Have you bullied online?

Transcription

1 Have you bullied online? A NEW poll conducted by Action for Children has revealed that one in seven children has bullied someone online. According to the results, some children resort to online bullying because they are stressed, they are worried about fitting in or are worried about being targets themselves. 2,000 children aged 8 to 17 were quizzed in the poll, which was conducted for Safer Internet Day. Online bullying, also called cyberbullying, is a very new activity. Your parents wouldn t have had to put up with it because the world wide web wasn t invented when they were at school! The first ever website only went live in 1991, but already it s hard to imagine a world without the web. If you have been upset by a cyberbully, remember you are not alone. Many famous people have revealed they have been bullied online. Mary Beard, a TV historian, Tom Daley, the British Olympic diver, and Helen Skelton, a recent Blue Peter presenter, have all spoken out about their bad experiences and the menace of online bullies. Learning how to be safe and happy online is essential if we want to enjoy all the benefits of living in a connected world. The internet has transformed how we live our lives and, on the whole, we love it! Have a look at Positive percentages to see just how much. Positive percentages It s easy to worry about the bad things you hear about the internet, when most of us use it and enjoy it every day. Here are some positive percentages to set the record straight 63% of young people agree that they are closer to their friends because of the internet. 47% of young people agree that the internet helps them be a better friend. 48% believe that it would be hard to maintain friendships without technology. 60% said they would be lonely if they couldn t talk to their friends via technology. 20% have told an adult about cyberbullying and 41% say they have stood up to someone who was being mean online. From a survey of 1, year olds conducted by saferinternet.org News Story Original Version (Primary) schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org

2 Have you bullied online? A NEW survey has shown that 1 in 7 children has bullied someone online. The survey was organised by the charity Action for Children. Children gave different reasons for bullying. Some said they did it because they were stressed. Others said they were worried about fitting in, or thought they might be bullied themselves. It was organised for Safer Internet Day. Online bullying, also called cyberbullying, is a very new activity. Your parents wouldn t have had to put up with it because the world wide web wasn t invented when they were at school! The first ever website only went live in 1991, but already it s hard to imagine a world without the web. If you have been upset by a cyberbully, remember you are not alone. Many famous people have said they have been bullied in this way. TV presenters, sportsmen and pop stars have all spoken out about their bad experiences online. Learning how to be safe and happy online is very important if we want to enjoy living with the internet. It has changed our lives and, on the whole, we love it! Have a look at Positive percentages to see just how much. Positive percentages It s easy to worry about the bad things you hear about the internet, when most of us use it and enjoy it every day. Here are some positive percentages to set the record straight 63% of young people agree that they are closer to their friends because of the internet. 47% of young people agree that the internet helps them be a better friend. 48% believe that it would be hard to keep up friendships without technology. 60% said they would be lonely if they couldn t talk to their friends via technology. 20% have told an adult about cyberbullying and 41% say they have stood up to someone who was being mean online. From a survey of 1, year olds conducted by saferinternet.org News Story Simplified Version

3 CONNECTED CHILDREN WHAT ARE YOUNG PEOPLE DOING ON THE INTERNET? EU Kids Online is a European project to investigate how children are using the internet. It conducts research in 33 countries with children aged Here are the top 10 activities that European children do online, on a daily basis: 1) Visit a social networking site 2) Watch video clips 3) Use instant messaging 4) Use the internet for schoolwork 5) Play games with other people online 6) Download music or films 7) Post photos, music or videos to share with others 8) Visit a chatroom 9) Read or watch news 10) Post a message on a website Source: EU Kids Online How have things changed in the last four years? Mobile internet is increasing Children are going online at a younger age and more are using smartphones to access the internet. In 2010, most children accessed the internet on computers and laptops. This has changed dramatically in the last four years, now: 28% of 9-12 year olds, and 60% of year olds access the internet via a smartphone. When children use the internet on smartphones, parents are less likely to control or guide their online activities. Cyberbullying is increasing 12% of children say they have experienced cyberbullying (up from 7% four years ago). Survey of year olds. Being upset by online content is increasing 17% of children have been upset by something they have seen online (up from 13% four years ago.) Survey of year olds. Source: EU Kids Online

