Using technology to combat cyber-bullying

Cyber bullying is defined by Childnet International as "sending or posting harmful or cruel text or images using the Internet or other digital communication devices" Examples of Cyber bullying as cited by http://www.cyberbully.org/ include:

• Sending cruel, vicious and sometimes threatening messages.
• Creating web sites that have stories, cartoons, pictures and jokes ridiculing others.
• Posting pictures of classmates online and asking students to rate them, with questions such as "Who is the biggest ___ (add a derogatory term)?"
• Breaking into an e-mail account and sending vicious or embarrassing material to others.
• Engaging someone in instant messaging, tricking that person into revealing sensitive personal information, and forwarding that information to others.
• Taking a picture of a person in the changing room using a digital phone camera and sending that picture to others.

Although technology cannot provide a total solution to cyber bullying, it can provide a number of tools which can assist in both preventing and combating the problem.  This article looks at some of the examples of cyber bullying and suggests how technology can be used to help combat it.  For more general advice, click here.    

New guidelines have been published to help schools tackle the growing phenomenon known as cyber-bullying - intimidation by text message, email and other forms of electronic communication. Tackling Cyber-bullying sets out simple steps that teachers, parents and pupils can take to prevent cyber-bullying. These include ensuring that schools' anti-bullying policies include strategies to deal with bullying via mobile phone or the internet. For more info www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying

Most email solutions allow you to filter emails containing banned words. However some offer much richer functionality. For example RM EasyMail Plus allows you to implement email rules, which control how users can be contacted. You can prevent vulnerable users from being contacted by users outside of the school or known bullies.   

Placing restrictions on school email accounts may encourage pupils to use free email services such as Hotmail, which the school does not control. One method of combating this is to use filtering software to block access to web based email systems. RM SafetyNet Universal can be tailored to do this for selected users.   

Of course email is the not the only way to send messages.  Bullying may be done using text messages. Controlling mobile phone communications may be difficult, and something that individual mobile phone operators may be able to assist with in certain cases. However bullies may choose to bully anonymously using one of the numerous Web sites to text message services available on the Internet. Some filtering products such as RM SafetyNet Plus and Universal provide a filter list to block these sites.   

Long gone are the days when technical knowledge was required to publish on the Internet.  Web publishing tools and new concepts such as blogs have made it incredibly easy.  Where inappropriate material has been published, a suitable course of action might be to contact the host.  In the short term you could filter the site using your Internet filtering software.   

Breaking into an e-mail account and sending vicious or embarrassing material to others

Suggesting users regularly change their passwords will make it more difficult for pupils to log in as other pupils. RM Password Plus available in 2006 will enable Network Managers or ICT Co-ordinators to implement more complex passwords and force users to regularly change their network passwords. It will be possible to do this on a per user basis enabling staff to safeguard sensitive data from the prying eyes of bullies without causing a usability issue for younger users.

Implementing network monitoring software such as RM Tutor and advising users of its existence may discourage pupils from unacceptable conduct.   

Using Tutor, if inappropriate behaviour is detected the teacher can choose to send a message to the pupil asking them to correct this. Alternatively the teacher can choose to take control of the pupils computer, forcing them to stop misusing the network, or even log them off. 

According to ChildNet preserving the evidence is extremely important. Software such as RM SmartTracker and RM Auditor allow you produce reports of activity on your networks. For example using RM SmartTracker, RM's Internet auditing solution would allow the identification of users who were online when a particular incident occurred, such as those who were logged onto a blog when an offensive posting occurred.

RM Auditor can be used to monitor and report on a particular user or group users, this can help identify misuse of the network resources and can give tangible proof to respond to the issue.  For example, it is possible to identify users who have printed inappropriately named material from the internet.

New technologies will become available which assist in the fight against cyber bullying. RM is already investigating the use of biometric devices such as finger print readers that make it more difficult for users to log in as others.   

Over time we can expect to see more assistance from technology in combating all bullying.  One example is cashless catering systems, removing the need for pupils to carry cash and helping to avoid the stigma associated with receiving free school meals. Another is the growing use of CCTV over IP, this utilises existing cabling infrastructure, to provide a flexible and cost effective way of implementing CCTV to monitor and protect pupils and staff.   

This article has demonstrated several ways in which technology can assist in the combating cyber bullying. You may also find the following Web sites useful. 

The DfES has released new guidelines to help schools tackle cyber-bullying. See www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying

An RM Support Article looking at online bullying.   

www.kidscape.org.uk/ - A charity dedicated specifically to preventing bullying and child abuse.  www.cyberbully.org/ - help and advice for combating cyber bullying.   

http://www.childnet-int.org/ - an organisation dedicated to making the Internet a great and safe place for children.

www.internetsafetyzone.co.uk - The InternetSafetyZone centers on helping children, young people and grownups to realise that when using social networking technologies, they are communicating in a public space.

www.stoptextbully.com - A Web site with advice on mobile phone bullying