TEACHING CYBER BULLYING PREVENTION UK

Amid the rising cases of Uk students facing bullying and harassment online, we will be launching a brand-new course to combat cyberbullying. 

What is Cyber Bullying?  

Cyberbullying is becoming a common threat as technology becomes more important to our daily lives. This form of bullying takes place over online platforms such as social media, text messages and online groups. These instances of online harassment can be quite common within the gaming community, where children form groups. It is like a playground scenario where children can begin to feel isolated.  

Online bullying often involves sending and sharing mean and harmful content. Many people struggle with the effects this can cause and believe that they are alone in their suffering.  
 

What is a Cyber Bully?  

It all comes down to the intent of the user. If the goal of the post/comment/message was to harm or shame the victim, then it would be classed as cyberbullying. This is because the antagonist was trying to inflict pain.  

Cyber Bullying Example:  

Samanta took a selfie and posted it online. Holly saw the photo and decided to edit it by distorting the image and other people added mean comments that she intentionally did not delete. She then created a new account with a degrading title, where she posted the new photo. Once Samantha had seen the post, she felt alienated and did not know who would be able to help.  

Holly intentionally hurt Samantha. Holly is a Cyber-Bully.  

Not Cyber Bullying Example:  

Johnathon and Mark were at the park. Mark took a photo of Johnathan pulling a funny face, they laughed about it together and agreed to post it online. Soon after it was posted, many people started leaving mean comments about Johnathan. This upset him and as a result, he wanted to take it down. He told Mark to take it down and he agreed and did so.  

Mark did not intend any harm by the post and was willing to delete it. Mark is not a Cyber-Bully.  

Where does cyberbullying take place?  

Social Media Platforms; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Snapchat. New sites such as Tik-Tok are also culprits for cyberbullying.  

Online Groups; This is referring to sites like Reddit, where users come together to discuss topics and share imagery.  

Direct Messaging; Text messages, DM’s and Emails.  

Any online platform with little to no policies/security against harmful speech can be used as a place for cyber bullying to take place 

What can we do to stop cyber bullying?  

Learning how to prevent cyber bullying should be taught in all schools by staff. Unfortunately, many teachers are not provided with adequate training that teaches them how to deal with cyber bullying. This could be because technology evolves fast and so many of us did not face these threats as children. The Cyber Bullying qualification we will soon be offering will help you understand how and why it is so important to have this understanding.  

At the bottom of this page is an amazingly simple survey where you can register your interest, get involved today! 

Why are we launching a cyberbullying course?  

The AIM Group often provide new qualifications in areas where there is a lack of understanding Many children and adults are at risk of cyberbullying and the signs can be extremely hard to tell. In fact, 60% of parents with children ages 14/18 reported they experiences online bullying. Even if you become aware that your friends/kin are at risk, it is hard to act because social media and direct messages can be very private personal information.  

We are here to support people in learning how to overcome these online adversaries and let people who are bullied online know they are not struggling alone. This is because the effect of cyberbullying can take a toll on a someone's mental health, 

Register your interest: 

We are working with colleges, awarding bodies and course content creators to develop a short distance learning course that can be government funded. The course will be titled "Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Cyber Bullying & Online Harassment", and will cover the below topics: 

• Social media & the impact on mental health 
• The role of social media in online grooming 
• Noticing the signs of online abuse 
• Social media and the unrealistic expectations it can create 

 
If you feel that yourself, staff, or any stakeholders would benefit from a course that covers the above, we kindly ask that you participate in this brief survey. This will allow us the evidence we need for a course in the wider community, to support with its development. 

Link to our survey:  

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JCFLXBB