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 iv

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The relative ease by which the internet can be accessed has given way to a new

form of bullying. Coined cyberbullying by Bill Belsey in 1999, victims of online abuse

can be attacked via websites, chat rooms, instant messages, online journals, blogs, or cell

phone text messages. Since these attacks can occur at all hours of the day to millions of

people worldwide in an instant, cyberbullies can easily extend the network of abuse their

victims experience in minutes. This study addresses the frequency of cyberbullying in a

Northern Ontario public school board. With the call from the Safe Schools Action Team

of Ontario for schools to implement mandatory antibullying programs, it was evident that

there was little mention of cyberbullying. As students become more adept at accessing

and navigating the internet, schools must become more active to help educate students,

parents, and teachers about cyberbullying and how to help prevent such abuse.

Furthermore, with the evolution of cell phone capabilities to record and download

information and videos to the internet, schools face added pressure to combat

cyberbullying, since such phones can record incidences at school that can be easily

placed on the internet for many to see. As the technology advances, so must schools and

school boards with respect to how they educate and prevent cyberbullying. A series of

recommendation are listed at the end of the study to help schools and school boards take

initial steps towards combating cyberbullying.

 v

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I would like to thank my wife, Lise, for providing her support and encouragement

throughout my research. Her patience, understanding, and supportive ear allowed me to

devote time to my research and motivated me to take the research as far as possible.

Also, I would like to thank my daughter, Léa, for reminding me of the innocence of a

child. It is a quality that society can often lose sight of and one we need to constantly

protect. Such a quality does not project through a computer screen, which is reason

enough to monitor all children when it comes to online activities.

I would also like to thank Dr. Kris Kirkwood for his support and encouragement

to tackle such an issue as cyberbullying. It was a pleasure to have you as an instructor

and thesis advisor.

It is my hope that this research provides some impetus for educators, schools, and

school boards to develop programs and consequences for those who cyberbully others.

Education mandates schools address both the mental and social development of children.

Since internet access allows for students to be constantly connected to others via a variety

of mediums, this mandate can be severely threatened by a cyberbully if victims feel

unsafe or embarrassed enough that leaving school is their only option to combat the

cyberbully. As educators and parents, we must share the responsibility of promoting safe

and respectful online communication. It is the least we can do to protect the innocence of

our children.


 vi

7DEOHRI&RQWHQWV
          
$EVWUDFW.............................................................................................................................................. iv
$FNQRZOHGJHPHQWV ............................................................................................................................ v

/LVWRI7DEOHV ..................................................................................................................................... vi

&+$37(521(7+(352%/(0 ................................................................................................ 1

Background .................................................................................................................................... 1
Rationale for the Study .................................................................................................................. 3
Significance of the Study ............................................................................................................... 4
Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................................... 6
Definitions....................................................................................................................................... 7

&+$37(57:25(9,(:2)7+(5(/(9$17/,7(5$785(.......................................... 9

Youth Internet Safety Survey........................................................................................................ 12

Cyber Slammed … . ..................................................................................................................... 13
Young Canadians in a Wired World: The Students’ View ........................................................... 15
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Population Studies: Bullying Results .......................... 16
Center for the Addiction and Mental Health Population Studies: Suicide Ideation .................... 17
CBC News Online: Cyberbullying .............................................................................................. 18
New Breed of Bullies Torment Their Peers on the Internet ......................................................... 19
The 2003 OSDUS Mental Health and Well-Being Report: Executive Summary ........................ 20
Seattle Public Schools: Olweus Bullying Survey Report for McClure Middle School................ 23
Internet Bullying ........................................................................................................................... 24
Seattle Public Schools: Olweus Bullying Survey Report: All Schools Combined ...................... 25
Seattle Public Schools Safe Schools/Healthy Student Project Summary Results ........................ 26
Cyberbullies Stalking Online Playground .................................................................................... 27
Rise of the Cyberbully Demands New Rules ............................................................................... 28
Cyberbullying in schools: Nature and extent of adolescents’ experience ................................... 28
Challenging Cyberbullying ........................................................................................................... 30
 vii

Putting U in the Picture: Mobile Bullying Survey 2005 ............................................................... 32

Cyberbullying: Creating a Culture of Respect in a Cyber World ................................................. 34
Cyber-Dilemmas in the New Millennium: School Obligations to Provide
Student Safety in a Virtual School Environment ................................................................. 35
Shaping Safer Schools: A Bullying Prevention Action Plan ....................................................... 37
Cyberbullying: An Emerging Threat to the “Always On” Generation ........................................ 38
Cyberbullying: Don’t Shoot ......................................................................................................... 40
A Briefing for Educators: Online Social Networking Communities and Youth Risk ................. 41
An Educator’s Guide to Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats ........................................................... 42
Cyberbullying: A Growing Epidemic in Schools ......................................................................... 43

&+$37(57+5((0(7+2'2/2*< ..................................................................................... 72

Population and Sample ................................................................................................................ 72

Instrumentation ............................................................................................................................. 73
Data Collection ............................................................................................................................. 73
Data Analyses ............................................................................................................................... 74

&+$37(5)2855(68/76 ....................................................................................................... 75

&+$37(5),9(6800$5<',6&866,216$1'5(&200(1'$7,216................... 99

Discussions ................................................................................................................................. 101

Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 107

5HIHUHQFHV ....................................................................................................................................... 113

$SSHQGL[$: Nipissing University Research Ethics Approval ....................................................... 117

$SSHQGL[%: District School Board Ontario North East Research Approval ................................. 118
$SSHQGL[&: Student Survey on the Extent of Cyberbullying in Schools ...................................... 119
$SSHQGL[': Student Participation Consent Form ......................................................................... 127
$SSHQGL[(: Parental/Guardian Consent Form .............................................................................. 129
$SSHQGL[): Online Acronyms ....................................................................................................... 132
 viii

$SSHQGL[*: Cyberbullying Warning Signs................................................................................... 135

$SSHQGL[+: Cyberbullying Review Process ................................................................................. 136

/LVWRI7DEOHV
1. Studies Examining Cyberbullying and Online Offences ............................................................ 45
2. Articles Examining Cyberbullying and Online Offences ........................................................... 59
3. Gender and Grade Level of Respondents .................................................................................... 76
4. Percentage of Respondents That Own a Cell Phone .................................................................... 78
5. Ways in Which Respondents Were Bullied ................................................................................. 80
6. The Cyberbully Identified ............................................................................................................ 81
7. Peak Times for Cyberbullying to Occur ...................................................................................... 83
8. Bullying Incidents per Month ...................................................................................................... 85
9. Reason for not Reporting Cyberbullying Incidents ..................................................................... 87
10. Reporting Cyberbullying ............................................................................................................ 88
11. Sending Threatening Messages................................................................................................... 90
12. Frequency of Online Harassment by the Cyberbully .................................................................. 91
13. Use of School Computers to Send Threatening Messages ......................................................... 93
14. Impersonating Others Online to Send a Message ....................................................................... 94
15. Posting Negative or Defamatory Comments During Online Chats ............................................ 96
16. Feeling Safe at School ................................................................................................................ 97



 1

&+$37(521(7+(352%/(0

Similar to the conversion from audio tapes to compact disc’s, or VHS tapes to

dvd’s, society is experiencing another technological shift from isolated devices such as

computers, phones, cameras, or music players, to multipurpose technological devices that

have unlimited capabilities. Furthermore, young adults are connected to the internet

more frequently than ever before, which gives them access to a variety of information via

chat rooms, e-mails, websites, online journals, blogs, text messages, and instant

messaging. Regardless if the information is intended for private or public use, the

potential for online abuse is significant. One of the fastest growing and most direct forms

of online abuse is what is referred to as cyberbullying:

Cyberbullying involves the use of information and communication technologies

such as e-mail, cell phone and pager text messages, instant messaging (IM),

defamatory personal websites, and defamatory personal polling Web sites, to

support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that

is intended to harm others. (Belsey, 2005, p.8)

%DFNJURXQG

Education has been witness to a cultural phenomenon that has escalated the level

and frequency of violence within schools. While traditional “violent acts” may have been

limited to fights, horseplay taken too far, or incidences involving some form of a weapon,

the 20th century has borne a new wave of violence–cyberbullying. Although the intent

and vindictiveness of today’s bullies remains consistent with previous generations,

students today have a wider array of vehicles by which to promote their hateful views.
 2

With the increase in popularity of cell phones as well as the extreme ease and knowledge

with which young people navigate the World Wide Web, cyberbullying allows for

constant access and means by which to harass others.

The impact for those who are harassed is profound. Instead of physical or verbal

attacks face-to-face from their perpetrators, students now find themselves being ridiculed

via instant messaging, having derogatory or slanderous statements or death threats posted

about them online, and even having websites devoted to them wherein other web users are

encouraged to join in on the harassment. While the majority of the online harassment can

be as simple as name-calling, several examples of more violent forms (i.e., death threats,

hit lists, and so on) have increased over the last few years.

Perhaps the most extreme example of cyberbullying came from the perpetrators of

the Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. In the aftermath of

their deadly massacre, authorities revealed that Eric Harris operated a website that

contained “conspicuous threats against fellow students” (Keith & Martin, 2005, p. 224).

While this demonstration of rage is very rare, the important lesson society needs to take

away from such tragic events is that the internet is no longer a place to be left unmonitored.

With students becoming more and more technologically savvy, it is quite easy to

register websites and send electronic mail with relative anonymity. This allows bullies to

continue to harass their victims around the clock and with the potential to encourage and

enlist more people to log-on and do the same. Without a place to get a respite from these

bullies, whether it be at school or online, the victims are engaged in a constant, daily

struggle to find peace for even a brief moment.

 3

5DWLRQDOHIRUWKH6WXG\

While bullying within schools has been around and studied over several decades,

the emergence of cyberbullying is a relatively new cultural phenomenon. Since the term

cyberbullying was first coined in 1999, society has become more attentive to the use and

abuse of the internet and text messaging. However, a major problem that exists with

cyberbullying is that parents do not have the control over the content their children are

exposed to. Unlike the television, which is often in a family room, computers are often

located in areas that are more quiet and segregated in rooms that are out of plain view of

the parents (i.e., bedrooms, office within a home, or other low traffic areas).

This lack of control is even more staggering when you consider the following:

x 99% of Canadian students have used the internet;

x 48% of Canadian students use it for at least one hour a day;

x Nearly 60% of Canadian students use chat rooms and instant messaging; and

x Canadians have the highest or near-highest penetration and use of

telephone, cable TV, computers in the home, and internet access in the

world (Environics Research group, 2001, p. 14).

Moreover, “ by the year 2005, two billion people will be continuously connected to a

powerful global network of satellites and fiber optic cables,” and “by 2005 annual number

of text and visual messages sent over the Internet is expected to reach 1.2 trillion”

(Environics Research group, 2001, p. 14). While the technology continues to grow in

terms of options for connecting to the internet, the speed at which one can be connected to

the internet, and the variety of products that connect to the internet (i.e., computers, cell
 4

phones, personal digital assistants, and so on), few if any controls are being placed upon

these advances to ensure abuse does not occur.

Furthermore, the technological advances are having a profound effect on the variety

of ways cyberbullying can occur. For example, students can be text messaged inappropriate

comments via cell phones or computers, have defamatory personal websites or polling sites

developed about them, have defamatory comments made about them via online journals or

web blogs, or can be harassed via chat rooms.

With such a diverse arsenal of weapons at the disposal of bullies, particularly online

weapons, it is difficult for any victim to gain reprieve from his or her attacker(s). The ease

and speed at which messages may be sent also complicates matters further. It takes only a

minute to create and send defamatory messages with today’s technology. Combine this

with the fact that many young people spend the majority of their day at school, wherein

computers and cell phones are prevalent and easily accessible despite various controls (i.e.,

cell phone bans, blocked web sites, spy ware for teachers to see what sites students are on,

and so on), the online abuse of victims cannot be left solely in the hands of parents to

control. Since “adults approach computers as practical tools, while for kids the Internet is a

lifeline to their peer group” (Keith & Martin, 2005, p. 226), the time has come for all

parties with a vested interest in the safety of children to combine to help fight online

bullying. By working together, schools, parents, community groups, and students can help

combat the online bullies.

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Having been a high school administrator (vice-principal) for 3 years, I have dealt

with a number of bullying incidents. Usually, they could be categorized as violent or

 5

verbal acts. For example, males that were being bullied tended to solve the problem via

physical aggression (fighting), while females tended to engage in more damaging verbal

attacks. Recently, in 2004-2005, I investigated an incident of online bullying wherein one

student was being verbally abused by several other students in a chat room. The parents

that brought the matter to my attention were able to provide me with four pages of

transcript from the chat room conversation. The nature of the conversation ranged from

mild disgust with the one female for her actions during a basketball trip to a more

aggressive tone (swearing, speculating) wherein the others criticized the female for her

“perceptions and accusations” about an event and the repercussions they could have down

the road for everyone involved. As I resolved the situation and recorded it as a “bullying

incident,” I wondered how many other instances have occurred that were not brought to my

attention. Was this an isolated case, or were there more instances that went on that were

never exposed or properly dealt with?

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health 2QWDULR6WXGHQW'UXJ8VH6XUYH\

(OSDUS) of 2001 measured roughly 24.6% of students in grades 7 to 13 reported being

bullied at school, while 31.8% of students stated they report bullying to someone at school

(Adlaf, E.M., Paglia, A., & Beitchman, J.H., 2002, p. 6). The same study conducted by

OSDUS in the spring of 2003 revealed that 33% of students had been bullied since

September, which would represent some 282,900 students across Ontario (Adlaf, E.M.,

Paglia, A., & Beitchman, J.H., & Wolfe, D., 2003, p. iv). Additionally, “ a 2002 British

survey found that one in four youth, aged 11 to 19 has been threatened via their computers

or cell phones, including death threats” (National Children’s Home {NCH}, 2005, p. 3).
 6

While bullying continues to be a problem within the school system, the emergence

of cyberbullying and subsequent research has not been clearly delineated from the general

“bullying” statistics. Schools either react to events within their school or implement

programs to prevent inappropriate behaviour. However, few schools or school boards have

taken the initiative to deal with cyberbullying adequately. In order to effectively deal with

cyberbullying, it must be separated from common forms of bullying (physical and verbal)

and studied more intensely. Considering that technology will only increase in speed,

demand, and capability in the foreseeable future, how schools react to the cyber world will

be significant in preventing and dealing with cyberbullying.

If there is one lesson to be learned from recent school shootings it is that bullying

played an extensive role in leading up to any attacks from the perpetrators. With a more

advanced and anonymous system at the disposal of the bully via the cyber world, the

potential for more frequent and threatening harassment will only increase. There is no

doubt that the children of today face unprecedented levels of bullying, since the bullies can

reach their victims every hour of the day on cell phones or the internet. Although victims

may not act as aggressively as executing a school shooting, the reality is that some form of

aggression is sure to occur, whether the aggression is towards the bully or inflicted upon

the victim themselves.

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The key research problem explored is to determine the extent to which

cyberbullying occurs and what can be done from a school perspective to help deal with

such incidents. Considering that web-based comments are dealt with under 6HFWLRQ

D of the Criminal Code of Canada, in which it is an offence to threaten death or bodily

 7

harm, wherein bodily harm includes psychological injury regardless if the threat is carried

out or not, and such comments are often seen as outside of the discipline parameters of

schools and school boards since the abuse can occur outside of school hours, there are a

number of inherent problems that need to be addressed before cyberbullying can be

effectively dealt with. The key questions answered by participants of the study include the

following:

1. How often are students cyberbullied in Grades 9-12?

2. How often do students participate in cyberbullying?

3. Do cyberbullying victims report their online abuse and to whom?

4. Where do cyberbullying victims experience the most abuse (websites, chat

rooms, instant messages, blogs or online journals, e-mails, or text messages)?

5. During which hours of the day do cyberbullying victims experience the most

abuse?

6. Are the cyberbullies known to victims, or are they strangers?

'HILQLWLRQV

 &KDW5RRPV: real-time communication between two users via computer.

 &\EHUEXOO\LQJinvolves the use of information and communication technologies

such as e-mail, cell phone/pager text messages, instant messaging (IM), defamatory

personal websites, and defamatory personal polling websites, to support deliberate,

repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group that is intended to harm others.

 'HIDPDWRU\OLEHO: writing something that is designed to insult a person or likely to

injure a person’s reputation by exposing him or her to hatred, contempt, or ridicule.

 8

 (PDLO: Short for electronic mail, the transmission of messages over

communications networks.

 ,QVWDQWPHVVDJLQJ: a type of communications service that enables you to create a

private chat room with another individual.

 ,QWHUQHWSURWRFRO: an address that is established each time the internet is accessed

that can be used by authorities to trace all electronic communications between computers

and/or mobile phones.

 ,QWHUQHWVHUYLFHSURYLGHUV (ISPs): companies that provide internet access to

consumers.

 7H[WPHVVDJLQJ: sending short text messages to a device such as a cellular phone,

PDA (personal digital assistant), or pager. Text messaging is used for messages that are no

longer than a few hundred characters.

 9RWLQJERRWKV: Some websites offer users the opportunity to create online polling or

voting booths.

:HEVLWHV: a system of internet services that support specially formatted documents.

The documents are formatted in a markup language called HTML (HyperText Markup

Language) that supports links to other documents as well as graphics, audio, and video

files.


 9

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In analyzing the research on cyberbullying, many themes are evident concerning

the frequency, consequences, and penalties associated with such deviant behaviour. First

of all, while the issue of cyberbullying is relatively new, at least in terms of reporting

such acts, it would appear that cyberbullying occurs at similar or more frequent rates than

traditional bullying. For example, in a survey conducted by Canadian Centre for

Addiction and Mental Health, the rate for reported bullying jumped from 26.4% in 2001

to 33% in 2003, and the majority of the bullying reported was “verbal bullying” (Adlaf et

al., 2003, p.12). However, when the Canadian statistics regarding online abuse are

expanded to include those who reported that someone had said something “hurtful” to

them via the internet, the number of reported online bullying incidents jumps to 57%

from 17% (Adlaf et al., 2003, p.13).

Furthermore, the study found that while males are statistically more likely to bully

other students compared to females (35.3% vs. 30.3%), females generally have a higher

rate of verbal bullying on the internet than males (Adlaf et al., 2003, p. 12). While

statistics were not given to verify the exact percentage difference, the research has shown

that females prefer the secrecy of the internet to send hurtful messages and that students

prefer to send messages via the internet because they do not wish to say what they have

written face-to-face. Moreover, the majority of online abuse of males tends to suggest

homophobic themes, while females are attacked mostly for sexual promiscuity, regardless

of whether any of the themes are true or not. The research also indicates that males will

use a website to attack their victim, while females will resort to using instant messaging,

online journals, or online chat rooms (Cooper, 2004, p. 2).

 10

While the ease and immediacy of instant messaging and text messages have made

communication possible regardless of distances or location, the technology has also

allowed for bullying to occur at all times of the day. Unlike physical or verbal aggression

at school, the internet has created a forum wherein the person being bullied is left with no

escape from the torment. Whether the technological weapon of choice is an e-mail,

instant message, web site, online poll, or an online journal, bullies can attack their victims

at any time. Added to the fact that many bullies use screen names to cover their identity,

it can be extremely frustrating and detrimental to the mental state of victims when they

can neither escape the abuse nor identify the perpetrator.

