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?


1/3 children has been a
victim of cyber-bullying.

Nearly half of suicides
among 10 to 14-year-
olds are due to bullying.

1 in 7 teachers is a victim
of cyber-bullying.

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 There are two kinds of Cyber Bullying...

Direct Attacks- messages
sent directly to the
victim.

Cyber Bullying by Proxy-
Using someone else to
cyber bully a victim, this
proxy may know they
are cyber bullying and
they may not.

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 Why do children Cyber Bully?


Anger

Frustration

Revenge

Entertainment

To get laughs or reactions

Power hungry

Because all motives for bullying are different so
are the solutions and responses

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 Elements characterizing cyberbullying

The use of electronic or

digital means
Intentional harm
Imbalance of power
Repetition
Sense of anonymity and
lack of accountability
Publicity

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 3 Key bullying characteristics are:

Bullying is intentional acts. Bullies

understands that their actions hurt
the other and they are doing it
deliberately.
Repetitive behavior. Just one
aggressive action is not bullying.
Bullying called such behavior, which
takes place systematically for some
time.
Bullying with striking psychological
or physical strength advantage.
Thus, the offended child feels
weaker than the perpetrators and
can not defend himself from them.
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 FORMS OF CYBERBULLYING

Behavior Definition
Exclusion the rejection of a person from an online group provoking his/her social marginalization
and exclusion

Online the repetition of harassment behaviours on the net, including insults, mocking, slander,
menacing chain messages, denigrations, name calling, gossiping, abusive or hate-
harassment related behaviours. Harassment differs from nuisance in light of its frequency. It can
also be featured as sexual harassment if it includes the spreading of sexual rumours, or
the commenting of the body, appearance, sex, gender of an individual.
Griefing the harassment of someone in a cyber-game or virtual word (e.g. ChatRoulette,
Formspring, etc.)

Flaming the online sending of violent or vulgar messages. It differentiates from harassment on
the basis that flaming is an online fight featured by anger and violence (e.g. use of
capital letter or images to make their point)

Trolling the persistent abusive comments on a website

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 FORMS OF CYBERBULLYING

Behavior Definition
Cyberstalking involves continual threatening and sending of rude messages.

Cyber - persecution continuous and repetitive harassment, denigration, insulting, and threats.

Masquerade a situation where a bully creates a fake identity to harass someone else.

Impersonation the impersonation of someone else to send malicious messages, as well as the
breaking into someone’s account to send messages, or like posts that will cause
embarrassment or damage to the person’s reputation and affect his/her social
Life.

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 EXTENT AND SCOPE OF THE PHENOMENOM

 A worldwide survey conducted in 2011 in 24 countries found that 66%

of the 18,687 interviewed people including children and adults, saw,
read or heard something about cyberbullying behaviours.
 In the USA, the Cyberbullying Research Center assessed that one out of
four teenagers has experienced cyberbullying and one out of six has
perpetrated cyberbullying.
 The 2014 EU Net Children Go Mobile Report showed that 12% of the
3,500 children aged 9-16 years old were cyberbullied. The 2011 EU Kids
Online report found that 6% of the 25,142 children between 9 and 16
years of age had been bullied online across Europe, and 3 % had carried
out cyberbullying.

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 MEANS USED

 Cyberbullying can be carried out through

different means, such as mobile devices,
internet, messaging (e.g. instant
messaging, chat programs,
text/audio/video programs, multimedia
messages, gaming devices and social
networks).
 Initial research in this area showed that
the most common channels to perpetrate
cyberbullying were phone calls and text
messages.
 However, the rapid pace of ICT innovation
determined changes in patterns.
Nowadays, cyberbullying is increasingly
performed through social networks
(mostly Facebook, followed by Twitter,
Instagram, Tumblr and YouTube) 12
 VICTIMS

 Trends reflect a relationship between

age and frequency of victimization with
a higher number of victims in the group
of 13–15-year-old children.
 According to the Net Children Go Mobile
survey, which interviewed 3,500 children
of seven EU Member States, over the
period 2013–2014, children between 13
and 14 years of age were the most
affected by cyberbullying.
 Victims of cyberbullying tend to be
younger than the perpetrators.
 More than twice the number of teenage
girls being cyberbullied compared to
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boys.
 PERPETRATORS

 The few studies available at the international

level tend to indicate that older children are
more likely to perpetrate cyberbullying.
 Older children, 14 years old and above,
emerged as the majority of perpetrators and
their actions were perceived as rougher.
 Cyberbullying is generally equal for both
sexes. Although some studies suggest that
girls are perpetrators of cyberbullying as
much as boys, no conclusive evidence can be
drawn on this aspect.
 Girls are more involved in bullying online
than offline.

