Parental Involvement Key In Decreasing Cyber-Harrassing Incidences

By David Simms, Senior Contributor
The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards

Recent trends in youth cyber-bullying indicate a sharp decrease in large cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, where research shows greater parental involvement. This is ironically contrasted with increased social media penetration in smaller towns where generally less parental control is reported.

It seems there is a rather strong correlation between parents having free and clear access to their children’s accounts, and a trend of less reported incidents of cyber-bullying behaviours. Experts are calling this an indicator that knowledge of one’s parents monitoring actions online is enough to deter most young people from instigating or participating in bullying and other harrassment behaviours. They stretch further to suggest adults would react quite similarly – refraining from cyber-harassment activity – under like circumstances and with the impending sense of consequences for their actions.  

Children fear immediate repercussions from their parents and are under their authority. In most Indian households parental authority is respected and abided by. However, in the adult world, the authority structure necessarily shifts to allow for more autonomy and rights such as privacy. This is so because there is an expectation of maturity and awareness of one’s actions. Interestingly however, the same bully-like behaviours experienced online by children are also seen in adults. It is alarmingly common to see child-like immaturity in many adults who, under the right circumstances, will act out as reckless children. Unfortunately, it takes a sense of consequence and threat of punishment to quell these destructive behaviours for both young and old.  

One key problem arises when right-to-privacy issues come to bear. Whereas children have little privacy with their parents as the monitoring authority and wielders of discipline, adults have ample rights to privacy and with no monitoring, especially on the Internet. It seems for adults a better balance must be struck between reasonable monitoring and the complete lack thereof. Until this happens, there is no doubt the problem of cyber-harassment and all its forms and degrees will continue on indefinitely creating further victim hazard and tangible loss and impeding authorities from dispensing appropriate justice. Much has been done to combat the issues of internet safety and these destructive behaviours but until the safety and standards community stops chipping away at the surface consequences and begins to address the underlying causes and ways to cut them off at the pass, we can expect to boast little about any true degree of change leading to a safer online navigation for users trusting they will be safe when logging on. 

It won't happen to me. Don't count on it.

By Abigail Clarke: Contributing Content Blogger

There is a new study released from Nottingham Trent University revealing peculiarity in how internet users look at the seriousness of cyberbullying. Young people are aware of the ongoing problem of cyberbullying, indeed yes, but the large majority perceive others being more at risk than themselves. Strange, isn't it? Interesting here that young women tend toward holding this view much more than do men. Even stranger to me. This is a perfect example isn't it of what is fueling the problem to begin with? Most people don’t realise the damage this activity causes others. Most, especially those of younger age, are preprogrammed to think they are invulnerable and that the problem will not affect them. How could this be that our young people aren't being schooled about the risks to themselves? That is a lacking in proper education and responsible advisement on internet etiquette.

This makes them either a great candidate to dish out cyberbullying or harassment without regard to other’s feelings, or the unsuspecting victim whose life is gutted because this sort of thing ‘just couldn’t happen to them’! This should be an indication that raising awareness of cyberbullying and the like, cannot end merely with showing people the statistics of what is going on, but needs to also address a more basic schooling of self-awareness. People generally have a keen misperception of how they are perceived by others and what impacts they have on those around them. To fully engage the problem and move closer to a solution, those of the younger generation especially must be educated on the psychology of realistic awareness of self. By being absorbed into the virtual world of social media as much as they are it is no wonder there is a growing separation between what is real and what is not. It is also true that girls tend to view the world in a more romantic sense which coincides with females more often falling victim to cyber-attacks, and to be fair, the reason there are a larger number of female perpetrators of cyber harassment per se. This very important research is screaming the demon loud and clear that there is more than meets the eye in this very human problem. Think about it parents and educators. If we're not teaching young people in a way that sticks that it can happen to them how can they be expected to understand what happens to others?

Cyberstalking Documentary

By Carolyn Davies, Contributing Blogger

This is an excellent cyberstalking documentary via the Crime and Investigation channel based in UK. It's nearly an hour long video but full of important information and specific stories about cyberstalking experiences. I would encourage everyone to watch it and use it to open discussions with young people in the guidance for their digital safety.

Cyber harassment is not a patch problem.

By Abigail Clarke: Contributing Content Blogger

I've always been of the mind it's a mistake to approach the fixing of any problem from the outside in.  How many times have we seen the patch method applied to anything from relationships to government policy? We do this time and again even though we know truly solving any problem is to deal with it at its root! The same concept applies to that of cyber harassment. General beliefs of legislators are to handle the issue by passing new laws and laws are beginning to pop up everywhere. Having good laws in place restricting or at least discouraging the criminal actions of those who harm others on the Internet is a proper and necessary thing to do. A framework and structure is quite necessary but this is merely a step toward the solution. 

A complete solution can only occur when in conjunction with laws cyber harassment is addressed in the home. It starts firstly with the parents and should be reinforced by those adults managing young people in educational systems. The real solution to this problem requires an overhaul in the thinking of young people or what you might say a reprogramming of human interaction. It's here where the consistent teaching and encouragement of empathy for others comes in.  It's also important to keep communication open assuring young people they are safe to tell about what is going on. 