Another concern shown by the research regarding cyberbulling is that perpetrators

can often escape penalties for their actions. Unless online abusers make direct threats

towards their victims, defame a person, or if their comments spread hate based upon race,

national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, martial status, family

status or disability, there is often nothing that can be done by the authorities.

Furthermore, the right to free speech has also provided more protection for online abuses

since they can often claim that, assuming what they are saying isn’t defamation, they

have the right to promote their views. For instance, if an online bully is commenting on

the sexual promiscuity or sexual preference of their victim, and what they are saying is

true, free speech advocates will argue they have the right to promote such views. While

the promotion of such views may be distasteful and vulgar, they remain within the legal

context of the law. One avenue that is left to victims seeking retribution is a civil lawsuit,

but the time and cost of such action often prevents many victims from doing so.
 11

To complicate matters even more for the victims, internet service providers (ISPs)

often protect the identity of the creator of the website from the victims and will simply

shut down a website rather than punish the creator of the site by restricting his or her

access to the internet. Thus, nothing prevents the abuser from creating another website

attacking the victim.

For a school administrator, unless the abuse can be linked to activities done on the

school computers or within the school day, punishment can be tough to impose.

Additionally, with online abusers using screen names, it can be difficult to determine who

is sending the messages or creating websites. Even if the identity could be determined

for those that use screen names to send messages or create websites, schools would then

have to prove that the person actually sent the message or created the site. It is possible

that online abusers could access other users’ screen names and send messages to those

they hate. In essence, the victim may open the e-mail thinking it is from a friend, only to

realize that a hurtful or threatening message has been sent. Without positive proof

relating to the sender of the message, the authority of the school to impose a suitable or

harsh punishment can be diminished.

Given that the research demonstrates online abuse as an emerging problem in

terms of number of incidents and punishing those involved, which is sure to increase as

more users access internet and cell phone capabilities, there is a need for schools to

become more proactive. Regardless of computer spy ware in schools (used by teachers to

view which sites students are on), web-filtering software in computer labs, or cell phone

usage bans in schools, cyber-bullying continues to flourish. Whether the posting of

hurtful messages or websites occurs during school time or not, the impact upon the
 12

victims of cyberbullying (such as mental or physical aggression) will undoubtedly

translate into problems at school. If teachers, administrators, and other school support

staff are going to deal with the mental or physical fallout from the cyberbullying, then the

problem cannot be thought of as outside the school’s authority. Knowing the scope and

nature of the frequency of cyberbullying will help formulate possible solutions and

provide a basis by which to begin to deal with the problem from a school perspective.

<RXWK,QWHUQHW6DIHW\6XUYH\

The Crimes Against Children Research Centre (CCRC) of the University of New

Hampshire conducted a National telephone survey of 1,501 youth aged 10-17, who had

used the internet at least once a month for the past 6 months and their parents from

August 1999 to January 2000. Although the focus of the study was to gather information

about the incidence of young people receiving unwanted or illegal sexual solicitations or

pornography over the internet, the study also assessed the internet’s users’ knowledge of

how to avoid and report such solicitations. Important findings include:

x Approximately 20% youth received a sexual solicitation or approach over the last

year;

x One in 33 received an aggressive sexual solicitation wherein they were asked to

meet someone, call them, or send them mail, money, or gifts;

x One in 17 was threatened or harassed online;

x Only a fraction of all episodes were reported to authorities such as a law

enforcement agency, hotline, or internet service provider; and

x Only 17% of youth and 10% of parents could name a specific authority to which

they could report such internet activity (Wolak & Mitchell, 2000, p. 2).
 13

While the study does seem to indicate a problem with respect to internet

harassment, it is difficult to determine the extent of the problem since the survey includes

children that have used a computer sporadically (once a month for 6 months minimum)

and those that have used a computer frequently. Since the statistics fail to make a

connection between the level of usage and the frequency of online bullying or

solicitation, it is difficult to determine the seriousness of the harassment. Furthermore,

without any knowledge of what users were using the internet for, it is difficult to put any

value into the fact that only a small percentage of users could name an authority to report

internet activity to. For instance, it is possible that a student could use the computer to

access chat rooms two or three times a month wherein he or she was constantly harassed

during each visit, compared to a frequent user that may avoid such chat rooms and never

be harassed. In either case, it is possible that the user could simply exit certain chat

rooms or never enter such areas; thus they could control the harassment by avoiding the

sites and never need to report any activity. Furthermore, without defining “sexual

solicitation” or “episodes” explicitly, the study remains very general in terms of the range

of incidents that could fall under each.

&\EHU6ODPPHG

Students in the Manhattan interschool system decided to list and rank 150

students on an online voting booth to determine who was the biggest “ho” in their ranks.

While the site was shut down afterward, no students were suspended or expelled. In fact,

a District Attorney commented that while the site was distasteful, it was protected by the

First Amendment Free Speech clause. Only a few miles away in Chappaqua, NY, two

senior students ran a website that listed information on 40 girls–including family history,
 14

phone numbers, addresses, and sexual experience. While the site was password

protected, access was given to 14 boys. Each boy was suspended for 5 days and charged

with second-degree harassment, which carries a jail sentence of up to one year and a

$1,000 fine (Benfer, 2001, p. 6).

Perhaps the most extreme case of cyberbullying occurred in Dallas in the spring

of 2001 at Lake Highlands High School. Lauren Newby, suffering from multiple

sclerosis, had her weight made fun of online, was called a “fat cow MOO BITCH,” and

was urged to “Die bitch queen!” What makes this story more shocking is that her

perpetrators, she believes, took their online activities to the physical extreme by egging

her car, writing “MOO BITCH” in shaving cream on her car, and threw a bottle of acid at

her front door, causing minor acid burns to her mother. Although the physical attacks

cannot be positively linked to the online abuse due to the anonymity of the cyberbullies,

Lauren is convinced the incidents are the work of the same individual (Benfer, 2001. p.

8).

Since the cyber attacks detailed were not hosted on school computers, and since

there is very little evidence to form a criminal charge, civil litigation seems to be the only

recourse for online victims. Furthermore, in the last 5 years, many state courts have

upheld the rights of students to publish content that school administrators found

offensive, as long as the content was published without using school computers. In most

cases, the students were mocking or critiquing the policies of administrators or teachers

(Benfer, 2001, p. 10).

 15

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This study examines the use of the internet by Canadian youth, aged 9 to 17 years,

the extent to which they place themselves at risk, and their perceptions of parental

knowledge and supervision of their internet use (Environics Research Group, 2001, p.7).

The survey, conducted among 5,682 Canadian youth, aged 9 to 17 years (in grades 4

through 11), reported the following findings:

x 99% percent of Canadian youth report that they use the internet at least to some

extent. Eight in ten (79%) have Internet access at home;

x Among the 71 percent of youth who remember, 46 percent say they first used the

internet when they were between 8 and 10 years of age. Another one-quarter

(24%) first used it between 11 and 12 years of age. Youth in elementary school

are more likely to report first using the internet at a younger age;

x The activities that youth like to do most on the internet are playing/downloading

music (57%), sending and getting e-mail messages (56%) and surfing for fun

(50%);

x Seven in 10 youth (71%) say they have an e-mail account of some kind. Of these,

8 in 10 (81%) say they have a free Web-based e-mail account. Among youth who

have one or more e-mail accounts, 44 percent say that their parents do not know

about all their e-mail accounts;

x Almost 6 in 10 youth (56%) use chat rooms. This number is higher among youth

in secondary school. Among youth who use chat rooms, 38 percent say they at

least sometimes go into chat rooms for kids that are not monitored, compared to

only 21 percent who go into chat rooms that are monitored. More than 3 in 10
 16

(33%) say they go into chat rooms for adults 18 and older. Youth in secondary

school are far more likely to say they go into chat rooms for teens that are not

monitored than go into ones that are monitored (72% compared to 39%,

respectively). Among youth who use chat rooms, more than five in ten say they at

least sometimes go into private areas of chat rooms to talk to just one person;

x Almost 6 in 10 youth (56%) use instant messaging (IM). Of these, 66 percent

often do IM with friends. Smaller numbers often do this with people they’ve only

met on the internet (21%) or family members (13%);

x On average, youth say they have about 30 people on their IM list; and

x Youth in secondary school are most likely to mention social factors (36%), such

as communicating with people they know and meeting new people, as the biggest

benefit of the Internet (Environics Research Group, 2001, p.14).

While this survey is quite comprehensive, there are a few issues with the

administration of the survey that should be noted. First of all, the surveys were

selfadministered throughout classrooms across the country. There is no guarantee that

the surveys were administered under the same conditions or with the same instructions in

each selected area. Secondly, the fact that only Francophone schools in Quebec and only

Anglophone schools in the rest of Canada were surveyed could skew the data. By

selecting only schools that speak the one of the official languages in each province, the

potential to exclude valuable participants may have been missed.

&HQWUHIRU$GGLFWLRQDQG0HQWDO+HDOWK3RSXODWLRQ6WXGLHV%XOO\LQJ5HVXOWV

This bulletin reports the findings of a 2001 2QWDULR6WXGHQW'UXJ8VH6XUYH\

(OSDUS) concerning bullying among Ontario students in grades 7-13. Among the
 17

victims of bullying, 24.6% reported being bullied in school since the start of the school

year. The survey, which included 4, 211 students in grades 7 to OAC, represents about

916,200 students across Ontario and had a completion rate of 71% amongst students.

Notable differences included males (26.9%) were bullied more often than females

(22.3%) and 7th-graders (38.7%) were bullied more often than those students in grade 12

(11.2%) (Adlaf et al., 2002, p. 1).

Furthermore, the study also found that 31.8% of students report bullying to

someone at school, with males being more likely to engage in bullying than females

(40.0% vs. 20.0%). The least likely bullying perpetrators were grade 13 students

(18.3%), whereas the most likely to bully were students in grade 8 (47.7%); (Adlaf et al.,

2002, p. 1).

Although the study encompassed a significant number of students, the completion

rate of 71% suggests roughly 1,700 students did not complete the survey (Adlaf et al.,

2002, p. 1). Depending upon which grades each of the nonrespondents were in, there

could be some significant changes to various grade responses.

&HQWUHIRU$GGLFWLRQDQG0HQWDO+HDOWK3RSXODWLRQ6WXGLHV6XLFLGH,GHDWLRQ

This bulletin provided population estimates of suicide ideation among youth

which were taken from the 2001 2QWDULR6WXGHQW'UXJ8VH6XUYH\ (OSDUS). The data

indicate that 11.1% of students reported that they had seriously considered suicide during

the past year (the percentage represents 101,700 students across Ontario). Females were

more likely to contemplate suicide than males (13.3% vs. 8.9%), and students living with

two parents are less likely to report suicide ideation than those students that live with one

parent (10.1% vs. 16.3%); (Adlaf et al., 2002, p. 15).

 18

When the study assessed school-related factors and the impact upon suicide

ideation, the survey found that students who report being a victim of bullying are more

likely to have serious suicidal thoughts than those who bully. In total, 17.3% of bullying

victims reported having serious suicidal thoughts, 19.1% of victims who also bully others

had serious suicidal thoughts, compared to students who are bullies (only 11.6%) and

students who are neither victims nor bullies (8.6%); (Adlaf et al., 2002, p. 16).

While the statistics are staggering when you consider that 11.1% of students have

had “serious” thoughts concerning suicide, it is difficult to accept the notion that students

that live with both parents are less susceptible to suicidal thoughts than those that live

with one parent unless the report includes detailed information about the situation the

students live in. Also, if the majority of respondents were from single-parent homes, the

statistics will be skewed towards such students.

&%&1HZV2QOLQH&\EHUEXOO\LQJ

This article was adapted and updated from an October 10, 2002 documentary that

aired on CBC’s 7KH1DWLRQDO news program. It details the story of David Knight, who,

unbeknownst to him, had a website devoted to him wherein others were encourage to

post lewd, sexual comments smearing David’s reputation and family. A sample of the

comments that were posted includes:

x Accusing David of being a pedophile;

x Accusing him of using the date rape drug on little boys; and

x Accusing him of being gay and physically dirty (Hancock & Selick, 2002).

While it took nearly seven months of phone calls, messaging, and the threat of legal

action before the internet service provider removed the website dedicated to David,
 19

police authorities have commented that internet bullying is tough to combat unless it

crosses the line into death threats or other criminal offences. Furthermore, the article

stated that a recent survey found that 14% of Canadian users had been threatened while

using instant messaging, and 16% admitted they posted hateful comments themselves

(Hancock & Selick, 2002). Once again, these statistics must be looked upon with caution

since there is no clear indication of the number of people surveyed or the methods used

for collecting the data.

1HZ%UHHGRI%XOOLHV7RUPHQW7KHLU3HHUVRQWKH,QWHUQHW

Anecdotal evidence suggests that cyberbullying is a growing concern in middle-

and upper-middle-class communities and is especially troublesome in grades 6, 7, and 8.

Due to the fact that females tend to be more prone to communicating via text messaging

and e-mail, cyberbullying incidents seem to be more skewed towards them. Despite the

fact these incidents take place outside of the school day, often at night or on weekends,

school administrators and teachers are left to deal with the fallout of cyberbullying when

it spills into the hallways and classrooms (Blair, 2003, p. 6).

Citing a specific example of a 12-year-old named “Rebecca,” author Julie Blair

(2003) details the power and effect of cyberbullying. Rebecca had fallen victim to a

cyberbully that impersonated her on the internet for over a month, posting half a dozen

cruel e-mails and creating two websites in Rebecca’s name that slandered a friend of

hers. After being ostracized by her peers, Rebecca cried repeatedly at night and had

some residual anger towards the incident a year after the fact (Blair, 2003, p. 7).

Even more troublesome are recent statistics describing internet usage:

 20

x 74% of the 17 million teenagers who surfed the internet in 2000 used America

OnLine’s Instant Messenger (IM); and

x More than 1/3 of teens use IM to say things they don’t want to say in face-to-face

conversations with their peers (Blair, 2003, p. 7).

In response to such alarming statistics, 33 states require or recommend that

districts design antibullying programs, and it is assumed that these policies cover cyber

harassment. One caution to note here is that while 17 million teenagers may have used

instant messenger, there is no clear distinction as to the number of teenagers that sent

derogatory messages. This could be a case where states are trying to be proactive since

the number of teenagers messaging is on the rise, rather than a reflection that those

already using instant messaging are abusing the service (Blair, 2003, p. 8).

7KH26'860HQWDO+HDOWKDQG:HOO%HLQJ5HSRUW([HFXWLYH6XPPDU\

In 2003, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s2QWDULR6WXGHQW'UXJ8VH

6XUYH\ (OSDUS) was once again issued to Ontario students. The study is the longest

ongoing study of adolescents in Canada, spanning 2 decades, and is based upon 14

surveys conducted every 2 years since 1977. In the spring of 2003, 6,616 students from

37 school boards, 126 schools, and 383 classes participated (Adlaf et al., 2003, p. i). Of

note is that this survey was different from those in the past as it ranged only from grades

7-12 due to the elimination of the OAC year for Ontario students. Furthermore, this

survey also differed from those in the past because it added topics such as physical

injuries that required medical attention, trends in medical drug use since 1977, the type of

bullying involvement, and internet gambling.

Some of the significant results include:

 21

x 12% of students had serious thoughts about suicide, with more females than males

reporting so (17% vs. 8%);

x 33% of students have been bullied at school since September. The most

prevalent form of bullying is verbal (27%), followed by physical (4%), and

victims of theft/vandalism (2%);

x 30% of students report taking part in bullying other students at school, with

verbal attacks the most prevalent (25%), followed by physical attacks (4%), and

theft/vandalism (1%);

x Bullying is significantly more likely among males than females, and among the

younger grades;

x 35.3% of males have been bullied since September compared to 30.3% of

females. This combined total of 32.7% for each group represents 310,300

students across Ontario;

x 34.9% of males have bullied others since September compared to 25.1% of

females. This combined total of 29.7% for each group represents 282,900

students across Ontario;

x 47.1% of grade7 students have been bullied since September; 38.7% of grade 8

students have been bullied since September; 32.8% of grade 9 students have been

bullied since September; 32.6% of grade 10 students have been bullied since

September; 28.7% of grade 11 students have been bullied since September; and

19.8% of grade 12 students have been bullied since September;

x 31.7% of grade7 students have bullied others since September; 32.2% of grade 8

students have bullied others since September; 32.7% of grade 9 students have
 22

bullied others since September; 30.5% of grade 10 students have bullied others

since September; 29.4% of grade 11 students have bullied others since September;

and 22.1% of grade 12 students have bullied others since September;

x About 8% of students report being bullied on a daily or weekly basis, and about

21% are bullied monthly or less often;

x The frequency of being bullied does not significantly vary between the sexes; and

x About 7% of students reported bullying someone on a daily or weekly basis, and

about 23% did so monthly or less often (Adlaf et al., 2003, p. ii).

One of the interesting aspects of the study is that is has been ongoing since 1977

and surveys students every 2 years. While this surveying frequency can certainly lend

some weight to the statistics and conclusions noticed over time, there is a concern that the

frequency may result in a devaluing of the survey. For example, some students may have

heard about the survey through friends or relatives, and when they are asked to complete

the survey, tend to complete the survey with a predetermined bias due to the previous

experiences of those who completed the survey.

Another concern is that the statistics on bullying do not define what constitutes

“verbal” harassment. Since many comments could fall under verbal harassment, such as

lewd jokes, derogatory comments about appearance or sexual nature, or simple name-

calling, it makes it difficult to determine the extent of the bullying problem. While 33%

is a high number in terms of students that are bullied, without knowledge of the nature of

the comments it is hard to tell if the seriousness of each “verbal” harassment case is

equitable.
 23

6HDWWOH3XEOLF6FKRROV2OZHXV%XOO\LQJ6XUYH\5HSRUWIRU0F&OXUH0LGGOH6FKRRO

In November 2003, McClure Middle School completed 374 surveys (192 were

female respondents compared to 179 male respondents), for an overall response rate of

64%. Their findings were as follows:

x 12.6% of respondents were bullied (16.3% of males compared to 9.2% of

females);

x 24.3% of respondents were bullied “2-3 times a month” or more (27.3% of males

compared to 21.5% of females);

x 7.5% of respondents bullied other students “2-3 times a month” or more (8.4% of

males compared to 6.7% of females); and

x 45.2% of respondent’s stated that their homeroom teacher did “little or nothing”

or “fairly little” to counteract bullying in the past couple of months (52.4% of

males compared to 38.7% of females; (Communities that Care, 2003, p. 2).

Aside from the low response rate for the survey, an alarming statistic the study

revealed is that homeroom teachers did “little or nothing” or “fairly little” to counteract

bullying in the past couple of months (Communities that Care, 2003, p. 4). If students

were simply informed the situation was dealt with and not informed of any specific

parameters placed upon the bully, it may be difficult to lend credence to the respondents.

It is quite possible that the bully has followed every directive set upon them by the

teacher, yet may have found further ways in which to abuse their victim. Also, if the

level of bullying is not differentiated, the statistic may be skewed even further. For

example, students that experience name-calling may respond that little is being done, but

those who are being physically attacked are extremely satisfied with the actions of the
 24

teacher. Under this scenario, the school may be responding well to the more serious

incidents of bullying, but the statistic will reflect unfavourably towards the teacher’s

actions.

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The level of harassment being dished out online can vary from rumours or

pictures to videos that have been doctored to make fun of students. In her article on

Internet bullying, Amanda Paulson describes a few of the more recent cyber attacks:

x A middle-school girl had a rumour circulated about her via text messaging stating

that she contracted SARS after returning from a trip to Canada;

x An overweight boy in Japan had pictures taken of him in the boys’ locker room at

school from a classmate’s cell phone, only to have them sent to several others;

x Websites often ask students to vote for the ugliest or fattest kid in school;

x Pictures can be altered and sent to friends via e-mail and

x Ghyslain, a Canadian teenager, filmed himself acting out a scene from “Star

Wars” with a school camera. After forgetting to erase the footage, some of his

peers took the film and uploaded it to the Internet and spliced him into scenes

from “The Matrix,” “The Terminator,” and “Chicago,” and added special effects.

The video was downloaded over one million times and forced Ghyslain to drop

out of school and seek psychiatric help (Paulson, 2003, p.23).

The most common instances of online bullying involve instant messages sent via

chat rooms. With only a screen-name visible to the person reading the message, bullies

have little fear of being identified and held accountable for their actions. Furthermore,

with free speech rights, the anonymity of the bullies, and the fact that the abuse often
 25

takes place off school property, it can be extremely hard to punish those responsible

under the authority of schools. Additionally, even if schools can take action against the

perpetrators, internet service provider’s are under no obligation to remove defamatory

websites due to the absence of any clear policies against abuse and resources for

reporting harassment.

Essentially, the task of combating cyberbullying falls to schools to emphasize

reporting of such incidents, to parents to talk openly with their children about such issues

at school and at home, and to students to refrain from engaging in such antics. Schools

can also take an additional step by including a cyberbullying clause in their internet use

agreements.

6HDWWOH3XEOLF6FKRROV2OZHXV%XOO\LQJ6XUYH\5HSRUW$OO6FKRROV&RPELQHG

The all schools combined report included several Seattle area schools: Denny

Middle School, Eckstein Middle School, Hamilton Middle School, John Marshall

Alternative School, McClure Middle School, Summit Alternative School, and Whitman

Middle School. The survey was completed in March of 2004. Important findings

include:

x Survey response rate: grade 6: 821 surveys completed (446 females, 375 males),

for a total response rate of 53.0%; grade 7: 752 surveys completed (424 females,

328 males), for a total response rate of 48.0%; grade 8: 671 surveys completed

(382 females, 289 males), for a total response rate of 42.0%;

x 15.3% of grade 6 students surveyed had been bullied “2-3 times a month” or

more, compared to 13.1% for grade 7 and 12.4% for grade 8;

 26

x 4.1 % of grade 6 students surveyed had been bullied “one year or more,”

compared to 3.8% for grade 7 and 5.1% for grade 8;

x 29.0% of grade 6 students surveyed feared being bullied in school, compared to

23.2% for grade 7 and 21.0% for grade 8;

x 5.3% of grade 6 students surveyed had bullied other students “2-3 times a month”

or more, compared to 7.1% for grade 7 and 8.7% for grade 8;

x 29.0% of grade 6 students surveyed had not told anyone about the bullying,

compared to 49.0% for grade 7 and 41.0% for grade 8; and

x 51.2% of grade 6 students surveyed stated teachers or others adults try to put a

stop to the bullying when they are aware of the student being bullied, compared to

40.8% for grade 7 and 37.0% for grade 8 (Communities that Care, 2004a, p. 8).

While the intent of the Olweus report was well intended, the low response rate

makes it extremely difficult to determine the extent of the bullying problem. With just

over half of the surveys being returned, it is possible that the actual statistics may be

significantly higher or lower than those reflected in the study.

6HDWWOH3XEOLF6FKRROV6DIH6FKRROV+HDOWK\6WXGHQWV3URMHFW6XPPDU\5HVXOWV

This report summarizes the findings from the Communities that Care (CTC)

Youth Survey given to grade 6, 8, 10, and 12 students in Seattle Public Schools in 2002

and again in the Spring of 2004. In total, 8,161 students (2,375 grade 6 students; 2,154

grade 8 students; 2,035 grade 10 students; and 1,597 grade 12 students) completed the

surveys, which represented 72% of all eligible students in the participating schools

(Communities that Care, 2004b, p. 1). The study identified risk factors (characteristics of

school, community, and family environments, and characteristics of students and their
 27

peer groups, that are known to predict increased likelihood of drug use, delinquency,

school dropout, and violent behaviours among youth) and protective factors (factors that

exert a positive influence and act as a buffer against the negative influence of risk) as

essential to academic success and positive youth behaviours (Communities that Care,

2004b, p.2).

While the survey tended to group the issue of bullying in the heading “Anti-social

Behaviour,” there was no clear identification of any instances of cyberbullying.

However, the study was included for comparison purposes. Essentially, the 2002 and

2004 data for grades 6 and 8 were valid since the response rate was significantly high.

However, the response rate for grades 10 and 12 in the 2004 survey was so low that it

impacted the reliability and accuracy of the data. This information is significant when

assessing the validity of the McClure Middle School Report and the All Schools

Combined Survey Report that originated from the same school system.

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In her column on cyberbullying, author Cindy J. Cooper (2004) details that online

comments generally abuse boys via homophobic comments, while girls are labeled as

sexually promiscuous (p. 2). Although girls inflict more virtual abuse through

messaging, online journals, and online conversations, boys are more likely to make

online threats or create websites targeting others.

While cyberbullies can reach victims via computers and cell phones, Cooper

cautions against the bully you may not know–your best friend. Oftentimes when friends

have a falling out, usually two girls, one of them is likely to use the other’s password or

screen-name to send out nasty e-mails. Although she suggests some strategies to combat
 28

cyberbullying, such as schools creating acceptable internet etiquette, creating a safe

social climate for students, parents removing internet connections from the bedrooms of

their children, and learning whether their internet provider can track and shut down

online bullies, she is cautious that such solutions may be as “hazy as cyberspace”

(Cooper, 2004, p.)

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Despite the advantages of technology, especially for educating young people, the

technological revolution’s instantaneous nature has created a situation wherein mischief

can be performed at a moment’s notice, which is the problem with technology in the eyes

of Mark Franec (2004, p. 32). He sees the immediacy of the internet as eliminating the

time between thinking of committing an offence and actually following through with its

commission. The lack of reflection time causes individuals to send off potentially hurtful

or defamatory comments, pictures, or videos into cyberspace without any way of

retrieving and eliminating the evidence. Franec is not only an advocate of schools

creating and communicating proper computer etiquette with students, but he also states

that school officials need to follow up on all alleged cyberbullying and have firm

sanctions in place.

&\EHUEXOO\LQJLQ6FKRROV1DWXUHDQG([WHQWRI$GROHVFHQWV¶([SHULHQFH

In 2004, Qing Li, an Associate Professor for the Division of Faculty of Education

at the University of Calgary, surveyed 177 grade 7 students in order to study (p. 7):

x To what extent do adolescents experience cyberbullying?

x What are the characteristics of cyberbullying?

x What are types of tools used for cyberbullying?

 29

Two middle schools located in a large western Canadian city (one located in a middle

class area and the other in a low/middle socioeconomic status area) were chosen as the

participants for the study. Relevant findings include:

x 54% of the students were bully victims, and over a quarter of them had been

cyberbullied;

x 52.4% of the students responded that they knew someone being cyber-

bullied;

x 31.8% of the cyberbully victims were bullied by their classmates, 11.4% by

people outside of their schools, and 15.9% by multiples sources; 40.9% had

no idea who had cyberbullied them;

x 60% of cyberbully victims were cyberbullied 1-3 times, over 18% of them

were cyberbullied 4-10 times, and 22% of them were cyberbullied more

than 10 times;

x 43% of cyberbullies did so less than 4 times, over 30% cyberbullied others

4-10 times, and over 26% cyberbullied others over 10 times;

x The majority of the cyberbully victims were female;

x Half of the bully victims also bullied others;

x Within the school bully group, 85.5% reported that they were also bully

victims; and

x 30% of the school bully group were cyberbullies and 27.3% were

cyberbully victims (Li, 2004, p. 10).

While this study is one of a few published accounts of cyberbullying in Canadian

schools, it is not without its limitations. First of all, the study “which intended to
 30

discover the frequency of students using computers did not consider that the majority of

students in school have easy access to computers” (Li, 2004, p. 3). There is no

indication that the results of the study would have been drastically altered, but to not

focus on the computer use in school is a problem. Despite the use of web-filtering

software, students can easily access MSN Messenger, e-mail, and chat rooms to

cyberbully others. Another concern with the study is that the survey gave students only

two options to explain how they conducted their cyberbullying efforts–e-mail or chat

rooms. The reality is that cyberbullies have instant messaging, cell phones, personal

blogs, and personal spaces to conduct cyber threats or cyber harassment. Furthermore,

the study was limited to a large urban city. Since computer access has grown

tremendously in the last decade, excluding rural areas could significantly impact the

study because the range of students is too central and generic.

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The Media Awareness Network (MNet) research indicates that 50% of kids say

they are alone online most of the time, while only 16% say they discuss with parents

what they do online. While dealing with cyberbullies can be difficult in schools, MNet

states that students need to be better educated about the Criminal Code of Canada and

how students can deal with online bullies via legal procedures. For example, under the

Criminal Code of Canada, it is a crime to communicate repeatedly with someone if that

communication causes them to fear for their own safety or the safety of others

(Challenging Cyberbullying, 2005, p. 24).

Furthermore, it is also a crime to publish a “defamatory libel”--writing

something that is designed to insult a person or likely to injure a person’s

 31

reputation by exposing him or her to hatred, contempt, or ridicule. Cyberbullies

may also be violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms if their

comments spreads hate or discrimination based upon race, national or ethnic origin,

colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, or disability

(Challenging Cyberbullying, 2005, p. 24).

In order to effectively deal with cyberbullies, the following actions are

recommended:

x Parents–get involved and be aware as to what your children are doing

online, places they go, and the people they talk to;

x Encourage your kids to report any online incident that makes them feel

uncomfortable or threatened;

x Encourage your kids to develop their own moral code so they will choose to

behave ethically online;

x Watch for signs that your child may be being bullied online and take action

against such incidences.

x Schools integrate antibullying programs into classrooms;

x Educate teachers, parents, and students about the seriousness of

cyberbullying;

x Change the School Board’s policy to incorporate harassment perpetrated by

mobile and internet technology;

x Update the school’s computer use policy to incorporate penalties for cyber-

bullying;

x Students-guard your contact information;

 32

x Tell a trusted adult if you are being harassed or bullied online;

x Block the sender’s messages if you are being bullied online;

x Save any harassing messages and forward them to internet service

providers; and

x If the bullying includes physical threat, contact the police (Challenging

Cyberbullying, 2005, p. 25).

3XWWLQJ8LQWKH3LFWXUH0RELOH%XOO\LQJ6XUYH\

The National Children’s Home (NCH, 2005) estimates 97% of 12-16 year-

olds own a mobile phone and was commissioned in April 2002 to complete the

first-ever survey into mobile and online bullying (p. 3). NCH defined text bullying

as one or more unwelcome text messages that the recipient finds threatening or

causes discomfort in some way. Some significant findings include:

x Almost 4 million British young people own a camera-enabled handset, and

the figure is set to double to 8 million by 2007;

x One in 5 youngsters (20%) experienced some sort of digital bullying (14%

by mobile text messaging, 5% in internet chat rooms, and 4% via e-mail);

x One in 10 youngsters (10%) admitted they had another person take an

embarrassing photograph of them that made them feel uncomfortable;

x 17% believed the embarrassing photo had been sent to someone else;

x 73% of those surveyed knew the bully, while 26% stated the bullying was

done by a stranger;

x 28% did not tell anyone of the bullying, 41% told a friend, 24% spoke to a

parent about the bullying, and 14% told a teacher about the bullying;
 33

x 11% had sent a bullying or threatening message to another person;

x When asked why the bullying wasn’t reported; 31% of those bullied

claimed the bullying was not enough of a problem to report it; 12% claimed

there was nobody they wanted to tell; 11% believed the bullying would not

stop; and 10% claimed they did not know where to go to receive help;

x When asked what kind of support or help would have encouraged students

to report the bullying, 28% claimed they would not report it; 23% stated

talking to an expert that knew how to handle bullies; 15% said a school staff

member; and 13% stated visiting a website with tips on how to deal with

bullies would have helped; and

x 50% of respondents claimed the threats took place at school or college, 17%

claimed the bullying took place on the weekend, 21% claimed the bullying

took place after school or college, and 6% claimed the bullying took place

during the school or college holidays (NCH, 2005, p. 5).

In general, this study stands out as one of the most complete and

comprehensive analyses of a problem that seems to be expanding in scope and

frequency with each new cell phone or computer user. While 770 students aged

11-19 were surveyed for this study, there are some concerns over statistics. First of

all, of the 20% that state they have been cyberbullied, there is no clear indication of

the severity of each incident, which makes it difficult to determine if the e-mail,

text, and chat room abuses should be grouped together. Furthermore, without

distinguishing the number of respondents in each age group and the frequency they

are text messaging or in chat rooms or the severity of the messages being sent, it is
 34

difficult to assess the extent of the problem and the age group most at risk where

cyberbullying is concerned. Certainly the fact that 31% stated the bullying was not

enough of a problem to report it could lend support to the notion that the cyber-

bullying is a relatively minor occurrence. However, when you consider 50% of the

attacks came at school or college, where zero-tolerance school and internet use

policies are often in effect, there can be little doubt that this is an indication of a

serious problem since online abusers are not deterred by such policies (NCH, 2005,

p. 8).

&\EHUEXOO\LQJ&UHDWLQJD&XOWXUHRI5HVSHFWLQD&\EHU:RUOG

Susan Keith and Michelle E. Martin discuss in their article the alarming frequency

of cyberbullying, the warning signs of children that are cyberbullied, ways by which

parents can help combat cyberbullying, and the obstacles present that make tracking such

perpetrators difficult. Certainly their statistics back them up:

x 57% of students said someone said something hurtful to them online, and 13% say

it happens “quite often”;

x 53% of students admit to saying something mean while online, while 7% admit

they do it “quite often”;

x 35% of students have been threatened online, while 5% said it happens quite

often;

x 42% have been bullied online, with 7% saying it happens “quite often”;

x 20% have received mean or threatening e-mails; and

x 58% have not told their parents or another adult about their experiences (Keith &

Martin, 2005, p. 224).

 35

Despite some statistics being consistent with similar studies in terms of the

frequency of bullying, there is no explanation as to how the statistics were arrived at.

Once again, there is no distinction between the meaning of “students who have been

threatened” and students that admit to saying “something mean.” Additionally, there is

little information concerning the “threatening” emails. If the email was in fact a physical

threat, the receiver would then have the means to take legal action against the sender of

the message. However, if no distinction is made between the percentage of “mean”

emails and the percentage of “threatening” emails, then the level and seriousness of cyber

abuse is difficult to gauge

&\EHU'LOHPPDVLQWKH1HZ0LOOHQQLXP6FKRRO2EOLJDWLRQVWR3URYLGH6WXGHQWV

6DIHW\LQD9LUWXDO6FKRRO(QYLURQPHQW

Shaheen Shariff (2005), an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at

McGill University, builds on her doctoral work by investigating the legal aspects of

cyberbullying as it relates to school standards and discipline. Highlights of her research

and findings include:

x The article reviews the legal obligations and reasonable expectations of schools to

monitor and supervise on-line discourse, while balancing student safety,

education, and interaction in virtual space;

x Schools need guidelines that provide reasonable boundaries and direction as to

their responsibility in order to alleviate their reluctance to breach freedom of

expression guarantees or student privacy rights;

x In referencing three American cases challenging the schools discipline with

respect to limiting freedom of expression (Tinker, 1969; Fraser, 1986;

 36

Hazelwood, 1988), Shariff notes that the courts stated that an educator’s authority

over school-sponsored activities can be characterized as part of the school’s

curriculum;

x Applying this logic to cyberbullying, Shariff states that it is reasonable for schools

to place limitations on any form of student expression (Section 2(b) of the

&DQDGLDQ&KDUWHURI5LJKWVDQG)UHHGRPV) that either infringes upon the rights of

others or is inconsistent with school values; and

x The right of schools to intervene to reduce cyberbullying is also related to their

obligations to provide students with a safe environment that provides equal

opportunities to learn (Shariff, 2005, p. 7. ).

Shariff (2005) points out the dilemma many administrators face across the

country in that students and parents will often cite freedom of expression guarantees as a

reason schools cannot impose discipline on cyber activity. The main avenue she

advocates for schools to combat the &KDUWHU argument is to establish reasonable limits for

technological use that is linked to providing a safe school environment and an equal

opportunity to learn. If either of these is compromised, schools have the authority to

impose discipline. It should be noted that a &KDUWHU right, such as Section 2(b), can be

limited by Section 1 of the &KDUWHU which states that “the rights and freedoms set out in it

are subject to only such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably

justified in a free and democratic society” (Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms, p.

2). Essentially, if a school can prove the restriction of freedom of expression is justified

and reasonable, the courts will be likely to uphold the punishment.

 37

One concern about the views put forth by Shariff (2005) is that she advocates

schools use the cases she references as a guideline until the courts provide schools with

policy directions. I would tend to disagree with this stance for the simple fact that court

rulings and policies can take months and years to come to fruition. Schools would be

better served taking action and instituting policies that are backed by research and

supported by community stakeholders rather than wait to see what the courts will do.

6KDSLQJ6DIHU6FKRROV$%XOO\LQJ3UHYHQWLRQ$FWLRQ3ODQ

The Ministry of Education of Ontario commissioned the Safe Schools Action

Team to recommend actions to combat bullying in schools (2005). Their

recommendations were as follows:

x that each school board in the province should adopt a bullying prevention policy

and each school should implement an effective bullying prevention program that

flows from the board policy;

x immediate and mandatory training on bullying prevention for current school

administrators;

x each school board designates a Safe Schools resource person/co-ordinator to

provide ongoing support, resources, and expertise on bullying prevention and

intervention strategies; and

x provide schools with centralized data analysis (Ministry of Education of Ontario,

2005, p. 6) .

Furthermore, the report found that of the nearly 2 million students in Ontario schools,

approximately 1 in 3 in grades 7-12 report being bullied in school. The report also

noted that successful bullying prevention programs address students, teachers,

 38

administrators, support staff, parents, and other community partners (Ministry of

Education of Ontario, 2005, p. 10)

The report was extremely comprehensive in terms of extolling the virtues of

bullying prevention programs and action plans for schools and school boards. The

assertion that schools, community partners, and school boards must work together is a

key component to the recommendations (Ministry of Education of Ontario, 2005, p. 29).

