Cyber-Safety

Cell phones and the internet are wonderful inventions that have allowed us to communicate with friends and family far and wide and to learn and explore the world like never before. With the click of a mouse you can chat online with a friend on the other side of the world instantly or learn about everything from dinosaur poop and tsunamis to the latest and greatest inventions and our favourite musicians or movie stars.

However it’s important to think of the internet and cell phone community as giant city – with friendly neighbourhoods, friends and family, as well as unknown and potentially unsafe areas and strangers. It’s unlikely you would walk the streets of downtown Toronto alone at night. There are certain places in your own neighbourhood you’re parents have told you not to go. And everyone knows you don’t talk with strangers, give them personal information or go with them anywhere. You should always apply these same rules to cyber-space. There are places on the internet you should never go alone and places you should never go at all!

Cyber-bullying is bullying that takes place on the internet or with cell phones. It can take the form of many of the above forms of bullying: name-calling or teasing, exclusion or threatening. The only difference is instead of happening face-to-face, it takes place on-line via websites, chat-rooms or text-messaging. Those who cyber-bully may send, threatening emails, take pictures or video of others and post them on-line (Facebook or Myspace) or say mean things about others in a chat-room.

While all forms of bullying are very hurtful and embarrassing for the victim, cyber-bullying can be especially painful because of how many people may see the photos, videos, name-calling or teasing. Once something is put on a website or in a chat-room it becomes public. This means that anyone can see it anywhere in the world!

Kids will often be much meaner on-line than face-to-face bullying because they can’t see the people they are bullying. Unfortunately this ability to “hide” from the victim has meant that many people, who would never bully someone in person, bully them on-line.

•	never give people you don’t know your cell/home phone number, instant messaging name or email address
•	if you are being bullied on-line, stop the activity (e.g. stop visiting that chat room)
•	block the person bullying you from sending you emails, chatting with you or visiting your personal page
•	never reply to harassing messages
•	tell an adult you trust
•	do not erase or delete harassing messages - the more you save, the easier it is to track down the bully (you can forward them to your internet, instant messaging or mobile phone service provider or chat room/social networking moderator)
•	save/print the following: the email address of the person cyber-bullying you, date and time message was received, complete copy of email/message, nickname of the person cyber-bullying you, name and URL of chat room

Click here to dowload a Cyber-Safety Pledge Card.  You can use this at home and at school.  You may want to show it to your teacher.  He or she can make copies for your whole class so that you and all your classmates can stay safe on the web.

* taken from: Legal Liability: Dealing with Cyberbullying presentation by Eric M. Roher, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP