Cyberbullying has quickly become a 21st century problem and continues to be a huge issue and concern for students, parents, and educators (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015). Cyberbullying is when an individual is repeatedly threatened, harassed, or embarrassed by another person through digital technology. Cyberbullying happens more often and more frequently than many think. It is an extremely dangerous activity that many teens get involved in. These acts are serious and have serious consequences. Tragically many times the bullying is hidden and no one knows or finds out about it until it is too late.

Anyone can be affected by cyberbullying. I always teach my students if they or anyone they know is being cyberbullying they must tell an adult. Many times when someone finds out about the bullying the cyberbully stops. Cyberbullies aren't strong enough to stand up to anyone face to face so they hide behind a device assuming no one will ever find out. It's easy to say or post things when your not looking at the person. Over the past decade there have been several stories shared on the news about students who were bullied online for an extended period of time and ended up taking their life or trying. They believed the misconceptions of cyberbullying. The biggest misconception I see in my school being if they tell an adult it will only make it worse.

We are seeing a rise in social media throughout the entire world. According to Pew research Center, social media connects over 50% of the world today (Anderson & Rainie, 2020). As of July 2019, that means over 3,790,000 people in the world are connecting and communicating with others online (Bureau, 2020). With the advances of technology, you can get answers about anything with a few clicks. You can spend and save money on just about anything. Then your product shows up at your door. You can connect with just about anyone. There are definite pros and cons just like anything. The internet has given a voice to anyone who needs it and in return it requires empathy and appropriate reactions from individual users which does not always happen (Curran, 2012).

To make students more aware of the consequences of cyberbullying, every year I start by teaching a digital citizenship unit I created using many different resources. Throughout these resources we examine real life stories, fictional scenarios, videos, worksheets, role play, and more. These are all activities and project we do in class together and in groups, but it is equally important to educate and share with parents. We write letters to the student's parents about the things we learn in class and help them learn about being a digital citizen. I need them to partner in creating students who are digitally responsible. Digital rights and responsibilities are requirements and freedoms everyone has in a digital world. Teachers must help students understand they need to protect themselves and other online and in the real world. Bullying and cyberbullying are universal problems and affect children and adolescents all over the world. According to Hong and Eamon (2009), "Peer victimization results from the complex interplay between the individual, his or her relationship with others, the community, and the broader society which can be understood with an ecological framework" (p. 613). When we create awareness, we increase positive digital citizenship.

Citations

Anderson, J., & Rainie, L. (2020, August 17). Stories From Experts About the Impact of

Digital Life. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/07/03/the-positives-of-digital-life/

Bureau, U. (2020, August 18). Estimated 7.58B People on Earth on World Population Day July 11. Retrieved December 09, 2020, from https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/07/estimated-seven-point-five-eight-billion-people-world-population-day-2019.html

Curran, M. (2012, June). iCitizen: Are you a socially responsible digital citizen. Paper presented at the International Society for Technology Education Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX. Retrieved from (PDF: icitizen_paper_M_Curran.pdf )

Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2015). Bullying beyond the schoolyard: Preventing and responding

to cyperbullying. (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Hong, J.S. & Eamon, M.K. (2009). An ecological approach to understanding peer victimization in South Korea. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 19(5), 611-625

Brewer, G., & Kerslake, J. (2015). Cyberbullying, self-esteem, empathy and loneliness. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 255-260. Brewer_Cyberbullying_Self-esteem_Empathy_Loneliness.pdf

Essex, N. L. (2016). School law and the public school: A practical guide for educational leaders. (6th ed.) (pp.111-114). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Essex_Cyberbullying.pdf

Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J.W. (2015). Developing a positive school climate: Top ten tips to prevent bullying and cyberbullying. Cyberbullying Research Center. Hinduja_Patchin_School-Climate-Top-Ten-Tips-To-Prevent-Cyberbullying.pdf

Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2015). Cyberbullying legislation and case law: Implications for school policy and practice. Cyberbullying Research Center. Cyberbullying Legislation and Case Law.pdf

Mitchell, K. J., Finkelhor, D., Jones, L. M., & Wolak, J. (2012). Prevalence and characteristics of youth sexting: A national study. Pedatrics, 129, 13-20. Mitchell_Prevalence_&_Characteristics_of_Youth_Sexting_2012.pdf

Siegle, D.(2010). Cyberbullying and sexting: Technology abuses of the 21st century. Gifted Child Today, 32(2), 14-16, 65. Siegle_Cyberbullying_and_Sexting.pdf