I shouldn't have to tell parents or other adults to demonstrate by example!  It's well known that young people from all cultures observe adults in the home and use these observations as the framework for their own beliefs and behaviours. This is not a patch fix,so let’s not get caught in the mind trap of thinking it is.

What Constitutes Cyber Harassment and Bullying

By Carolyn Davies, Contributing Content Blogger

Very informative video from law professor Patrick Corbett on what exactly constitutes cyber harassment and bullying in the state of Michigan USA. These precise definitions are much the same in most of the United States and elsewhere. 

Female Bullying vs. Male Bullying Behaviours

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

The Global Institute of Cyber Safety and Standards 

There is a general misconception that aggressive bullying behaviours online are primarily instigated and carried out by males, however this is not accurate.  Female bullying has been found to be especially dominant particularly when it comes to verbal and psychological torment in a cyber context. Although females are also responsible for physical bullying, it is drastically less likely to occur in-person as compared to the Internet. 

A common misunderstanding held by many is that verbal abuse online is relatively harmless and therefore, until recently, has been categorised and dealt with as a trivial matter.  However, to the contrary, scientific research shows that virtual harassment in the form of name calling, rumour spreading, threats, ostracising from groups, and the creating of false realities online, have a definite tangible and physical effect on victims, a fact that is fortunately, albeit slowly, being recognised as a legitimate issue among law enforcement agencies in countries around the world.

Females also tend to partake in online mobbing behaviours. Whereas males traditionally act alone in their aggression, females will often incite others in their group to gang up on a victim, typically another female.  Unfortunately, as the issue of online harassment and bullying is gaining more notice, males are being shown in PSAs and other raising-of-awareness articles and videos, to be the primary instigators. This is not to say that male involvement in online harassment shouldn’t be treated with the same seriousness; male aggression online is known to escalate to physical confrontations much more often than females.  However it is important to recognise that as the cyber harassment issue evolves, we must be mindful that it is much more complex than previously thought, and therefore should be dealt with in a fair and comprehensive fashion.

(Series Piece 9) Anna Kavanaugh - Syndicated Columnist - Weekly Column - Cyber Abuse: The Virtual Violent Crime

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards

Today we proudly publish for syndication this week's installment of our featured columnist, Anna Kavanaugh, and her brilliant column, Cyber Abuse: The Virtual Violent Crime. This is Series Piece 9 and an excellent read in her column series. Anna's is a distinctive and ardent voice of expertise and wisdom in defining and describing what she rightly deems a global pandemic of virtual confusion whereby a societal breakdown of empathy and compassion confuse and pose serious threat to legal boundaries and civilised conduct. In this piece she discusses the turn of tides in how individuals air their grievances and the measure of damaging avenues available to them, equating by comparison the physical world and online realm. It is our honour to now present you with another perceptive and powerful installment of Anna's weekly column. Comments are open on the full article page for feedback and to encourage discussion.

Cyber Abuse: The Virtual Violent Crime. (Series Piece 9)

Written by Anna Kavanaugh, Syndicated Columnist

Published for syndication by: The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards (GICSS)

Whatever happened to the good old days?

It used to be when we were upset, rejected, blinded by jealousy, had a grievance with someone, held a negative judgment of another, or were just plain done wrong; we aired those sour, unhappy or jilted feelings by complaining to our circle of family and friends. Sure, we could do a bit of damage to the villainous object of our detestation by poisoning the well with our self-serving emotional crusade in desperate search of garnering the sympathy and validation that in theory would somehow make us feel better. No matter how potent, persuasive, and vindictive our histrionic outbursts were, the depth of damage we could create for others was confined by limited reach to an audience that likely was not all that interested, and always counterbalanced by “the other side of the story.” We did not contact someone’s place of work attempting to get them fired by wheedling their boss with personal tales of our distress. We did not publish our version of dirty laundry in the newspaper, on billboards, or flyers left on random car windshields. We did not write to clubs, organizations, restaurants, churches, and gas stations urging them to refuse entry or service to a patron. We did not exploit the world available to us with the intent to destroy every aspect of someone’s reputation, livelihood, and life. Do these things sound absurd? Of course they do. That is why we did not do them.

We just cried, complained and groused about our feelings to the people who were part of, and among the closest, in our lives… those obligated, if not compelled to, commiserate with us. We did this until our emotions began to calm along with our need to vent them. That was what we did. That was what we were supposed to do. That is what we should still be doing today.

Oh yes, those were the good old days. But then, the internet happened.

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Anti-Bullying short

By Carolyn Davies, Contributing Content Blogger

The video I post below does not mention cyber abusements but I thought it important to share. We know in youth, cyber-bullying and cyber-harassment behaviours will often begin as seeds planted at primary or secondary school. Reminding ourselves of this is of some importance. Youth learn to interact with their society and culture at school, and that includes social boundaries and behaviours that will expand to their internet experience. This reminds us of the need to address bullying in all forms for school age children in all countries as a proactive measure against later abusements that would evolve to their online behaviours. Please share this important reminder.