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 Cyber Bully Profile
Cyber Bullies:
High self image
Social competence
High relationship between
traditional and online bully
Lack of surveillance by
parents

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 Cyberbullying -VS- Bullying
Bullying
Face – to - face
Can find a safe space or escape
Limited to onlookers
Bully can be identified
Can see facial and body reaction of target
and onlookers
Cyberbullying
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days/yr
No safe space – hard to escape
Shared by wide audience – can go viral in a
matter of seconds
Bully can be anonymous
Harder to empathize with the target
No geographical limitations
The target can easily become the bully

Bullying online and offline seem also to be linked. Cyberbullying perpetrators are often involved
as victims or perpetrators in traditional bullying.

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 Consequences of Cyber Bullying

Anxiety

Sadness

Shame

Anger

Depression

Stress Related Disorders

Suicide

Low Self Esteem

Withdrawal from friends and activities

Changes in mood, behaviour and appetite

Emotional Distress during and after using
technology
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
Bullying others
 Why is Cyberbullying so hurtful?
1. Permanence: The insults,
comments or images can be
preserved by the person who
was bullied or by others so
that the victim may read or
view them over and over
again and the harm is re-
inflicted with each reading or
viewing.
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 Why is Cyberbullying so hurtful?

2. Audience size: The

size of the audience
that is able to view or
access the damaging
material increases the
victim’s humiliation.

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 Why is Cyberbullying so hurtful?
3. Familiarity: many young
people are friends with or
know their cyber bully
either threw school or
other personal
connections, increasing
the potential for
embarrassment and
humiliation.
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 Why is Cyberbullying so hurtful?
4. Social Networking:
Social Networking sites
such as Facebook and
MySpace allow cyber
bullies to engage in
campaigns against a
particular person which
may involve many
others.
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 Why is Cyberbullying so hurtful?
5. Speed: The speed at
which harmful
messages can reach
large audiences also
plays a major part in
making cyberbullying
so damaging to the
targets.

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 Statistics

Around half of teens have been the
victims of cyber bullying.

Only 1 in 10 teens tells a parent if they
have been a cyber bully victim.

Fewer than 1 in 5 cyber bullying
incidents are reported to law
enforcement.

1 in 10 adolescents or teens have had
embarrassing or damaging pictures
taken of themselves without their
permission, often using cellphone
cameras.

About 1 in 5 teens have posted or sent
sexually suggestive or nude pictures of
themselves to others. 23
 How to help prevent cyberbullying?

Block all
communication with
cyberbullies

Do not forward any
messages, comments,
etc. that involve
cyberbulling

Always report any
cyberbulling taking
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place to an adult
 Don’t Be a Victim!


Talk about bullying in general with friends,
teachers and family.

Discuss what personal information is
appropriate to tell others, and what is not.

Visit some popular teen sites with your
parents, teachers, or friends and discuss
what you see there and what could be a
danger.

Learn to develop realistic expectations for
both personal and on-line relationships.

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 Tips How to Stop a Cyberbully


Be private - keep passwords,
pictures and secrets to yourself.

Take five - don’t reply in anger.

Stop, block and tell - don’t reply,
block the sender, tell someone.

Save the evidence - on your
computer or print out.


Google yourself.

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Steps to Take if you believe you have been a victim of
Cyberbullying

Determine if cyberbullying is actually
going on.

Save the evidence.

Identify the sender - contact your ISP
(Internet Service Provider) if necessary.

Contact the offender’s parents - who
may or may not be supportive.

Back up your remarks with written
evidence.

Contact your school.

Threats, extortion, sexual harassment
should be reported to the police.
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 Why Don’t Victims Ask for Help?


Kids view the Internet is
a lifeline to their peer
group.

Kids don’t want adults
to know they have a
problem with
cyberbullying because
they fear that adults will
take their computer
away. 28
 How you can help!

Don’t engage in or support
mean material,gossip, or rumors
posted online, or talk about it.

Support the victim being
targeted online byposting
positive messages!

Print the evidence to share with
an authority.

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 Responsibility

There are no legal provisions aimed at
targeting cyberbullying.

In the absence of a specific criminal
offence for cyberbullying, all countries
address cyberbullying within the legal
framework of other offences in a broad
range of areas such as: violence; anti-
discrimination and computer-related
crimes.

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Criminal code of the Republic of Lithuania

Art. 154. Libel

A person who spreads false information about another person that

could arouse contempt for this person or humiliate him or
undermine trust in him shall be punished by a fine or by
restriction of liberty or by arrest or by imprisonment for a term
of up to one year.


Art. 155. Insult

person who publicly humiliates a person in an abusive manner by an

action, word of mouth or in writing shall be punished by a fine
or by restriction of liberty or by arrest or by imprisonment for
a term of up to one year.


Art. 145. Threatening to Murder or Cause a Severe Health
Impairment to a Person or Terrorisation of a Person

A person who threatens to murder a person or cause a severe

health impairment to him, where there is a sufficient basis for
believing that the threat may be fulfilled shall be punished by
community service or by a fine or by restriction of liberty or by
arrest or by imprisonment for a term of up to two year.

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 Remember!

We are not invisible online, and anything we

post can be traced back to us.
Monitor your online reputation!
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 Thank you for your attention!
Mantas Struckas

Head of Public order Division

Alytus county police headquarters
2017.03.21
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