The problem I see with the report, which was presented to the Honourable Gerard

Kennedy (Minister of Education) in November 2005, is that there is no mention of

cyberbullying. Since the report was submitted, many of the recommendations are being

instituted, including the training of administrators for bullying prevention. The downfall

of the report is that cyberbullying becomes an add-on to the training rather than a central

focus of the training. With cyberbullying rates on the rise, the report was too limited to

general bullying programs and does not adequately address cyberbullying programs,

which would have been crucial considering the lack of legal policies in place that

specifically relate to cyberbullying.

&\EHUEXOO\LQJ$Q(PHUJLQJ7KUHDWWRWKH³$OZD\V2Q´*HQHUDWLRQ

Bill Belsey, the man attributed with coining the term cyberbullying, continues his

work on educating the public regarding internet safety. Highlights of his article entitled,

&\EHUEXOO\LQJ$Q(PHUJLQJ7KUHDWWRWKH³$OZD\V2Q´*HQHUDWLRQ (2005)include:

x 94% of young people say they go online form home, compared to 79% in 2001;

x 37% have their own internet-connected computer;

x 20% of grade 4 students access the internet through their own personal computer,

a number that rises to 51% by grade 11;

 39

x 23% of students report having their own cell phone, 44 % of which have internet

capability;

x 56% of students’ cell phones have text messaging, and 17% have cameras;

x 22% of students have their own webcam, a number that climbs to 31% by grade

11;

x Instant messaging is growing in popularity at a rate 30% faster than e-mail did at

its inception;

x Cyberbullying is often outside of the legal reach of schools and school boards, as

this behaviour often happens on home computers or via mobile phones;

x Cyberbully victims should save e-mails from cyberbullies, date and time received,

copies of relevant e-mails and headers, URLs of groups or communities that are

offensive, profiles of offenders, chat rooms (and screenshots of the chat room)

that were offensive, and all dates or times any cyberbullying occurred online;

x School solutions include amending antibullying policies to include text

messaging, cell phone use, and online bullying; educate teachers, students and

parents about cyberbullying; never allow an incident to pass without dealing with

it; “walk the walk” and demonstrate to students positive online communication

and behaviour (Belsey , 2005, p. 7.)

While the statistics Belsey (2005) provides should come as no shock since the

world is becoming more and more dependant on technology, the fact that instant

messaging is increasing in popularity at a rate 30% faster than e-mail should be. Instant

messaging is one of the ways cyberbullies conduct their abuse, and since it can be

anonymous, it is often an abuse that can be difficult to trace. The only concern with the
 40

statistics provided by Belsey is that although the rates of usage and number of

technological functions continue to rise, there is no proof that cyberbullying will continue

to rise as well. The level or rate of cyberbullying could very well stay proportional to the

number of users. A greater number of people with the technological advances does not

guarantee a greater number of cases.

With this in mind, Belsey (2005) suggests procedures and actions for someone

that is cyberbullied in order to help determine who is sending the offensive or hurtful

material. The importance of the article is that Belsey advocates for schools to take the

lead in developing policies for cell phone usage, internet usage, and be the model of

online communication and behaviour. Cyber safety and decorum should be woven into

the curriculum, not separate from it in Belsey’s eyes, which is one of the most

progressive actions schools can take.

&\EHUEXOO\LQJ'RQ¶W6KRRW

In the 3ULQFLSDOV2QOLQH-RXUQDO, Alexandra Penn advocates that school rules to

reduce cyberbullying include incorporating antibullying activities into classrooms;

developing a comprehensive policy on acceptable computer use both on and off school

property; running workshops repeatedly; and communicating constantly and consistently

with school partners (2005, p. 17). It is important to note that the research being

conducted on cyberbullying is starting to advocate schools take the lead in developing

policies around cyberbullying and that they communicate these to the school partners

regularly. Repeated calls for the same actions in other articles seem to suggest that

immediate and consistent action by schools is necessary to effectively deal with

cyberbullying incidents.
 41

$%ULHILQJIRU(GXFDWRUV2QOLQH6RFLDO1HWZRUNLQJ&RPPXQLWLHVDQG<RXWK5LVN

Nancy E. Willard is the Director for the Centre for Safe and Responsible Internet

Use (CSRIU). Her concerns and solutions regarding internet usage are that:

x Online social networking environments allow people to establish profiles that

provide personal information, photos, music, and graphics about their interests;

x While many sites have Use Agreements preventing harmful speech and have age

restrictions to participate, the reality is that young people can simply lie about

their age and enter these sites, since no effective technologies exist to verify the

age of internet users;

x The concern with such sites is that some young people are not making good

choices with respect to what they say or divulge online, and with little parental

control, they are a prime target for dangerous adults;

x School threat procedures should be amended to include actions for online threats;

x School administrators should be able to override the web filtering controls on

school computers to help track or deal with any online threats that are brought

forward (Willard, 2005a, p. 4).

Willard (2005a) brings up some interesting points regarding school procedures.

The recommendation that school emergency procedures incorporate online threats should

be an immediate change since many school tragedies over the past few years were first

promoted via internet threats (especially the Columbine massacre). It is also notable that

she advocates administrators having unlimited access to restricted sites while on school

time to track and deal with online threats. My concern is that such access is potentially

damaging to any administrator. First of all, the assertion that administrators would be
 42

surfing the internet for such threats during school time exposes them to the potential to

visit sites that could be considered outside the realm of education and subsequently be

viewed by senior administration as inappropriate conduct. Furthermore, the focus should

be on educating young people to disengage from and prevent online abuse rather than use

the internet as a tool to search for such abuses. The Columbine massacre was tragic for

sure, but to assume that it may have been prevented or stumbled onto if administrators

had access to unlimited sites is farfetched. The reality is that such sites where student

post hateful thoughts can be restricted viewing, most likely accessible to only close

friends or relatives. If we educate students to report any suspicious or dangerous online

activity, we will be doing a greater service in terms of protecting our students than some

administrator who has access to unlimited sites on the internet.

$Q(GXFDWRU¶V*XLGHWR&\EHUEXOO\LQJDQG&\EHU7KUHDWV

One of the interesting aspects of this article by Nancy E. Willard (2005b) is that

she has two charts-the &\EHUEXOO\LQJRU&\EHUWKUHDW6LWXDWLRQ5HYLHZ3URFHVVand the

6FKRRODQG3DUHQW$FWLRQ2SWLRQV–that seek to guide schools and parents to help those

that suffer from online abuse or harassment (p. 17). The charts, which are located in

Appendix G, advocate that schools have teams in place to gather and preserve online

evidence of abuse, to assess the violence or suicide risk of students that commit or are

subject to online abuse, and outline steps for assessing the extent of cyberbullying. Once

the team has gathered the pertinent information, Willard lists numerous options available

to schools and parents to deal with the cyberbullying activity. Of note in the options

section is that Willard states that unless a school “nexus” or link can be established

between the cyberbully and the victim being harassed, the school should seek informal
 43

school discipline, such as mediation, counseling sessions, or meeting with the cyberbully

and the parents (p. 17). A concern here is that if the school link cannot be made, and the

administrator or school seeks informal discipline, the cyberbully may be empowered to

continue, since he/she will know there are requirements necessary before a school can

act. I would think a more appropriate course of action would be to impose escalating

punishments. A school may wish to restrict computer access and increase the

punishments if the behaviour persists that way the cyberbully will know the school is

involved and taking action for the online abuse.

&\EHUEXOO\LQJ$*URZLQJ(SLGHPLFLQ6FKRROV

The Ontario Principals Council (OPC) published “Cyberbullying – A Growing

Epidemic in Schools”, an article by Eric Roher, in the winter 2006 magazine named the

OPC 5HJLVWHU. Important findings include:

x Since parents are obligated to send their children to school or provide home

schooling, they are entitled to expect that schools will take reasonable measures to

prevent risks of harm in the school environment, which includes protecting

students from any reasonably foreseeable risk of harm;

x The Education Act of Ontario imposes a duty on principals to maintain proper

order and discipline within the school;

x Where there is evidence that online threats or intimidation that occur off school

property result in a disruption of the school community, the creation of a

poisonous learning environment, or represents conduct that is harmful to the

moral tone of the school, there may be a sufficient link to impose school

discipline;
 44

x Section 264.1 (1) (a) of the Criminal Code of Canada refers to offences by those

that threaten death or bodily harm, wherein bodily harm includes psychological

injury regardless if the threat is carried out or not; and

x Schools should be encouraged to incorporate antibullying programs into

classroom instruction and the school code of conduct should be extended to

include electronic communication (Roher, 2006, p. 12).

With the increasing challenges by parents as to a school’s authority outside of the

schools walls and property, school administrators must be acutely aware of pertinent

(GXFDWLRQ$FWRI2QWDULR, the &ULPLQDO&RGHRI&DQDGD, and the &KDUWHURI5LJKWVDQG

)UHHGRPV before dispensing any discipline for events that occur off school property

(Roher, 2006, p. 14). OPC has been very active in advocating for such discipline but also

seeks to caution the administrators as to the necessary requirements before such

discipline may be imposed. One concern I have about the article is that it is too easy for

administrators to pick out the key points and base decisions upon those points. While

only a few sections from the (GXFDWLRQ$FWRI2QWDULR and the &ULPLQDO&RGH were

referenced, the fact remains that many other sections in each document can help or hinder

such disciplinary decisions. Educators must take the time to be familiar with all relevant

legislations before they take any action.

Tables 1 and 2 summarize the literature reviewed.

 45

Table 1

6WXGLHV([DPLQLQJ&\EHUEXOO\LQJDQG2QOLQH2IIHQFHV

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
Crimes Against Telephone 1501 youth National Quantitative - Approximately 1 in 5 youth
Children survey aged 10-17 telephone received a sexual solicitation
Research Centre and their survey over the last year; and
– University of parents
New Hampshire - One in 33 received an
aggressive sexual solicitation
August 1999 – where they were asked to
January 2000 meet someone or call the
aggressor on the telephone
National sample
to assess the
incidence,
consequences,
and risk factors
relating to
unwanted
exposure of
children and
adolescents to
sexual
solicitation,
harassment, and
pornography on
the Internet
Environics Surveys 5,682 Selected Quantitative - Ninety-nine percent of
Research Group students in schools Canadian youth report that
grades 4-11 across they use the internet at least
2001 Canada to some extent. Eight in ten
(79%) have Internet access
<RXQJ at home;
&DQDGLDQVLQD
:LUHG:RUOG - About one-third of youth
7KH6WXGHQWV¶ (36%) say they erase the
9LHZ history files that show what
Web sites they have visited
at least once in a while. A
similar number say they
never do this (33%).
 46

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
- Among the 71 percent of
youth who remember, 46
percent say they first used
the internet when they were
between eight and ten years
of age. Another one-quarter
(24%) first used it between
11 and 12 years of age.
Youth in elementary school
are more likely to report first
using the internet at a
younger age;

- The activities that youth

like to do most on the
internet are
playing/downloading music
(57%), sending and getting
e-mail messages (56%) and
surfing for fun (50%).
Smaller, but significant,
numbers mention playing/
downloading games (48%),
getting information other
than for school work (41%),
using instant messaging (IM)
(40%), chatting in chat
rooms and doing homework
(38%);

- Seven in ten youth (71%)

say they have an e-mail
account of some kind. Of
these, eight in ten (81%) say
they have a free Web-based
e-mail account. Among
youth who have one or more
e-mail accounts, 44 percent
say that their parents do not
know about all their e-mail
accounts.
 47

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
- Of youth who have an e-
mail account, two-thirds
(67%) say they e-mail their
friends often. Much smaller
numbers say they often e-
mail family members (22%),
people they’ve only met on
the internet (11%) and
teachers (1%);

- Almost six in ten youth

(56%) use chat rooms. This
number is higher among
youth in secondary school.
Among youth who use chat
rooms, 38 percent say they at
least sometimes go into chat
rooms for kids that are not
monitored, compared to only
21 percent who go into chat
rooms that are monitored.
More than three in ten (33%)
say they go into chat rooms
for adults 18 and older.
Youth in secondary school
are far more likely to say
they go into chat rooms for
teens that are not monitored
than go into ones that are
monitored (72% compared
to 39%, respectively).
Among youth who use chat
rooms, more than five in ten
say they at least sometimes
go into private areas of chat
rooms to talk to just one
person.

- On average, youth say they

have about 30 people on
their IM list.
 48

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
- When youth are asked
about the first three ways
they look for information
when doing schoolwork,
internet Web sites (44%),
books from the public library
(19%) and books from
school (16%) top the list;

- Almost six in ten youth

(56%) use instant messaging
(IM). Of these, 66 percent
often do IM with friends.
Smaller numbers often do
this with people they’ve only
met on the internet (21%) or
family members (13%);

- About one-quarter of youth

have their own personal Web
site. Among these, almost
six in ten say they have their
e-mail address on their Web
site, and more than four in
ten have their instant
messaging number,
nickname or their
likes/dislikes on their site.
More than three in ten have
information about activities
they have been involved in.
Almost three in ten have
their full name and the city
their school is in. Two in ten
have a photograph of
themselves and the name of
their school;

- One-half of youth (50%)

think their parents know less
about the internet than they
do; and
 49

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
- Youth in secondary school
are most likely to mention
social factors (36%), such as
communicating with people
they know and meeting new
people, as the biggest benefit
of the internet.

Canadian School and 4,211 41 public Quantitative - 24.6% reported being

Centre for class students in and bullied in school since the
Addiction and Surveys grade 7- Catholic start of the school year;
Mental Health OAC school
boards - Males (26.9%) were
2001 The sample bullied more often than
represents 106 females (22.3%);
2QWDULR6WXGHQW 916,200 schools
'UXJ8VH students in - Seventh-graders (38.7%)
6XUYH\ - Ontario 273 were bullied more often than
Bullying classes those students in grade 12
Results Had a (11.2%);
(OSDUS) completion
rate of 71% - 31.8% of students report
among bullying to someone at
students school;

- Males are more likely to

engage in bullying than
females (40.0% vs. 20.0%);
and

- The least likely

perpetrators were grade 13
students (18.3%), whereas
the most likely to bully were
students in grade 8 (47.7%).

Canadian School and 4,211 41 public Quantitative - 11.1% of students reported

Centre for class students in and that they had seriously
Addiction and surveys grade 7- Catholic considered suicide during
Mental Health OAC school the past year (the percentage
boards represents 101,700 students
2001 across Ontario);
 50

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
2QWDULR6WXGHQW The sample 106 - Females were more likely
'UXJ8VH represents schools to contemplate suicide than
6XUYH\ – 916,200 males (13.3% vs. 8.9%), and
Suicide Ideation students in 273 students living with two
(OSDUS) Ontario classes parents are less likely to
report suicide ideation than
Had a those students that live with
completion one parent (10.1% vs.
rate of 71% 16.3%); and
amongst
students - 17.3% of bullying victims
reported having serious
suicidal thoughts, 19.1% of
victims who also bully
others had serious suicidal
thoughts, compared to
students who are bullies only
(11.6%) and students who
are neither victims nor
bullies (8.6%)

Canadian School and 6,616 37 school Quantitative - 12% of students had

Centre for class students boards serious thoughts about
Addiction and surveys from grades suicide, with more females
Mental Health 7-12 126 than males reporting so
schools (17% vs. 8%);
2003
383 - 33% of students have been
2QWDULR6WXGHQW classes bullied at school since
'UXJ8VH September. The most
6XUYH\ prevalent form of bullying is
(OSDUS) verbal (27%), followed by
physical (4%), and victims
of theft/vandalism (2%);

- 30% of students report

taking part in bullying other
students at school, with
verbal attacks the most
prevalent (25%), followed
by physical attacks (4%),
and theft/vandalism (1%);
 51

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
- Bullying is significantly
more likely among males
than females, and among the
younger grades;

- 35.3% of males have been

bullied since September
compared to 30.3% of
females. This combined
total of 32.7% for each
group represents 310,300
students across Ontario;

- 34.9% of males have

bullied others since
September compared to
25.1% of females. This
combined total of 29.7% for
each group represents
282,900 students across
Ontario;

- 47.1% of grade 7 students

have been bullied since
September; 38.7% of grade 8
students have been bullied
since September; 32.8% of
grade 9 students have been
bullied since September;
32.6% of grade 10 students
have been bullied since
September; 28.7% of grade
11 students have been
bullied since September; and
19.8% of grade 12 students
have been bullied since
September;

- 31.7% of grade seven

students have bullied others
since September; 32.2% of
grade eight students have
bullied others since
 52

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
September; 32.7% of grade
nine students have bullied
others since September;
30.5% of grade ten students
have bullied others since
September; 29.4% of grade
eleven students have bullied
others since September; and
22.1% of grade twelve
students have bullied others
since September;

About 8% of students
report being bullied on a
daily or weekly basis, and
about 21% are bullied
monthly or less often;

- The frequency of being

bullied does not significantly
vary between the sexes; and

- About 7% of students
reported bullying someone
on a daily or weekly basis,
and about 23% did so
monthly or less often.
Seattle Public Individual - 374 McClure Quantitative - 12.6% of respondents were
Schools student surveys Middle bullied (16.3% of males
surveys School compared to 9.2% of
November 2003 -195 were females);
female
Olweus respondents - 24.3% of respondents were
Bullying Survey compared to bullied “2-3 times a month”
Report for 179 male or more (27.3% of males
McClure respondents compared to 21.5% of
Middle School females);
- overall
response - 7.5% of respondents
rate of 64% bullied other students “2-3
times a month” or more
(8.4% of males compared to
6.7% of females); and
 53

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
- 45.2% of respondents
stated that their homeroom
teacher did “little or
nothing” or “fairly little” to
counteract bullying in the
past couple of months
(52.4% of males compared
to 38.7% of females).
Seattle Public Individual 821 of 1,550 - Denny Quantitative - 15.3% of grade 6 students
Schools student grade 6 Middle surveyed had been bullied
surveys surveys School “2-3 times a month” or
March 2004 were more, compared to 13.1%
returned - Eckstein for grade 7 and 12.4% for
Olweus (53.0%) Middle grade 8;
Bullying Survey School
Report: All 752 of 1,550 - 4.1 % of grade 6 students
Schools grade 7 -Hamilton surveyed had been bullied
Combined surveys Middle “one year or more”,
were School compared to 3.8% for grade
returned 7 and 5.1% for grade 8;
(48.0%) - John
Marshall - 29.0% of grade 6 students
671 of 1,600 Alternative surveyed feared being
grade 8 School bullied in school, compared
surveys to 23.2% for grade 7 and
were - McClure 21.0% for grade 8;
returned Middle
(42.0%) School - 5.3% of grade 6 students
surveyed had bullied other
-Summit students “2-3 times a month”
Alternative or more, compared to 7.1%
School for grade 7 and 8.7% for
grade 8;
-Whitman
Middle - 29.0% of grade 6 students
School. surveyed had not told
anyone about the bullying,
compared to 49.0% for grade
7 and 41.0% for grade 8; and
 54

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
- 51.2% of grade 6 students
surveyed stated teachers or
others adults try to put a stop
the bullying when they are
aware of the student being
bullied, compared to 40.8%
for grade 7 and 37.0% for
grade 8
Seattle Public Individual 8,161 Seattle Quantitative - 2002 and 2004 data for
Schools student students Public grades 6 and 8 were valid
surveys (2,375 grade Schools since the response rate was
2002 and 2004 6 students; significantly high; and
Survey 2,154 grade
comparison 8 students; - The response rate for
2,035 grade grades 10 and 12 in the 2004
Safe Schools / 10 students; survey were so low that it
Healthy and 1,597 impacted the reliability and
Students Project grade 12 accuracy of the data.
Summary students)
Results completed
the surveys;

