Cyberbylling

        

        To begin this post, I believe it is first essential to define bullying and cyberbullying. According to a source found in Faucher (2015), bullying is "repeated aggressive behaviors that are intended to cause harm to a victim with relatively less power to defend themselves." Where they state that "cyberbullying researchers have largely adopted this definition to incorporate abuse that occurs in various online forums." As an early childhood educator, I knew I would have to deal with bullying issues. Still, I never imagined eleven years ago that I would be faced with teaching first and second graders about the harms of cyberbullying. Research shows that cyberbullying has strong ties to depression, sadness, low self-esteem, anxiety, academic issues, and even suicidal thoughts (Hinduja, 2021). So as educators, what can we do to fight the battle and try to end this war?

    Teaching children the importance of understanding digital citizenship and starting as early as kindergarten is one of the critical ways for educators to fight against cyberbullying. Teachers and parents will not be able to monitor every move children make online, which is why they need a strong foundation pertaining to digital citizenship (Hicks, 2015). Today, five-year-olds have access to digital devices, so it is essential to begin exposing them to good digital citizenship practices the moment a device is placed in their hands. I believe this makes sense; consider education as a whole if there is an issue or learning difficulty a child is facing, what is the go-to response, "early intervention is key." Why are we not taking that same approach to this significant issue facing our children? The internet is not a fad that is going away, its presence and role in our lives are growing every day, and if we do not stop cyberbullying now, it will only grow alongside the internet.

Resource for Elementary students:

BrainPop, Jr. offers lesson plans, movies, quizzes, activities, games, and more on topics of cyberbullying, digital citizenship, online etiquette, and other digital media topics. 

Common Sense Education offers educators, parents, and students many resources surrounding digital citizenship and cyberbullying. The link will take you to the digital citizenship page, but a simple search using the term cyberbullying will also allow you access to those materials.

Teachers Pay Teachers is a great site for educators and even parents to find resources to help teach students about these topics. Some of the materials are free, and the site allows the user to search by grade level. 

References:

Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the Sandbox to the inbox: Comparing        the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in K-12, higher education, and the                    

     Workplace. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 3(6), 111–125. 

     https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v3i6.1033

Hicks, K. (2015, July 9). Teacher's Guide to Digital Citizenship. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from     https://web.archive.org/web/20181129151348/http://www.edudemic.com/teachers-guide-

    digital-citizenship/

Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2021). Cyberbullying Identification, Prevention, and Response.       Cyberbullying Research Center (cyberbullying.org) 

Nerds On Call. (n.d.). Cyberbullying Facts. [Inforgraphic] Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://www.callnerds.com/wp-content/uploads/Bullying-Infographic.png.