Technology |
Cyberbullying activities |
Strategies for addressing this behaviour |
Chat rooms message boards on the internet |
- Sending or posting nasty or threatening messages which may be anonymous.
- A group picking on or excluding individuals.
- Misusing personal information gained by pretending to be someone’s ‘friend’ to spread rumours, secrets and to gain power over others.
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- Block communications with offensive individuals.
- Don’t respond to messages.
- Keep a record of inappropriate postings, including time, date, user names for reporting.
- Report misuse of personal information to the chat room or message board site host.
- Report any incidence of bullying or upsetting hostile behaviour (including exclusion) to parents, school a trusted adult or Kids Helpline .
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Emails and text messages via computer or mobile phone Instant Messaging (IM) on the internet |
- Sending nasty or threatening messages or emails.
- Forwarding offensive content including jokes, videos, images and sound.
- Sending computer viruses.
- Accessing someone else’s account to forward personal emails or delete them.
- Constantly calling or texting a person and making derogatory and/or rude remarks and/or threatening and hostile remarks.
- Taking and sharing unflattering images with other mobiles or uploading onto the internet.
- Using text or voice chat to harass or scare someone.
- Sending a hostile attachment.
- Using someone else’s account to forward rude or unpleasant messages via their contacts list.
- ‘Ganging up’—a group deciding to pick on or exclude someone during IM.
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- Block communications with offensive individuals.
- Don’t respond to messages.
- In the case of an SMS report misuse of the mobile phone to the phone company if known.
- Keep inappropriate messages, including time, date, email addresses and mobile phone numbers for reporting.
- If necessary create a new email address and only share it with close friends and family.
- Ensure the computer is protected from compromise.
- Report any incidence of bullying or upsetting hostile behaviour (including exclusion) to parents, school or a trusted adult or Kids Helpline.
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Webcam |
- Making and sending inappropriate pictures and content.
- Persuading or threatening young people to act in inappropriate ways.
- Using inappropriate recordings to manipulate young people.
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- Block communication with people who make you feel uncomfortable. Turn off your webcam—claim it is broken if necessary.
- Report any incidence of bullying or upsetting hostile behaviour (including exclusion) to parents, school or a trusted adult or Kids Helpline.
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Social networking sites on the internet |
- Posting nasty and abusive comments.
- Posting images, videos or sound that may embarrass or frighten a person.
- Groups excluding a person from a network.
- Creating a fake profile to bully, harass or create trouble for a person.
- Accessing another person’s account details and using their page to post negative materials, send unpleasant messages or make private information public.
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- Ask the host site to remove any images, videos, etc. that are concerning.
- Report inappropriate use of passwords, identity, etc. to the host site.
- Keep a record of the actions of the offending parties, including the information posted, times, dates, any information about their username, etc.
- Report any incidence of bullying or upsetting hostile behaviour (including exclusion) to parents, school or a trusted adult or Kids Helpline.
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Video hosting sites on the internet e.g. YouTube |
- Posting embarrassing or humiliating video clips.
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- Ask the host site to remove the content.
- Keep a record of the content and the ID of the person responsible for posting for reporting purposes.
- Report any incidence of bullying or upsetting hostile behaviour (including exclusion) to parents, school or a trusted adult or Kids Helpline.
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Virtual worlds on the internet Gaming sites on the internet Playing games with people in your local area using handheld consoles |
- Interacting negatively with someone else’s avatar.
- Pretending to be someone else’s avatar.
- Name calling and making abusive comments.
- Picking on other users e.g. by repeatedly killing their characters or demeaning their lack of skill.
- Denying access to a team game.
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- Avoid interaction with the negative individual/group.
- Report the issue to the game/virtual world site administrator.
- Change avatar or character name if necessary.
- Keep a record of the other player’s avatars/usernames, their actions and the dates/times of their inappropriate behaviour for reporting purposes.
- Report any incidence of bullying or upsetting hostile behaviour (including exclusion) to parents, school or a trusted adult or Kids Helpline.
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