- 72% of all
eligible
students
returned the
surveys;
Li, Qing Individual 177 grade 7 Two Quantitative - 54% of the students
student students (80 middle were bully victims and
2004 surveys males and schools over a quarter of them
97 females) located in had been cyberbullied;
Cyber-bullying a large
in schools: Western - 52.4% of the students
Nature and Canadian responded that they
extent of city knew someone being
adolescents’ cyberbullied;
experience One of the
schools - 31.8% of the
was cyberbully victims
located in were bullied by their
a middle classmates, 11.4% by
class area, people outside of their
and the schools, and 15.9% by
 55

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
other in a multiple sources.
low or 40.9% had no idea
middle who had cyberbullied
class them;
socio-
economic - 60% of cyberbully
area) victims were
cyberbullied 1-3 times,
over 18% of them
were cyberbullied 4-10
times, and 22% of
them were
cyberbullied more than
10 times;

- 43% of cyberbullies
did so less than 4
times, over 30%
cyberbullied others 4-
10 times, and over
26% cyberbullied
others over 10 times;

- The majority of the

cyberbully victims
were female;

- Half of the bully victims

also bullied others;

- 30% of the school

bully group were
cyberbullies and
27.3% were cyberbully
victims; and

- Within the school

bully group, 85.5%
reported that they were
also bully victims.
 56

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
National Telephone 770 Quantitative - Almost 4 million UK
Children’s survey youngsters young people own a
Home & Tesco aged 11-19 camera-enabled
Mobile were handset, and the figure
questioned is set to double to 8
between million by 2007;
March 3 and
April 6, - One in five
2005 youngsters (20%)
experienced some sort
of digital bullying
(14% by mobile text
messaging, 5% in
internet chat rooms,
and 4% via e-mail);

- One in 10 youngsters
(10%) admitted they
had another person
take an embarrassing
photograph of them
that made them feel
uncomfortable;

- 17% believed the

embarrassing photo
had been sent to
someone else;

- 73% of those
surveyed knew the
bully, while 26%
stated the bullying was
done by a stranger;

- 28% did not tell

anyone of the bullying,
41% told a friend, 24%
spoke to a parent about
the bullying, and 14%
told a teacher about
the bullying;
 57

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
- 11% had sent a
bullying or threatening
message to another
person;

- When asked why the

bullying wasn’t
reported, 31% of those
bullied claimed the
bullying was not
enough of a problem
to report it, 12%
claimed there was
nobody they wanted to
tell, 11% believed the
bullying would not
stop, and 10% claimed
they did not know
where to go to receive
help;

- When asked what

kind of support or help
would have
encouraged students to
report the bullying,
28% claimed they
would not report it,
23% stated talking to
an expert that knew
how to handle bullies,
15% said a school staff
member, and 13%
stated visiting a
website with tips on
how to deal with
bullies would have
helped; and

- 50% of respondents
claimed the threats
took place at school or
college, 17% claimed
 58

Investigators / Data Sample Site Type of Results

year / study collection research
procedures
the bullying took place
on the weekend, 21%
claimed the bullying
took place after school
or college, and 6%
claimed the bullying
took place during the
school/college
holidays.
 59

Table 2

$UWLFOHV([DPLQLQJ&\EHUEXOO\LQJDQG2QOLQH2IIHQFHV

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

Benfer, Amy Cyber July 3, Life Magazine - Distasteful websites are
Slammed 2001 protected by the First
Amendment Free Speech
clause;

- In Chappaqua, N.Y., two

senior students ran a website
that listed information on forty
girls – including family
history, phone numbers,
addresses, and sexual
experience. Each boy was
suspended for five days and
charged with second-degree
harassment;

- A Dallas teen is attacked by

online bullies about her weight
and the fact she has Multiple
Sclerosis, then her car is
vandalized and a bottle of acid
is thrown at her house; and

- Unless cyber attacks are

hosted on school computers, or
if there is enough evidence to
form a criminal charge, civil
litigation seems to be the only
recourse for online victims;
CBC News Online: 2002 October 10 - David Knight, a secondary
Cyberbullying edition of The high school student in
National Southern Ontario, had a
website devoted to him
wherein others were
encouraged to post lewd,
sexual comments smearing
David’s reputation and family;
 60

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

- While it took nearly seven
months of phone calls,
messaging, and the threat of
legal action before the Internet
Service Provider took off the
website dedicated to David,
police authorities have
commented that internet
bullying is tough to combat
unless it crosses the line into
death threats or other criminal
offences; and

- 14% of Canadian users had

been threatened while using
instant messaging, and 16%
admitted they posted hateful
comments themselves.
Blair, Julie New Breed of 2003 January 5 - Anecdotal evidence suggests
Bullies edition of that cyber-bullying is a
Torment Education week growing concern in middle and
Their Peers on upper-middle-class
the Internet communities, and is especially
troublesome in grades 6, 7, and
8;

- females tend to be more

prone to communicating via
text messaging and e-mail,
cyberbullying incidents seem
to be more skewed towards
them;

- school administrators and

teachers are left to deal with
the fallout of cyberbullying
when it spills into the hallways
and classrooms;

- 74% of the 17 million

teenagers who surfed the
internet in 2000 used America
OnLine’s Instant Messenger
(IM);
 61

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

- More than 1/3 of teens use
IM to say things they don’t
want to say in face-to-face
conversations with their peers;
and

- In response to such alarming

statistics, 33 states require or
recommend that districts
design bullying programs, and
it is assumed that these policies
cover cyber harassment.
Paulson, Internet 2003 December 30 - A middle-school girl had a
Amanda Bullying edition of the rumour circulated about her
Christian via text messaging stating that
Science she contracted SARS after
Monitor returning from a trip to
Canada;

- An overweight boy in Japan

had pictures taken of him in
the boy’s locker room at
school from a classmate’s cell
phone only to have them sent
to several others;

- Ghyslain, a Montreal
teenager, filmed himself acting
out a scene from “Star Wars”
with a school camera. After
forgetting to erase the footage,
some of his peers took the film
and uploaded it to the internet
and spliced him into scenes
from “The Matrix,” “The
Terminator,” and “Chicago,”
then added special effects.
The video was downloaded
over one million times and
forced Ghyslain to drop out of
school and seek psychiatric
help;
 62

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

- Websites often ask students
to vote for the ugliest or fattest
kid in school;
- Pictures can be altered and
sent to friends via e-mail;

- The most common instances

of online bullying involve
instant messages sent via chat
rooms; and

- with free-speech rights, the

anonymity of the bullies, and
the fact that the abuse often
takes place off school property,
it can be extremely hard to
punish those responsible under
the authority of schools;
Cooper, Cyberbullies 2004 The Record - online comments generally
Cindy J. Stalking (Bergen abuse boys via homophobic
Online County, N.J.) comments, while girls are
Playground labeled as sexually
promiscuous;

- girls inflict more virtual

abuse through messaging,
online journals, and online
conversations, boys are more
likely to make online threats or
create websites targeting
others;

- strategies are given to combat

cyberbullying, such as schools
creating acceptable internet
etiquette, creating a safe social
climate for students, parents
removing Internet connections
from the bedrooms of their
children, and learning whether
their internet provider can
track and shut down online
bullies; she is cautious that
such solutions may be as “hazy
as cyberspace.”
 63

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

Franec, Mark Rise of the 2004 May 10 edition - Sees the immediacy of the
Cyberbully of the Christian Internet as eliminating the time
Demands Science between thinking of
New Rules Monitor committing an offence and
actually following through
with its commission;

- The lack of reflection time

causes individuals to send off
potentially hurtful or
defamatory comments,
pictures, or videos into
cyberspace without any way of
retrieving and eliminating the
evidence; and

- school officials need to

follow up on all alleged
cyberbullying and have firm
sanctions in place
Challenging 2005 Media - 50% of kids say they are
Cyberbullying Awareness alone online most of the time,
Network while only 16% say they
discuss with parents what they
do online;

- students need to be better

educated about the Criminal
Code of Canada and how
students can deal with online
bullies via legal procedures;

- Parents need to get

involved and be aware as
to what their children are
doing online, places they
go, and the people they
talk to;

- Parents need to
encourage their kids to
report any online
incident that makes them
feel uncomfortable or
threatened;
 64

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

- Parents need to
encourage their kids to
develop their own moral
code so they will choose
to behave ethically
online;

- Parents need to watch

for signs that your child
may be being bullied
online and take action
against such incidents;

- Schools need to
integrate antibullying
into classrooms;

- Schools need to
educate teachers,
parents, and students
about the seriousness of
cyberbullying;

- Schools need to change

the school board’s policy
to incorporate
harassment perpetrated
by mobile and internet
technology;

- Schools need to update

the school’s computer
use policy to incorporate
penalties for
cyberbullying;

- Students need to guard

their contact
information;

- Students need to tell a

trusted adult if they are
being harassed or bullied
online;
 65

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

- Students need to block
the sender’s messages if
they are being bullied
online;

- Students need to save

any harassing messages
and forward them to
internet service
providers; and

- If the bullying includes

physical threat, students need
to contact the police.
Keith, Susan Cyberbullying 2005 Reclaiming - 57% of students said
and Martin, - Creating a Children and someone said something
Michelle E. Culture of Youth hurtful to them online and13%
Respect in a (Volume13, said it happens “quite often”;
Cyber World number 4)
- 53% of students admit to
saying something mean while
online while 7% admit they do
it “quite often”;

- 35% of students have been

threatened online, while 5%
said it happens quite often;

- 42% have been bullied

online, with 7% saying it
happens “quite often”;
- 20% have received mean or
threatening e-mails;

- 58% have not told their

parents or another adult about
their experiences.

Shariff, Cyber- 2005 - The article reviews the legal

Shaheen dilemmas in obligations and reasonable
the New expectations of schools to
Millennium: monitor and supervise online
discourse, while balancing
student safety, education, and
interaction in virtual space;
 66

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

School - Schools need guidelines that
Obligations to provide reasonable boundaries
Provide and direction as to their
Students responsibility in order to
Safety in a alleviate their reluctance to
Virtual breach freedom of expression
School guarantees or student privacy
Environment rights;

- In referencing three
American cases challenging
the schools discipline with
respect to limiting freedom of
expression (Tinker, 1969;
Fraser, 1986; Hazelwood
1988). Shariff notes that the
courts stated that an educator’s
authority over school-
sponsored activities can be
characterized as part of the
school’s curriculum;

- Applying this logic to

cyberbullying, Shariff states
that it is reasonable for schools
to place limitations on any
form of student expression that
either infringes upon the rights
of others or is inconsistent with
school values; and

- The right of schools to

intervene to reduce cyber-
bullying is also related to their
obligations to provide students
with a safe environment that
provides equal opportunities to
learn.
Safe School Shaping Safer 2005 www.edu.gov.o - The Ministry of Education
Action Team Schools: A n.ca recommends:
– Ministry of Bullying
Education of Prevention Æ immediate and mandatory
Ontario Action Plan training on bullying prevention
for current school
administrators;
 67

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

Æ that each school board in
the province should adopt a
bullying prevention policy, and
each school should implement
an effective bullying
prevention program that flows
from the board policy;

Æ each school board

designates a Safe Schools
resource person/co-ordinator to
provide ongoing support,
resources, and expertise on
bullying prevention and
intervention strategies;

Æ provide schools with

centralized data analysis.

- Additional findings state that

of the nearly two million
students in Ontario schools,
approximately one in three in
grades 7-12 report being
bullied in school; and

- The report concludes that

successful bullying prevention
programs address students,
teachers, administrators,
support staff, parents, and
other community partners.
Belsey, Bill Cyberbullying: 2005 Principals - 94% of young people say
An Emerging Online (Vol. 1 they go online from home,
Threat to the No.2) compared to 79% in 2001;
“Always On”
Generation Principalsonline - 37% have their own internet-
.com connected computer;

- 20% of grade 4 students

access the internet through
their own personal computer, a
number that rises to 51% by
grade 11;
 68

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

- 23% of students report
having their own cell phones,
44% of which have internet
capability;

- 56% of students’ cell phones

have text messaging and 17%
have cameras;

- 22% of students have their

own webcam, a number that
climbs to 31% by grade 11;

- Cyberbullying is often
outside of the legal reach of
schools and school boards, as
this behaviour often happens
on home computers or via
mobile phones;

- Cyberbully victims should

save e-mails from cyberbullies,
date and time received, copies
of relevant e-mails and
headers, URLs of group or
communities that are
offensive, profiles of
offenders, chat rooms (and
screenshots of the chat room)
that were offensive, and all
dates or times any
cyberbullying occurred online;

- School solutions include

amending antibullying policies
to include text messaging, cell
phone use, and online bullying;
educate teachers, students and
parents about cyberbullying;
never allow an incident to pass
without dealing with it; “walk
the walk” and demonstrate to
students positive online
communication and behaviour;
and
 69

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

- Instant messaging is growing
in popularity at a rate 30%
faster than e-mail did at its
inception.
Penn, Cyberbullying: 2005 Principals - School rules to reduce
Alexandra Don’t Shoot Online (Vol. 1 cyberbullying include
No.2) incorporating antibullying
activities into classrooms;
Principalsonline develop a comprehensive
.com policy on acceptable computer
use both on and off school
property; run workshops
repeatedly; and communicate
constantly and consistently
with school partners.
Willard, A Briefing for 2005 www.csriu.org - Online social networking
Nancy E. Educators: environments allow people to
Online Social establish profiles that provide
Networking personal information, photos,
Communities music, and graphics about their
and Youth interests;
Risk
- While many sites have Use
Agreements preventing
harmful speech and have age
restrictions to participate, the
reality is that young people can
simply lie about their age and
enter these sites, since no
effective technologies exist to
verify the age of internet users;

- The concern with such sites

is that some young people are
not making good choices with
respect to what they say or
divulge online, and with little
parental control, they are a
prime target for dangerous
adults;

- School threat procedures

should be amended to include
actions for online threats;
 70

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

- School administrators should
be able to override the web
filtering controls on school
computers to help track or deal
with any online threats that are
brought forward.

Willard, An Educator’s 2005 www.csriu.org - See Appendix for the

Nancy E. Guide to &\EHUEXOO\LQJRU&\EHUWKUHDW
Cyberbullying 6LWXDWLRQ5HYLHZ3URFHVVand
and the 6FKRRODQG3DUHQW$FWLRQ
Cyberthreats 2SWLRQV charts.

Roher, Eric Cyberbullying 2006 OPC Register - Since parents are obligated to
– A Growing (Vol. 8, No. 4) send their children to school or
Epidemic in provide home schooling, they
Schools are entitled to expect that
schools will take reasonable
measures to prevent risks of
harm in the school
environment, which includes
protecting students from any
reasonably foreseeable risk of
harm;

- The Education Act of Ontario

imposes a duty on principals to
maintain proper order and
discipline within the school;

- Where there is evidence that

online threats or intimidation
that occur off school property
results in a disruption of the
school community, the
creation of a poisonous
learning environment, or
represents conduct that is
harmful to the moral tone of
the school, there may be a
sufficient link to impose
school discipline;
 71

Author Title Date Publication Key Points

- Section 264.1 (1) (a) of the
Criminal Code of Canada
refers to offences by those that
threaten death or bodily harm,
wherein bodily harm includes
psychological injury regardless
if the threat is carried out or
not; and

- Schools should be
encouraged to incorporate
antibullying programs into
classroom instruction and that
the school code of conduct be
extended to include electronic
communication.



 72

&+$37(57+5((0(7+2'2/2*<

In order to collect accurate data concerning the extent of cyberbullying, it will be

imperative to survey students at the high school level since they are often very familiar

with the technology and have less parental controls placed upon them with regards to

computer or cell phone usage. While cyberbullying is by no means done solely by high

school aged students, they often represent the largest section of the population generally

at-risk of being bullied or those most likely to be involved in online bullying. For the

purposes of this study, 495 local area high school students ranging from grades 9-12 were

surveyed regarding their usage of internet, cell phones, chat rooms, and instant

messaging, as well as the frequency and severity of cyberbullying. All of the students

surveyed were anonymous.

3RSXODWLRQDQG6DPSOH

Students representing grades 9-12 in six high schools were distributed the 6WXGHQW

6XUYH\RQWKH([WHQWRI&\EHUEXOO\LQJLQ6FKRROV (Appendix A). Since two of the high

schools contain between 600 and 1,000 students and the rest of the high schools have

between 100 and 450 students, a portion of each grade and level (applied, academic,

college, university) were surveyed. Subjects were given a participant information letter

that described the reasoning behind my research, what I plan to do with the research one I

have tabulated the results, and which policies I hope to change or alter to reflect the

results of the research. Furthermore, they were instructed that the survey would be

completely anonymous and that no information relating to student name or school would

be asked for.
 73

If students chose to sign the consent forms (Appendix B), or had their parents sign

for them if they are under 16 years of age (Appendix C), they were given a copy of the

Participant Survey and asked to complete the survey. The surveys should have taken 10-

15 minutes to complete, and as students finished they were asked to raise their hand so

that a teacher could collect the survey from them. Once the surveys were collected by the

teacher, he/she forwarded them to the principal of the school, who in turn sent them to me

via our Board mail system.

,QVWUXPHQWDWLRQ

The 6WXGHQW6XUYH\RQWKH([WHQWRI&\EHUEXOO\LQJLQ6FKRROV surveys (Appendix

B) contained 30 questions that sought to determine such information as the extent to

which students regularly use the internet or cell phones; how often they have been asked

to participate in cyberbullying; how often they were cyberbullied; how often they use

instant messaging, participate in chat rooms, send text messages; and generally how safe

students regarded their schools.

'DWD&ROOHFWLRQ

Each of the six high schools were contacted in April 2007 and asked if they would

select one class per grade and level (applied and academic) to distribute the cyberbullying

surveys to. For example, a school would select one grade 9 academic class and a grade 9

applied level class to distribute the survey to, then do the same for grades 10, 11, and 12,

thus giving eight sets of surveys per school. Once schools indicated they were willing to

participate, the Principal of the school was left to determine which classes were selected

to participate (i.e., a grade 9 academic math class or a grade 9 academic science class).

Throughout each school, each participant was read the 3DUWLFLSDQW,QIRUPDWLRQ/HWWHU by

 74

the instructor of the classes selected to participate. After the entire letter was read, during

which time each instructor highlighted the right to withdraw, students that chose to

participate were given a copy of the survey. Those that chose to refrain from

participating were asked by subject teachers to continue on with their course work until

the surveys had been completed.

If students chose to sign the consent forms, they were given a copy of the 6WXGHQW

6XUYH\RQWKH([WHQWRI&\EHUEXOO\LQJLQ6FKRROV survey and asked to anonymously

complete the survey. As students finished the survey, they were asked to raise their hand

and wait for the teacher to collect the survey from them. Once the surveys were collected

by the teacher, they were forwarded to the principal of the school, who in turn sent them

to me via our Board mail system.

Since I was not involved in the selection of the classes, the names and identities of

the students are anonymous to me. Only students and classes selected to participate by

individual principals will know that they are in the survey. Furthermore, since I

instructed each principal and teacher to treat the survey as a test, students did not have

access to information other students wrote, nor were they given any opportunity to view

the surveys.

'DWD$QDO\VLV

The data from the surveys were analyzed using frequencies and percentages as

well as chi-square analysis. SPSS was used extensively in the analysis of the data. The

sample size was 495 students, and 448 surveys were returned.


 75

&+$37(5)2855(68/76

The key research problem explored was to determine the extent to which

cyberbullying occurs and what can be done from a school perspective to help deal

with such incidents. Of the six high schools that participated in the study, two had

a student population between 600 and 1,000 students, while the rest of the high

schools had a student population between 100 and 450 students. Each school was

required to choose a minimum of one class at each grade level (grades 9-12),

although principals of participating schools were free to choose the level surveyed

in each grade (applied, academic, college, university).

In this chapter, the results that were statistically significant are presented. It

is important to note that a total of 448 students out of 495 responded to the request

to complete a survey, which represents a 90.5% return rate. The majority of the

students were from grades 11 and 12 (60.8%), with the greater total number of

male respondents (55.2%).

As shown in Table 3, the percentage of respondents in the junior grades

(19.1% for grade 9 students and 20.2% for grade 10 students) was well balanced.

Although the senior grades had a higher percentage of participants (60.7% of all

respondents), the surveys were relatively equal in the percentage of male and

female respondents (55.2% were male respondents, compared to 44.8% female).

One of the reasons for the minor discrepancy between the junior and senior grades

is attributed to the class size maximums and timetabling procedures of high schools

in the board. While academic or university level classes have a greater number of
 76

Table 3

*HQGHUDQG*UDGH/HYHORI5HVSRQGHQWV

 :KDWJUDGHDUH\RXLQ" 7RWDO

 *UDGH *UDGH *UDGH *UDGH 
:KDWJHQGHU 0DOH &RXQW
    
DUH\RX"
  ZLWKLQ:KDW
JHQGHUDUH     
\RX"
  ZLWKLQ:KDW
JUDGHDUH\RX     
LQ"
 )HPDOH &RXQW     
  ZLWKLQ:KDW
JHQGHUDUH     
\RX"
  ZLWKLQ:KDW
JUDGHDUH\RX     
LQ"
7RWDO &RXQW     
 ZLWKLQ:KDW
JHQGHUDUH     
\RX"
 ZLWKLQ:KDW
JUDGHDUH\RX     
LQ"

 



 77

students that can be placed in such courses, schools typically try to limit the number of

students in grade 9 and 10 classes to ease the transition to high school. Since the grade 9

and 10 courses students must take offer little choice for students, administrators can

timetable several sections to reduce the class size. Conversely, senior level classes are

typically harder to run since they have the greatest amount of choice as to which courses

students choose to take. Thus, especially in smaller schools, courses may be offered in

alternating years, which means that some courses will see a significant number of

students in them since they may have only one chance of taking the course before

graduation.

As shown in Table 4, the results demonstrate that 51.8% of respondents own a

cell phone, but there is a huge discrepancy between the genders in terms of owning a cell

phone. Less than half (44.8%) of males own a cell phone compared to 61.3% of female

respondents. Research has demonstrated that “females tend to be more prone to

communicating via text messaging and e-mail” (Blair, 2003, p. 6), which helps to explain

the difference between the genders. It should also be noted that since “girls inflict more

virtual abuse through messaging, online journals, and online conversations, and boys are

more likely to make online threats or create websites targeting others” (Cooper, 2004,

p.2), it stands to reason females would have a greater number of cell phones considering

text messaging is one of the most prevalent forms of communication a cyberbully has at

his/her disposal.
 78

Table 4

3HUFHQWDJHRI5HVSRQGHQWV7KDW2ZQD&HOO3KRQH


'R\RXRZQDFHOO
SKRQH"

  <HV 1R 7RWDO

:KDWJHQGHU 0DOH &RXQW   
DUH\RX" ZLWKLQ:KDW
JHQGHUDUH   
\RX"
ZLWKLQ'R
\RXRZQDFHOO   
SKRQH"
)HPDOH &RXQW   
ZLWKLQ:KDW
JHQGHUDUH   
\RX"
ZLWKLQ'R
\RXRZQDFHOO   
SKRQH"
7RWDO &RXQW   
ZLWKLQ:KDW
JHQGHUDUH   
\RX"
ZLWKLQ'R
\RXRZQDFHOO   
SKRQH"

 79

As shown in Table 5, the two most popular choices for the cyberbully to carry out

his/her act was via internet chat rooms or e-mail. The number of respondents

cyberbullied via these two avenues was almost equal to the number of respondents that

were cyberbullied via multiple sources (10.2%). The alarming statistic is that of the

26.8% that are being cyberbullied, over one third of the victims experienced bullying

from multiple sources. Although there was very little in terms of gender differences, the

concern for those being cyberbullied is quite significant, especially when you consider

that victims of multiple sources of online abuse have little respite from the harassment.

Regardless of whether the combination is chat rooms or text messaging, e-mail and

websites, or websites and text messages, the cyberbully is never out of touch with the

victim.

As shown in Table 6, another example of the difference between male and female

respondents shows that there was little difference between whether a male was

cyberbullied by a stranger or someone they knew; however, females were most likely to

be cyberbullied by a stranger. Recalling that females tend to visit chat rooms and instant

messaging areas more frequently than males do, they open themselves up to a greater

number of perpetrators. While chat rooms may be designed for young males or females

to communicate with one another, there is no guarantee they are talking with another

child. As Nancy E. Willard is quick to point out, if “young people can simply lie about

their age and enter these sites since no effective technologies exist to verify the age of

internet users,” (2005a, p. 33) then adult predators can do the same. The ability of a 


 80

Table 5

:D\VLQ:KLFK5HVSRQGHQWV:HUH%XOOLHG

+DYH\RXHYHUEHHQEXOOLHGRUWKUHDWHQHGE\VRPHRQHLQWKHIROORZLQJ
ZD\V 7RWDO
&KRVH
PRUH
 ,QLQWHUQHW ,KDYHQRW WKDQ
 'LJLWDO 9LDWH[W FKDW 9LD 9LD EHHQ RQH
 EXOO\LQJ PHVVDJHV URRPV HPDLO ZHEVLWHV F\EHUEXOOLHG RSWLRQ 
:KDW 0DOH &RXQW
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  ZLWKLQ
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WKUHDWHQHG        
E\VRPHRQH
LQWKH
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 )HPDOH &RXQW        
  ZLWKLQ
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E\VRPHRQH
LQWKH
IROORZLQJ
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7RWDO &RXQW        
 ZLWKLQ
:KDWJHQGHU        
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WKUHDWHQHG        
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LQWKH
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ZD\V
 81

Table 6

7KH&\EHUEXOO\,GHQWLILHG

 


 :KRFDUULHGRXWWKHEXOO\LQJ" 7RWDO
 6RPHRQH 1R
 6WUDQJHU \RXNQHZ 5HVSRQVH %RWK 
:KDWJHQGHU 0DOH &RXQW
    
DUH\RX"
  ZLWKLQ
:KDWJHQGHU     
DUH\RX"
  ZLWKLQ
:KRFDUULHG
    
RXWWKH
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 )HPDOH &RXQW     
  ZLWKLQ
:KDWJHQGHU     
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RXWWKH
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7RWDO &RXQW     
 ZLWKLQ
:KDWJHQGHU     
DUH\RX"
 ZLWKLQ
:KRFDUULHG
    
RXWWKH
EXOO\LQJ"
 82

predator to enter such sites and get young children to divulge personal information

drastically increases the potential for harm, which is a potential reason for the higher

cyber abuse directed towards females.

As shown in Table 7, with the overwhelming majority of cyberbullying incidents

occurring between 3 and 11 p.m., times students are often away from the school, it is easy

to see that victims of cyberbullying have literally no place to hide. If the statistics

incorporate the 11 p.m.-8 a.m. time as well, the results show that 91.7% of all

cyberbullying occurrences happen while students are away from school. With such a

lack of online respect, there is little surprise that “thirty-three states require or

recommend that districts design bullying programs, and it is assumed that these policies

cover cyber harassment” (Blair, 2003, p.8), and that the Safe Schools Action Team of

Ontario advocates that all administrators undergo immediate bullying prevention training

(Ministry of Education of Ontario, 2005, p.6).

With little or no escape from the cyberbully, students will inevitably bring the

problems with them to school. If the victim of cyberbullying chooses to lash out in

school, then the administration will be left to deal with the effects of online harassment.

Knowing that the majority of cyberbullying occurs during off-school hours, it is vital to

design effective strategies to help guide schools when dealing with cyberbullying

incidents since the victim will have had a full night (or many nights) or harassment at

home before coming into the school. The frustration, anger, and embarrassment a

cyberbullying victim will face will most likely manifest itself during the school hours;

thus schools must be prepared to put strategies in place that defuse such situations by

creating cultures that respect and promote model online behaviour.

 83

Table 7

3HDN7LPHVIRU&\EHUEXOO\LQJWR2FFXU

 

:KHQGLGWKHF\EHUEXOO\LQJRFFXUPRVW
 IUHTXHQWO\" 
 %HWZHHQ %HWZHHQ %HWZHHQ
 DP SP SP 1R
 SP SP DP UHVSRQVH 7RWDO
:KDWJHQGHU 0DOH &RXQW
    
DUH\RX"
  ZLWKLQ
:KDWJHQGHU     
DUH\RX"
  ZLWKLQ
:KHQGLGWKH
F\EHUEXOO\LQJ     
RFFXUPRVW
IUHTXHQWO\"
 )HPDOH &RXQW     
  ZLWKLQ
:KDWJHQGHU     
DUH\RX"
  ZLWKLQ
:KHQGLGWKH
F\EHUEXOO\LQJ     
RFFXUPRVW
IUHTXHQWO\"
7RWDO &RXQW     
 ZLWKLQ
:KDWJHQGHU     
DUH\RX"
 ZLWKLQ
:KHQGLGWKH
F\EHUEXOO\LQJ     
RFFXUPRVW
IUHTXHQWO\"

 84

As shown in Table 8, the results demonstrated that of those that were cyberbullied

in schools, 13.7% were harassed daily or weekly. Separating by gender, male students

were more apt to be cyberbullied daily or weekly (17%) compare to females (9.8%).

This statistic in itself should be cause for alarm for schools. Using the 448 respondents to

the survey, if 27% indicated they have been cyberbullied, that means that 120

respondents experienced some form of cyber harassment. Of those 120 respondents that

experienced some form of cyberbullying, if 13.7% were harassed daily or weekly,

roughly 16 respondents would experience daily/weekly cyberbullying.

With the increasing number of school shootings and violent acts, one common

theme seems to be embedded throughout each act–the perpetrators of such acts were

either harassed or shunned by their peers. If 16 students cannot go through a day or a

week without reprieve from their tormentors, and the schools have little in place to help

protect or deal with the cyberbullying, then hope for change is slim. When victims begin

to lose hope, the potential for drastic actions or violent outbursts increases. It is statistics

like this that support the notion of Eric Roher that “schools should be encouraged to

incorporate antibullying programs into classroom instruction and that the school code of

conduct be extended to include electronic communication” (2006, p15) so that schools

take a proactive approach to heading off potential problems, rather than waiting and

having to deal with the aftermath of the victim’s retaliation.

As shown in Table 9, the majority of those that failed to report cyberbullying

indicated they thought the harassment was not that big of a problem, but interestingly

enough, 19% believed reporting would not help their cause. The significance of the
 85

Table 8

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6LQFH6HSWHPEHUKRZPDQ\WLPHVKDYH\RXEHHQ
 F\EHUEXOOLHGSHUPRQWK"
 'DLO\RU /HVVWKDQ $ERXW
 DOPRVW RQFHD RQFHD
 1RQH GDLO\ :HHNO\ PRQWK PRQWK 7RWDO
:KDW 0DOH &RXQW      
JHQGHUDUH ZLWKLQ
\RX" :KDW
     
JHQGHUDUH
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6HSWHPEHU
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\RXEHHQ
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)HPDOH &RXQW      
ZLWKLQ
:KDW
     
JHQGHUDUH
\RX"
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PRQWK"
7RWDO &RXQW      
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KRZPDQ\
WLPHVKDYH      
\RXEHHQ
F\EHU
EXOOLHGSHU
PRQWK"

 86

results indicates the need for more involvement from schools. When schools allow

students to enter the online world without much concern for the treatment they receive as

a result of being part of that world, or allow students to think reporting cannot help their

cause, then the system is flawed. Schools must acknowledge the problems concerning

online safety and seek to correct them by incorporating programs into student courses, or

else schools fail parents by not protecting students from any reasonably foreseeable risk

of harm (Roher, 2006, p. 12).

As shown in Table 10, both male and female respondents would rather confide to

a friend that they are being cyberbullied than a trusted adult. In fact, males actually

preferred to confide in “other” persons than a friend, parent, police, or school

administration or staff members. It is alarming that 23.6% of all reports go through

parents, police, or school administration or staff members. If the victim and friends of

the cyberbullying victim choose to stay silent and not report the incident, a large number

of cases will continue to slip under the radar and be left unresolved. With less than a

quarter of all incidents being reported to a trusted adult, there is no telling if the

unreported cases are serious online threats or harassment. As long as the attitude persists

that reporting such online abuse to a trusted adult is not popular, then students will

continue to be placed at risk, whether they recognize it or not.

As shown in Table 11, a great percentage of male respondents admitted to sending

a threatening message (31.6%) compared to female respondents (23.1%). Cumulatively,

27.8% of respondents admitted to sending a threatening message, which is close to the

percentage of respondents that indicated they suffered some form of cyberbullying

 87

Table 9

5HDVRQIRUQRW5HSRUWLQJ&\EHUEXOO\LQJ,QFLGHQWV


,I\RXKDYHEHHQF\EHUEXOOLHGEXWGLGQRWWHOO
DQ\RQHZK\GLG\RXQRWWHOODSDUHQWVFKRRO
DXWKRULW\RUWKHSROLFHDERXWWKHRQOLQHEXOO\LQJ" 
 ,WZDVQ
W ,GLGQRW ,GLGQRW
 D WKLQNLW NQRZ
 SUREOHP ZRXOGKHOS ZKHUHWR 1R
 WRPH WKHSUREOHP JRIRUKHOS UHVSRQVH 7RWDO
:KDW 0DOH &RXQW
JHQGHU     
DUH\RX"
  ZLWKLQ:KDWJHQGHU
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  ZLWKLQ,I\RXKDYH
EHHQF\EHUEXOOLHGEXW
GLGQRWWHOODQ\RQH
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 )HPDOH &RXQW     
  ZLWKLQ:KDWJHQGHU
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 ZLWKLQ:KDWJHQGHU
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 ZLWKLQ,I\RXKDYH
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 88

Table 10

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7HDFKHU
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 3DUHQW )ULHQG VXSSRUWVWDII 3ROLFH 2WKHU UHVSRQVH 
:KDW 0DOH &RXQW
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DUH\RX"
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\RXZHUH
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 )HPDOH &RXQW       
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DUH\RX"
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7RWDO &RXQW       
 ZLWKLQ
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:KRGLG\RX
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\RXZHUH
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 89

(26.9%). The Safe Schools Action Team commissioned by the Ministry of Education of

Ontario reported that “of the nearly two million students in Ontario schools,

approximately one in three in Grades 7-12 report being bullied in school” (2005, p. 10).

As the access to technology and the ease by which messages can be communicated

increases, both privately and publicly, the potential exists for cyberbullying to exceed

traditional school bullying in the very near future. The fact that cyberbullying has

virtually caught up to traditional school bullying in less than a decade suggests that as

technological advances expand, so will the abuse.

As shown in Table 12, results indicate that cyberbullies that send threatening

messages to their victims do so either very frequently (15 times or more per month) or

sporadically (1 and 4 times per month). While the majority of cyberbullies tended to

send between 1-4 messages per month, which may or may be to the same target, this

should still be a major cause for concern. Cyberbullies rarely start out by sending

threatening messages 15 times or more per week; they gradually work their way up to

more serious forms of victimizing. The fact that the majority of the cyberbullies are in

this category may not mean each of them will become a serial cyberbully, but some

certainly will. Furthermore, if the cyberbully is not challenge by the person being

victimized, which is something school programs can help address, then the chances of

more serious negative behaviour increase.

Another concern that the statistics illuminate is the fact that 3.7% (16 out of

434) admit to cyberbullying others 15 or more times per month. If we extrapolate these

figures to include a full calendar year, 16 cyberbullies sending 15 threatening messages

over 12 months (16 x 15 x 12) would equal 2,880 threatening messages being received by
 90

Table 11

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+DYH\RXHYHUVHQWD
WKUHDWHQLQJRUEXOO\LQJ
PHVVDJHWRVRPHRQH
HOVH"

  <HV 1R 7RWDO

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DUH\RX" ZLWKLQ:KDW
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)HPDOH &RXQW   
ZLWKLQ:KDW
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 91

Table 12

)UHTXHQF\RI2QOLQH+DUDVVPHQWE\WKH&\EHUEXOO\


6LQFH6HSWHPEHUKRZPDQ\WLPHVKDYH\RXF\EHU
EXOOLHGVRPHRQHHOVHSHUPRQWK"
RU
PRUH
      WLPHV 7RWDO
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DUH\RX"
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 92

the victims of online hate in the six schools surveyed. With technological capabilities

and access to devices capable of sending online threats on the rise, the ease at which

cyberbullies can spread their hatred will continue to grow as well.

As shown in Table 13, one of the causes for concern with Table 13 is the fact that

25 students used school computers to send threatening or bullying messages, yet there is

no record suggesting any of the students were caught. When I asked high school

administrators during our June 2006 principal meeting if they had any reported

cyberbullying cases during the 2005-2006 school year, only a few were brought to my

attention, and even then the threats were made from home computers.

As shown in Table 14, while male respondents (32.4%) used another person’s

online account to send a message more often than female respondents (22.2&), the

overall total of the respondents using a false identity to send messages was 27.8%. It is

interesting to note that this result demonstrates little variance from the overall number of

respondents who indicated they were cyberbullied (26.9%), and is in fact equal to the

number that indicated they had sent a threatening message (27.8%). I believe the

numbers speak to a culture of disrespect for online use. It comes as little surprise to me

that an equal number of respondents were found to have sent threatening messages and

used another person’s online name considering the anonymity that the internet can

provide. If users have little concern for getting caught or for how others will react to

their messages, then there will be no incentive to change. When traditional bullying

programs use mediation between the victim and abuser to solve the problem, one of the

key components is the face-to-face contact between the two parties so that the bully can

see the emotional effect he has had on the victim. Since the internet does not allow the
 93

Table 13

8VHRI6FKRRO&RPSXWHUVWR6HQG7KUHDWHQLQJ0HVVDJHV


+DYH\RXHYHUVHQWD
WKUHDWHQLQJRUEXOO\LQJ 
FRPPHQWYLDWKH 
VFKRROVFRPSXWHUV" 


  <HV 1R 7RWDO

:KDWJHQGHUDUH 0DOH &RXQW   
\RX" ZLWKLQ:KDW
JHQGHUDUH\RX"   
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\RXHYHUVHQWD
WKUHDWHQLQJRU
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FRPPHQWYLDWKH

VFKRROV
FRPSXWHUV"
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ZLWKLQ:KDW
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EXOO\LQJ   
FRPPHQWYLDWKH
VFKRROV
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 94

Table 14

,PSHUVRQDWLQJ2WKHUV2QOLQHWR6HQGD0HVVDJH

+DYH\RXHYHUXVHG 
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VRQOLQH 
FKDWURRPVFUHHQQDPH
WRVHQGDPHVVDJH"

  <HV 1R 7RWDO

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\RX"
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\RX"
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 95

victim any such opportunity, unless school administration or parents become involved,

the responsibility has to fall to schools to educate and prepare students to navigate safely

through their online journey while respecting those they share online space with.

As shown in Table 15, a significant difference exists between males and females with

respect to posting negative, derogatory, or defamatory comments during an online chat in

that 48% of male respondents admitted to posting such comments, while only 29.8% of

female respondents admitted to such acts. Once again, the anonymity of the internet and

the freedom it grants people can have significant effects. As Blair points out, “more than

1/3 of teens use IM to say things they don’t want to say in face-to-face conversations with

their peers” (2003, p. 7). Even if students use their real names or e-mail address, the fact

students are not face-to-face gives some people a sense of confidence since they know

there are no immediate consequences to their online actions. Those that post hateful or

derogatory comments may eventually be confronted and disciplined, but during the

moment of the conversation they have free rein to say what they want. The only

immediate reaction is that of the person being victimized or taunted, and should that

person become irate at what is being said, he or she is simply empowering the cyberbully

to continue.

As shown in Table 16, despite the level of cyberbullying apparent amongst the

respondents of the survey, an overwhelming majority of students (89.7%)

strongly/somewhat agree that they feel safe in their schools. However, do not let this

statistic mask any potential problems. Having served as an administrator in one of the

high schools that participated in the survey, I can attest to the sense of security and

belonging students feel. Cyberbullies, however, seek to attack victims when they are
 96

Table 15

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+DYH\RXHYHUSRVWHG 
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GHIDPDWRU\FRPPHQWV 
GXULQJDQRQOLQHFKDW"

  <HV 1R 7RWDO

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DUH\RX" ZLWKLQ:KDW 
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ZLWKLQ+DYH
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DQHJDWLYH 
GHURJDWRU\RU
GHIDPDWRU\
   
FRPPHQWV 
GXULQJDQRQOLQH
FKDW" 
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\RXHYHUSRVWHG 
DQHJDWLYH
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FRPPHQWV

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7RWDO &RXQW   

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JHQGHUDUH\RX"   

ZLWKLQ+DYH
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DQHJDWLYH 
GHURJDWRU\RU
GHIDPDWRU\
   
FRPPHQWV 
GXULQJDQRQOLQH
FKDW" 








 97


Table 16

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,IHHOVDIHLQP\VFKRRO"
6WURQJO\ 6RPHZKDW 6RPHZKDW 6WURQJO\
  DJUHH DJUHH GLVDJUHH GLVDJUHH  7RWDO
:KDW 0DOH &RXQW      
JHQGHUDUH ZLWKLQ
\RX" :KDW
     
JHQGHUDUH
\RX"
ZLWKLQ,
IHHOVDIHLQ      
P\VFKRRO"
)HPDOH &RXQW      
ZLWKLQ
:KDW
     
JHQGHUDUH
\RX"
ZLWKLQ,
IHHOVDIHLQ      
P\VFKRRO"
7RWDO &RXQW      
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:KDW
     
JHQGHUDUH
\RX"
ZLWKLQ,
IHHOVDIHLQ      
P\VFKRRO"
 98

online, which is generally during the times they are away from school and using personal

computers or cell phones. School can often act as a reprieve from the online torment

since the student may have little opportunity to access online material. Conversely,

school also becomes the one place that the victim may choose to lash out in, which again

indicates a need for schools to be proactive with cyberbullying because the external

harassment can influence in-school behaviour.









 99

&+$37(5),9(6800$5<',6&866,216$1'5(&200(1'$7,216

Students representing grades 9-12 in six high schools across the district

volunteered to complete the 6WXGHQW 6XUYH\RQWKH([WHQWRI&\EHUEXOO\LQJLQ6FKRROV. A

portion of each grade and level (applied, academic, college, university) were surveyed,

and a total of 448 out of 495 surveys were returned. With the increased accessibility to

the internet (schools, internet cafés, libraries, cell phones, etc.), students in our school

systems are connected to a world that offers tremendous benefits and serious pitfalls.

When students choose to enter online chat rooms, use instant messaging to communicate

with others, text message one another, write online blogs, or simply post material on

internet web pages, the last thing they may think of is being cyberbullied. However, with

the expanding number of devices capable of accessing and downloading material from

the internet comes the potential for cyberbullies to target and threaten unsuspecting users.

Whether the attacks are written e-mails, comments in online blogs or journals, websites

designed to mock or tease, or derogatory comments posted in chat rooms or on instant

messaging programs, there is often no escape for cyberbully victims.

With all of the various ways in which students can be harassed online, and the

ease at which this can be done, this study set out to see the extent to which students were

cyberbullied. Outlined below are the most relevant findings of the study:

x 26.9% of respondents indicated that they had been cyberbullied;

x The number of respondents who indicated they were cyberbullied via e-mails (22)

and internet chat rooms (26) were almost equal to the number of respondents that

experienced cyberbullying via multiple sources (44);

 100

x Male respondents were more prone to cyberbullying via chat rooms, while female

respondents were more prone to use e-mail;

x There was little difference in the percentage of male respondents that indicated

they were cyberbullied (25.8%) compared to female respondents (28.2%);

x In terms of whether a stranger (39.3%) or someone the victim knew (46.4%)

carried out the cyberbullying, there was a minute difference in the male

respondents’ results;

x Female results were much more profound when analyzing whether a stranger

(75.9%) or someone the victim knew (13%) carried out the cyberbullying;

x In total, cyberbullying victims indicated they were more likely (57.3%) to be

targeted by a stranger;

x The majority (75.2%) of all cyberbullying incidents occurred between 3 and 11

p.m., although the results indicate that males were more likely to be cyberbullied

between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. (25.9%) than females (5.9%);

x 13.7% of respondents indicated that the cyberbullying was daily or weekly

occurrences;

x 76.2% of the respondents that indicated they did not report the cyberbullying

activity to an adult stated that they did not view the actions as a problem, while

another 19% stated they did not know where to go for help;

x Peers (44.7%) and other acquaintances (25%) of the cyberbullying victim are the

most likely outlets for the victim to disclose the online abuse to;

x Males (62.6%) are more likely to send a threatening or bullying message than

females (37.4%);
 101

x A total of 27.8% of respondents indicated they had sent a threatening or bullying

message to someone else;

x The majority of male respondents that engage in cyberbullying activity, to which

63 respondents admitted, either do it only a few times per month (65% engage in

cyberbullying 1-4 times/month) or very frequently (23.8% engage in

cyberbullying activity 15 times or more/month);

x Of the 30 female respondents that admitted to engaging in cyberbullying activity,

90% of them did so 1-4 times/month;

x 5.6% of all respondents indicated they had used school computers to send a

threatening or bullying message;

x 27.8% of all respondents admitted that they used another person’s screen name to

send a threatening or bullying message;

x 48% of male respondents admitted to posting negative, derogatory, or defamatory

comments during an online chat, while only 29.8% of female respondents

admitted to the same; and

x An overwhelming majority of students (89.7%) strongly/somewhat agree that they

feel safe in their schools.

'LVFXVVLRQV

With the rise in technological use, especially the rate at which young people are

connecting to the internet via computers or cell phones, schools and students have been

introduced to a new hazard–cyberbullying. Cyberbullying, which involves the use of

information and communication technologies such as e-mail, cell phone and pager text

messages, instant messaging (IM), defamatory personal websites, and defamatory

 102

personal polling websites, to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an

individual or group that is intended to harm others (Belsey, 2005, p. 8), is a relatively

new phenomenon that schools are facing. While the majority of the abuse may occur

outside of the school walls, schools inevitably deal with the fallout of the abuse. The

research on bullying has been extensive and indeed, particularly in Ontario, the need for

schools to implement antibullying programs has been well documented. One of the

problems with many of the programs schools are implementing is that such programs fail

to address cyberbullying.

Since the term was coined in 1999, research has demonstrated that:

x 99% of Canadian students have used the internet;

x 48% of Canadian students use it for at least one hour a day;

x Nearly 60% of Canadian students use chat rooms and instant messaging; and

x Canadians have the highest or near-highest penetration and use of the telephone,

cable, TV, computers in the home, and internet access in the world (Environics

Research group, 2001, p. 14).

Furthermore, Bill Belsey states that “94% of young people say they go online

from home, compared to 79% in 2001,” and that “ instant messaging is growing in

popularity at a rate 30% faster than email did at its inception” (Belsey, 2005a, p7).

Knowing Canada is one of the fastest rising nations to embrace the technological

revolution, this study on cyberbullying set out to find the frequency of cyberbullying in

schools and to offer solutions for schools to deal with this emerging problem.

After analyzing the surveys completed by the schools that participated in the

survey, results indicate that 26.8% of the participants have been cyberbullied. Such
 103

results are in between studies conducted in Britain and the United States. In a survey by

National Children’s Home & Tesco Mobile in Britain, results demonstrated that “One in

five youngsters (20%) experienced some sort of digital bullying” (2005, p.2).

Conversely, a survey completed in the United States indicated that “42% have been

bullied online and 57% of students said someone said something hurtful to them online”

(Keith & Martin, 2005, p. 224). Once again, with Canada being one of the fastest

growing nations to become connected online, the abuse rates will only increase unless

they are addressed by schools and school boards.

Another key finding in the survey was the fact that female results showed that a

stranger (75.9%) was more likely to carry out the cyberbullying than someone the victim

knew (13%). This is not a surprising statistic when one considers the fact that females,

especially young ones, are prime targets for sexual predators in chat rooms. Chat rooms

are a favourite area to visit online for young females, and they are often oblivious to the

fact that sexual predators posing as other young females are lurking within. To

complicate matters even further, when “50% of kids say they are alone online most of the

time, while only 16% say they discuss with parents what they do online” (Challenging

Cyberbullying, 2005, p. 1), it becomes increasingly clear that online safety of children is

an issue. While some parents may be vigilant in the supervision of their child’s online

activity, many remain on the sidelines because they fail to understand the technology or

how to keep tabs on their children’s online activity. Schools, by their very nature of

acting as parents to students while they are in school, need to take a greater role in

educating students and parents about the dangers of online abuse since they often have a

greater capacity to connect than parents to experts to help develop programs to deal with
 104

cyberbullying and because they have a significant effect on the social and education

development of children. This social and educational responsibility is intertwined and

cannot be separated by schools; thus the need for curriculum initiatives that address

proper and courteous online behaviour is a priority.

Moreover, the survey indicated a total of 93 respondents, 30 females and 63

males, had engaged in cyberbullying activity. The majority of male respondents that

engage in cyberbullying activity either do it only a few times per month (65% engage in

cyberbullying 1-4 times/month) or very frequently (23.8% engage in cyberbullying

activity 15 times or more/month), while 90% of the female respondents that admitted to

engaging in cyberbullying activity did so 1-4 times/month. The 93 respondents represent

20.9% of the total participant surveys returned. Regardless if cyberbullies only sent a

few (2 derogatory or hurtful messages per month they still would be responsible for (93

participants x 2 messages x 12 months) 2,232 cyberbullying messages. Combine this

with statistics from Table 12 that indicate as many as 2,880 derogatory or hurtful

messages could be sent within the six schools surveyed from frequent cyberbullies (15 or

more time per month), school boards have a responsibility to address the issue. However,

since this is merely a sample of the school population, the total number of derogatory or

hurtful messages being sent across the board will certainly be much higher. Add the fact

that “the immediacy of the Internet as eliminating the time between thinking of

committing an offence and actually following through with its commission” (Franec,

2004, p. 1), and school programs addressing cyber safety and online respect become even

more vital.
 105

A disturbing trend that reinforces the need for schools to address cyberbullying is

the avenues students choose to disclose online incidents. The survey results indicated

that cyberbullying victims will most likely confide in peers (44.7%) or other

acquaintances (25%), while another 19% stated they did not know where to go for help.

Students that choose to confide in other acquaintances usually do so because they are

confident that peers will not disclose the information to an adult. In total, potentially

89.7% of incidents are not reported to adults, much less school authorities; thus many

victims often suffer online abuse in silence. Schools already face a difficult culture with

respect to student reporting of incidents. The notion that one is a “rat” for disclosing

information, even if it can save or protect someone, certainly makes it difficult for

students to report general bullying, let alone cyberbullying. Furthermore, if one were to

report cyberbullying, there is a fear that the abuse could escalate since the internet can

easily pass along information or messages at alarming speed to a mass audience. The

challenge for schools and school boards becomes to what extent should they get involved

in such activities, especially when survey results indicated that he majority (75.2%) of all

cyberbullying incidents occurred between 3 and 11 p.m.?

There is no denying that any events that occur in the cyber world are accessible to

numerous people and that the chances of victims lashing out are increased in school

settings where large numbers of people can gather to continue the abuse. In this regard,

schools do have the responsibility to address the situation. As Eric Roher states,

since parents are obligated to send their children to school or provide home

schooling, they are entitled to expect that schools will take reasonable measures to
 106

prevent risks of harm in the school environment, which includes protecting

students from any reasonably foreseeable risk of harm (p. 14).

Furthermore, Roher concedes that

where there is evidence that online threats or intimidation that occur off school

property results in a disruption of the school community, the creation of a

poisonous learning environment, or represents conduct that is harmful to the

moral tone of the school, there may be a sufficient link to impose school

discipline (p.14).

While Section 265 of the (GXFDWLRQ$FWRI2QWDULR (2006, p. 254) imposes a duty on

principals to maintain proper order and discipline within the school, there are no specific

penalties for dealing with cyberbullying. Like other offences where a suspension could

be imposed, penalties can range from 1-20 days, or for the more serious cases, an

expulsion from school. In his article entitled “Cyberbullying – A Growing Epidemic in

Schools”, Eric Roher states that “schools should be encouraged to incorporate anti-

bullying programs into classroom instruction and that the school code of conduct be

extended to include electronic communication” (p.15). The problem with this advice is

that the interpretation, development, and application of such programs are still open to

schools to create and levy penalties. Similar to current offences for mandatory or

discretionary suspensions in Ontario, there may be little consistency from school board to

school board, or even from schools within a school board. Although the survey indicated

that 5.6% of all respondents had used school computers to send a threatening or bullying

message, schools cannot limit their policies to simply events that occur within the school,
 107

but reach to those outside events that create a “poisonous learning environment, or

represents conduct that is harmful to the moral tone of the school” (Roher, p. 14).

5HFRPPHQGDWLRQV

The technological advances have placed schools in a precarious position

with respect to cyberbullying. Computers and cell phones are the easiest access

points to victimize people online and contain numerous streams to victimize

people. Web blogs, websites, online journals, chat rooms, and instant messaging

services provide cyberbullies with the computer tools to have constant access to

their victims and allow cyberbullies to manipulate images or text to further abuse

their victims. Add to the mix the ability of cell phones and ipod music players to

have pictures and videos downloaded to them, the abuse can be replayed over and

over again at any time or place.

One would only need to visit the website Youtube.com to see the power that

videos can have when posted on a site for the world to see. Notable videos posted

on the site in recent weeks included Saddam Hussein’s execution, school fights,

school teachers yelling at their classes, and a school administrator videotaped as he

yelled at students while disciplining them. The problem with these videos is that

none of the participants either knew they were being taped or gave their permission

to be taped and have it posted on a website. With cell phone capabilities such that

they can record video and text messages, and adding the fact that they are easy to

hide due to their small and compact nature, the potential for abuse in schools is

quite concerning. From text messaging test answers to recording situations that can
 108

be exposed to millions online with little respect for privacy and personal issues, cell

phones pose a significant danger in schools.

With this in mind, the following is a list of recommendations that school

and school boards should put in place to combat the growing epidemic of

cyberbullying:

● School boards need to develop a policy in regards to cell phone and ipod

usage during school hours and consistently enforce the penalties set out therein. It

is too easy for students to tape any event, classroom or otherwise, and download it

to the internet. In doing so, students are abusing those they tape because they do

not get consent to be releasing such photos. This relates back to Franec’s (2004)

argument about the immediacy of the internet not allowing for any time between

thinking about committing an offence and actually committing one. Once an image

or video is on a phone or computer, the shock and entertainment value of the image

often can override common sense and the appropriate course of action; thus the

video may be downloaded to a site like Youtube.com within seconds. Most

important,

school solutions include amending anti-bullying policies to include text

messaging, cell phone use and online bullying; educate teachers, students

and parents about cyberbullying; never allow an incident to pass without

dealing with it; “walk the walk” and demonstrate to students positive online

communication and behaviour (Belsey, 2005, p. 12);

● School consequences for cyberbullying must be made standard across a

particular school board and address online behaviour in and outside of the school.
 109

Since cyberbullying deals with situations that could have taken place outside of the

physical boundaries of a school, it is important for boards to set standards that will

be enforced. Procedures for investigating cyberbullying incidents, set punishments

that account for the various forms and severity of cyberbullying, as well as

procedures for addressing short- and long-term solutions to cyberbullying are vital.

As Dr. Shaheen Shariff states, schools need guidelines that provide reasonable

boundaries and direction as to their responsibility in order to alleviate their

reluctance to breach freedom of expression guarantees or student privacy rights

(2005, p.21). The fact remains that cyberbullying is a relatively new area that

administrators will be dealing with. With this in mind, a standard scale of

punishments and prevention measures should become part of the training for board

administration so that if decisions must be made about cyberbullying incidents that

occur outside of school times, at least the administration can feel confident they

have the full support of the board.

● Schools need to develop seminars for teachers and parents regarding

online safety. Protecting children from online bullying must be done in

conjunction with parents, since cyberbullies can connect to their victims at any

hour of the day. Unlike traditional bullying where the bully and victim generally

have no contact with one another outside of a school setting, cyberbullying requires

parents and schools to work in conjunction with one another to protect children.

An additional complication to such monitoring is the code that children have when

talking online. Since children can use online acronyms (Appendix D) to disguise

what they are saying, parents cannot simply look over at the computer
 110

intermittently to ensure proper online usage. In order to be vigilant, parents must

have an understanding of the language and be able to decipher online text to ensure

the safety of their child. As suggested by the Media Awareness Network, parents

should do the following with their children:

Æ Get involved and be aware as to what your children are doing online,

places they go, and the people they talk to;

Æ Encourage your kids to report any online incident that makes them feel

uncomfortable or threatened;

Æ Encourage your kids to develop their own moral code so they will

choose to behave ethically online; and

Æ Watch for signs that your child may be being bullied online and take

action against such incidents (Challenging Cyberbullying, 2005).

Since students are generally more knowledgeable than their parents when it

comes to online usage and how to navigate through the internet, parents are often

hesitant to monitor their child’s online use. If parents do not know what a URL,

header, or a group of communities is, then they will not feel comfortable

monitoring their child. Also, if teachers are not aware of the tactics and signs of

cyberbullying, vital signs may be missed to indicate a student is being abused

(especially since 5.6% of respondents indicated they sent derogatory or threatening

e-mails from school). Schools should develop a series of seminars that address

such topics as basic internet terminology, how to save e-mails and headers,

recording screenshots and URLs, blocking groups of communities, how to profile

offenders, and monitoring chat room conversations.

 111

Additionally, schools should develop seminars that define and provide

examples of cyberbullying, since it can range from minor insults to severe threats.

Procedures outlining where to access help (school, police, internet service

providers, etc.), what to report, how much information is necessary before a report

should be made, and how to support those who are cyberbullied are also vital to

combating online bullying. It is also important that such seminars address the

warning signs of cyberbullying (Appendix E), particularly for the one being

cyberbullied and the person who is cyberbullying others (Cyberbullying victim and

offender warning signs, 2006, p. 1). While each individual board and school may

have different issues regarding delivery of such seminars, particularly boards with a

large student population or area, it is important that they are offered repeatedly so

that parents can become comfortable with the technology over time. This would

also allow parents to network with other parents and form a community of support

outside of school hours that could help address any abuse that is discovered outside

of school hours.

Ɣ Schools need to develop internet usage agreements that are consistent

across the school board, beginning in grade 3.Given that“20% of grade 4 students

access the internet through their own personal computer, a number that rises to

51% by grade 11” (Belsey, 2005, p.7), proper online etiquette is vital. Such

internet usage agreements should address protocol use within the school and the

consequences for breaking them. If school boards develop consistent standards for

internet usage agreements amongst all schools, students will become accustomed to

the expectations regarding computer usage. As it stands, individual internet usage

 112

agreements can often confuse students, since they may receive more harsh penalties

than other students in neighbouring schools or even within their own school.

Without consistent policies that are enforced, schools will have a difficult time

changing the online behaviour of students.

● Schools need to introduce curriculum units from grades 3-12 that address

online safety and protection measures. Schools cannot afford to wait to teach

students about online etiquette or safety. With this in mind, schools should

incorporate the aforementioned seminars for parents into the curriculum, plus

additional curriculum units that speak to student rights online, how to report online

abuse, the importance and benefits of reporting online abuse, and proper online

etiquette. As Alexandra Penn states, “school rules to reduce cyberbullying include

incorporating anti-bullying activities into classrooms; develop a comprehensive

policy on acceptable computer use both on and off school property; run workshops

repeatedly; and communicate constantly and consistently with school partners”

(2005, p. 17).
 113

5HIHUHQFHV

Adlaf, E.M., Paglia, A., & Beitchman, J.H. (2002). 7KHPHQWDOKHDOWKDQGZHOOEHLQJ

 RI2QWDULRVWXGHQWV)LQGLQJVIURPWKH26'86. CAMH Research

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 DQGZHOOEHLQJRI2QWDULRVWXGHQWV: )LQGLQJVIURPWKH26'86.

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Retrieved November 20th, 2006 from the Principals online website:

http//www.Principalsonline.com

Belsey, B. (2005b). ³7DONLQJWKH7DON´$4XLFN,QWURGXFWLRQWR.QRZLQJ:KDW3HRSOH

 $UH6D\LQJWR(DFK2WKHULQ&\EHUVSDFH. Retrieved September 3rd, 2006 from

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Awareness Network web site: http://www.media-

 114

awareness.ca/english/resources/special_initiatives/wa_resources/wa_shared/backg

rounders/challenge_cyber_bullying.cfm

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 6FKRRO. Retrieved October 14, 2005, from the Seattle Schools web site:

http://www.seattleschools.org/area/ctc/olweus_survey/McClure_allschool_olw.pdf

Communities that Care. (2004a). 2OZHXVEXOO\LQJVXUYH\UHSRUW$OOVFKRROVFRPELQHG.

Retrieved October 14, 2005, from the Seattle Schools web site:

http://www.seattleschools.org/area/ctc/olweus_survey/Combined_olw.pdf

Communities that Care. (2004b). 6XPPDU\RIVXUYH\UHVXOWV. Retrieved October 14,

2005, from the Seattle Schools web site:

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from Cyberbullying.ca web site:

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_April_21_2004.html

(GXFDWLRQ$FWRI2QWDULR. Retrieved September 26th from the website:

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Environics Research Group. (2001). <RXQJ&DQDGLDQVLQD:LUHG:RUOG7KH6WXGHQWV¶

 9LHZ. Retrieved October 22, 2005, from the Media Awareness Network web

site: http://www.media-awareness.ca

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http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0510/p09s01-coop.htm
 115

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Broadcast]. Toronto, ON: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

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Retrieved September 23rd, 2006 from the website: http//www.cyberbullying.us

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world. 5HFODLPLQJ&KLOGUHQDQG<RXWK, 13(4), 224-228.

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 116

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http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/projects/internet_survey.html


 117

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You are asked to participate in a research study conducted by Alan McLean from the
Masters in Education department at Nipissing University. The results of this research
will be used as part of a thesis to help determine the frequency and severity of
cyberbullying in high schools across District School Board Ontario North East.
&RPSOHWLRQDQG5HWXUQRIWKLV6XUYH\6LJQLILHV&RQVHQW

1. What gender are you? Female Male

2. What age are you?

13 years-old

14 years-old

15 years-old

16 years-old

17 years-old

18 years-old

19 years-old or older

3. What Grade are you in?

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12
 120

4. With whom are you currently living?

Both biological parents

Biological father only

Biological mother only

One biological parent and stepparent

Shared custody

Adoptive parent(s)

Foster parent(s)

Living in a group home

Living on my own or with a friend

5. Is your computer at home:

Secluded in a bedroom

In a living room/recreation room

In an office within the home

Secluded in another area of the home

In another open area of the home

I do not have a computer at home

6. Do you own a cell phone?

Yes

No
 121

7. Where do you have access to a computer?

Only at school

Only at home

Both at home and school

I do not have access to any computer at all

8. On average, how many text messages do you send per week via a cell phone or

computer?

1-5

6-10

11-15

15 or more

9. How many hours per week do you spend on a computer or cell phone text messaging,

going into Internet chat rooms, visiting websites for personal interest, or going to voting

booths or web polls?

1-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

Over 25 hours
 122

10. Have you ever been bullied or threatened by someone in any of the follow ways?

(Check all that apply)

Digital bullying

Via text messages

In Internet chat rooms

Via email

Via websites

I have not been cyber-bullied

11. Was the bullying carried out by:

Someone you knew

A stranger

12. When did the cyber-bullying occur most frequently?

between 8 am – 3 pm

between 3 pm – 11 pm

between 11 pm – 8am

13. Since September, how many times have you been cyber-bullied per month?

None

Daily or almost daily

Weekly

Less than once a month

About once a month

 123

14. If you have been cyber bullied, but did not report such activity, why did you not tell a

parent, school authority, or the police that you were bullied online?

It wasn’t a problem to me

I did not think it would help solve the situation

I did not know where to go for help

15. Who did you report to that you were being cyber-bullied?

Parent

Friend

Teacher / School Administrator / School Support Staff

Police

Other

16. Have you ever sent a threatening or bullying message to someone else?

Yes

No

17. Since September, how many times have you cyber-bullied someone else per month?

1-4

5-9

10-14

15 or more times
 124

18. Have you ever been invited to post threatening or bullying comments on a website,

online journal, web blog, or online chat?

Yes

No

19. Have you ever invited anyone to post threatening or bullying comments on a website,

online journal, web blog, or online chat?

Yes

No

20. Have you ever sent a threatening or bullying comment via the school’s computers?

Yes

No

21. Has anyone ever taken a photograph of you in a way that made you feel embarrassed,

threatened or uncomfortable?

Yes

No

22. To your knowledge, have you had a photograph that was taken of you that made you

feel embarrassed, threatened or uncomfortable ever sent to anyone else electronically?

Yes

No

23. Do you currently have an online chat room screen name?

Yes

No
 125

24. Have you ever shared your online chat room screen name?

Yes

No

25. Have you ever used another person’s online chat room screen name to send a

message?

Yes

No

26. Have you ever posted negative, derogatory or defamatory comments during an online

chat?

Yes

No

27. Have you ever been involved in an online chat where you have received negative,

derogatory or defamatory comments?

Yes

No

28. I feel safe in my school.

Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree
 126

29. I feel close to people at this school.

Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree

30. I feel like I am part of this school.

Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree


 127

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Your child will be asked to participate in a research study conducted by Alan R. McLean, from the
Graduate Studies Department at Nipissing University. The results will form the basis of a Thesis paper
on Cyberbullying: Emerging Concerns and Solutions in an Ever-increasing Digital World. Participant’s
that are under the age of 16 years must have the Parental/Guardian Consent Form signed.

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Alan R. McLean (Faculty Investigator) Dr. Kris Kirkwood (Faculty Supervisor)
(705) 266-5385 Phone: 705-474-3461 ext. 4378
alan.mclean@dsb1.edu.on.ca krisk@nipissingu.ca

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While bullying continues to be a problem within the school system, the emergence of cyber-bullying and
subsequent research has not been clearly delineated from the general “bullying” statistics. Schools
either react to events within their school or implement programs to prevent inappropriate behaviour.
However, few schools or school boards have taken the initiative to deal with cyberbullying adequately.
In order to effectively deal with cyberbullying, it must be separated from common forms of bullying
(physical and verbal) and studied more intensely. Considering that technology will only increase in
speed, demand, and capability in the foreseeable future, how schools react to the cyber world will be
significant in preventing and dealing with cyberbullying.
Participants will be asked to complete a survey that seeks to determine the online activities of students.
In particular, the study will seek to expose the extent to which participants are bullied online, the ways
in which students are bullied online, and the extent to which participants bully others while online.

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Subjects will be given a participant information letter that describes the reasoning behind my research,
what I plan to do with the research one I have tabulated the results, and which policies I hope to change
or alter to reflect the results of the research. Furthermore, they will be instructed that the survey is
completely anonymous and that no information relating to student name or school will be asked for.
If parents and students choose to sign the consent forms, then they will be given a copy of the
Participant Survey and asked to anonymously complete the survey. The surveys should take 10-15
minutes to complete, and as students are finished they will raise their hand and a teacher will collect the
 130
survey from them. Once the surveys have been collected by the teacher, he/she will forward them to
the Principal of the school who will in turn send them to me via our Board mail system.

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While the survey is anonymous, disclosing personal information regarding cyberbullying can be
stressful and emotionally upsetting since victims often re-live the abuse they suffered at the hands of
cyberbullies (or are suffering). If any student wishes to talk further about any issue that arises as a
result of completing the survey, please contact any of the professionals identified below:

1) Since the survey will be done in schools, students can immediately contact a guidance counsellor
within his/her participating school.

2) Students and Parents can also access Kids Help Phone for professional counselling services that are
available 24 hours a day. Students may phone 1-800-668-6868 or access online counselling at
kidshelpphone.ca

3) Child and Family Services – (705) 360-7100

4) Timiskaming Child and Family Services - (705) 647-1200


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The study will help determine future school/Board policy development with respect to educating
students and educators on the degrees and consequences of cyberbullying.

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There is no payment for participation in this research.

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Any information that is obtained in connection with this study and that can be identified with you will
remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your permission. Surveys will be shredded within 3
months of them being returned to Alan McLean.

Although the surveys do not ask for any information that may identify you, any information that is
obtained in connection with this study and that can be identified with you will remain confidential and
will only be disclosed with your permission.

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You can choose whether to be in this study or not. If you volunteer to be in this study, you may
withdraw at any time without consequences of any kind. You may also refuse to answer any questions
you don’t want to answer and still remain in the study. The investigator may withdraw your data from
this research if circumstances arise which warrant doing so.



 131


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You may withdraw your consent at any time and discontinue participation without penalty. This study
has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through Nipissing University’s Research Ethics
Committee. If you have questions regarding your rights as a research subject, contact:

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Alan McLean mailto:alan.mclean@dsb1.edu.on
c/o DSB Ontario North East phone: (705) 360-1151
Box 1020 cell: (705) 266-5385
Timmins, ON
P4N 7H7

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2QOLQH$FURQ\PV

,0LQJUsing Internet Messenging

606: The Short Message Service (SMS) is the ability to send and receive text messages to and from
mobile telephones. The text can comprise of words or numbers or an alphanumeric combination.
SMS was created when it was incorporated into the Global System for Mobiles (GSM) digital
mobile phone standard.
A single short message can be up to 160 characters of text in length using default GSM alphabet
coding, and 70 characters when UCS2 international character coding is used.

(06-Enhanced Messaging Service (text messaging with more bells and whistles)

006 -Multimedia Messaging Service, (MMS) is the ability to send messages comprising a
combination of text, sounds, images and video to MMS capable handsets.

3'$VPDAs stand for Personal Digital Assistants. You might recognize these better if we used
names like Palm Pilot, RIM Blackberry, Handspring Visor / Treo, Sony Clie, iPaq, Pocket PC etc.
Most of these are not only personal information organizers, they can now connect to the Internet,
receive and send e-mail and browse the World Wide Web.

6327 -Smart Personal Object Technology. It uses FM radio networks to deliver a slow but steady
stream of data to devices like wristwatches and fridge magnets, sending information such as sports
scores, weather reports and stock quotes, or even short text messages. (Coming to your wristwatch
very soon. Dick Tracy move over!)

Online Acronyms

2L8 -Too late BBL -Be back later

2U2 -To you too BBS -Be back soon
4GM -Forgive me BCNU -Be seein' you
AAMOF -As a matter of fact BD -Big deal
AAYF -As always, your friend BFD -Big freakin' deal
AFAIK -As far as I know BF -Boyfriend
AFK -Away from keyboard BFN -Bye for now
AKA -Also known as BC -Be cool
ASAP -As soon as possible B/C -Because
ASL Age, sex, location? BCNU -Be seein' you
ASLP -Age, sex, location, picture? BIL -Brother in law
ATM -At the moment BME -Based on my experience
ATYS -Anything you say BOT -Back on topic
AWA -As well as BRH -Be right here
B4 -Before BRB -Be right back
B4N -Bye for now BTDT -Been there, done that
BAC -Back at computer BTW -By the way
BBIAB -Be back in a bit BYTM -Better you than me
CMIIW -Correct me if I'm wrong HHVF -Ha-ha, very funny 133
CU -See you HOAS -Hold on a second
CUL -Catch you later IAC -In any case
CUS -See you soon IAG -It's all good
CUL8R -See you later IAGW -In a good way
CWOT -Complete waste of time IC -I see / In character
CYA -See ya IDGI -I don't get it
DIIK -Darned if I know IDNDT -I did not do that
DIY -Do it yourself IIRC -If I remember correctly
EAK -Eating at keyboard IK -I know
EG -Evil grin IKWUM -I know what you mean
EOD -End of discussion IMAO -In my arrogant opinion
EOL -End of lecture IME -In my experience.
EOR -End of rant IMHO -In my humble opinion
F -Female IMNSHO -In my not so humble opinion
F2F -Face to face INRS -It's not rocket science
FCOL -For crying out loud IOW -In other words
FIL -Father in law IRL -In real life
FITB -Fill in the blanks IRSTBO -It really sucks the big one
FNB -Football and beer IS -I'm sorry
FOCL -Falling off the chair laughing ISWYM -I see what you mean
FOFL -Falling on the floor laughing JMHO -Just my humble opinion
FWIW -For what it's worth JTLYK -Just to let you know
FYA -For your amusement J/K -Just kidding
FYI -For your information J/P -Just playing
G -Grin K -OK
G2G -Gotta go KIR -Keepin' it real
GA -Good afternoon / Go ahead KIT -Keep in touch
GAL -Get a life KWIM -Know what I mean?
GAS -Greetings and salutations L8R -Later
GBH -Great Big Hug LMK -Let me know
GE -Good evening LTR -Long term relationship
GF -Girlfriend LYK -Let you know
GFN -Gone for now LMAO -Laughing my a•• off
GG -Good game LMBO -Laughing my butt off
GI -Good idea LOL -Laugh out loud
GIWISI -Gee, I wish I said it LTNS -Long time no see
GJ -Good job LUM -Love you man
GL -Good luck M -Male
GM -Good morning / Good move/match ME2 -Me too
GMTA -Great minds think alike MIL -Mother in law
GN -Good night MMA -Meet me at ...
GR8 -Great MMAMP -Meet me at my place
H -Hug MYOB -Mind your own business
HB -Hug back N -In
H&K -Hugs and Kisses NBD -No big deal
HAGD -Have a good day N2M -Not too much
HCIT -How cool is that N/C -Not cool
HF -Have fun NE1 -Anyone
HH -Ha-ha NM -Nevermind, Not much
HHSF -Ha-ha, so funny NMH -Not much here
NMJC -Nothing much, just chillin' RTFM -Read the flippin' manual 134
NNITO -Not necessarily in that order S2R -Send to receive
NO1 -No one SCNR -Sorry, could not resist
NOTTOMH -Not off the top of my head SIL -Sister in law
NOYB -None of your business SLY -Still love you
NP -No problem SWALK -Sweet, with all love, kisses
NRN -No reply necessary SWAK -Sealed with a kiss
NW -No way SYSOP -System Operator
OIC -Oh, I see TCO -Taken care of
OMG -Oh my gosh TOH -The other half
OOC -Out of character THX -Thanks
OT -Off topic / Other topic TNX -Thanks
PLZ -Please TIA -Thanks in advance
PPL People TMA -Take my advice
POS -Parent over shoulder TMI -Too much information
QT -Cutie ? -Huh?
RESQ -Rescue ?4U -Question for you
RFC -Request for comment YW -You're welcome
RHIP -Rank hath its privileges >U! -Screw you
ROF -Rolling on the floor
ROTFL -Rolling on the floor laughing
TTFN -Ta ta for now
TTYL -Talk to you later
TY -Thank you
TYVM -Thank you very much
U2 -You too
UR -Your
UR -You are ...
VBG -Very big grin
W2F -Way too funny
W8 -Wait
W8AM -Wait a minute
WB -Welcome back OR Write back
WE -Whatever
WNDITWB -We never did it this way before
WRT -With Regard To
WTF -What the freak?
WTG -Way to go!
XOXOXO -Hugs and kisses
Y -Why?
YMMV -Your mileage may vary
YRG -You are good!

(Belsey, 2005b, p. 1)





 135

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x quickly switches screens or closes programs when you walk by

x uses the computer at all hours of the night

x gets unusually upset if he or she cannot use the computer

x laughing excessively while using the computer

x avoids discussions about what they are doing on the computer

x is using multiple online accounts, or an account that is not their own

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x Unexpectedly stops using the computer

x Appears nervous or jumpy when instant messaging or e-mails appear

x Appears uneasy about going to school or outside in general

x Appears to be angry, depressed, or frustrated after using the computer

x Avoids discussions about what they are doing on the computer

x Becomes abnormally withdrawn from usual friends and family members





(Cyberbullying victim and offender warning signs, 2006. p. 1)




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 137






(Willard, 2005b, p. 17)