4 WHAT ARE YOUNG PEOPLE DOING ON THE INTERNET? Social networking do the rules work? Facebook is the world s most popular social network site. It allows you to connect and share content with other people. You are supposed to be at least 13 years old to join Facebook, yet 22% of nine to ten year-olds and 53% of eleven to twelve year olds have a Facebook profile. Source: EU Kids Online I have been a bully. What can I do? Support from Childline If you use digital technology to upset, anger or embarrass someone on purpose, this means you are involved in online bullying. Think about what you re doing: The first step is realising that you have been involved in bullying. We all make mistakes and it doesn t make you a bad person. Ask for some advice: Tell someone you trust, like a parent, carer or teacher. They may be able to offer you some advice about what to do. Delete the bullying: Go back and delete any upsetting or nasty posts, Tweets or comments you have written. Find out more Here are some useful websites where you can get help, advice and information on internet safety. This is a website for children made by CEOP (see below). It has lots of excellent information on internet safety for different age groups. CEOP are the part of the police that is responsible for keeping children safe online. This is where to report any serious problems. Be the one to make a stand: You may have behaved in this way because you were part of a group. Talk to others involved and encourage them to stop the bullying. It only takes one person to start making a big change Say sorry: Apologise to the person who was bullied and offer them support. This can mean a lot to the other person. Learn from this: Sometimes we do things without really thinking them through but the important thing is to learn from it and change the way you act in the future. For more information go to: (Choose Cyberbullying from the list) Childline (the confidential help and advice service for children) has a great website with lots of information on cyberbullying and how to stop it.

5 KEY TOPIC VOCABULARY CAN you match the correct definition to the key words in this news story? poll To send a short message from one mobile phone to another. bullying A mobile phone with very clever features, including an internet connection. online A website where a group of people can send each other messages and get instant replies from each other. smartphone On the internet texting Using websites that allow people to connect with friends, family or a group, and share content. chat rooms The use of unkind and aggressive behaviour to upset and intimidate another person. social networking A survey to find out what people think about an issue. Instant Messaging (IM) A way of having a written conversation with another person over the internet. It s like chatting, but the messages are written down.

6 KNOW THE FACTS FIND the answers to these questions to make sure you know the facts behind the news story: 1) What were the results of Action for Children s survey? 2) What reasons did children give for resorting to online bullying? 3) Why didn t your parents have to cope with cyberbullying? 4) Find two survey facts which show that children think the internet helps with friendship. 5) What are children s favourite online activities?

7 POINTS OF VIEW WHAT DO YOU THINK? Discuss these questions with other people to develop your ideas. 1) What do you use computers, phones and tablets for? Is your list similar to the research from Europe? Compare your results with those from your partner school. 2) At what age would your parents allow you to walk to school on your own, or travel somewhere on your own? At what age do you think children should be allowed to explore the internet on their own? 3) What do you think you should do if you are scared, upset or bullied online? 4) What do you think about the fact that so many children under 13 have a Facebook profile? 5) 1 in 7 children have bullied others online. That s one too many. What can you do to help stop bullying? SHARE your thoughts on these questions with your partner school.

8 VOTE, COMMENT, ACT CAN you explore this news story even further? 1) Stay safe online Help spread the word. Make sure everyone in your school knows how to stay safe online. Can you make a poster or a display on how to stay safe on the internet? Make sure you include: How to stay safe. What to do if you come across online bullying. Where to go for more information. The recommended websites will provide lots of useful information on this topic. 2) How do people use the internet in your school? Can you conduct a survey of your own class or school? You might want to do it alongside your partner school and compare the results. It is easy to set up a free, online survey, although you will need a teacher or a grown-up to set it up for you. For example, have a look at: The benefit of setting up a survey online is that it is anonymous and people can be completely truthful with their answers. To conduct a survey you will need to: 1. Write your questions. 2. Conduct the survey. 3. Analyse the results. Keep your survey simple. You might want to ask: or Have you ever been unpleasant to another person online? (Yes/No) Do you know what to do if you come across anything which makes you feel unsafe or unhappy online? (Yes/No) If you want to ask the last question, you could do the survey before, and after, the production of your internet safety poster to see if it has any effect!