UTS Library has curated a selection of books and images relating to the topic of Cyberbullying;
‘Cyberbullying occurs when someone is deliberately and repeatedly hurt and embarrassed via electronic means, such as the internet or a mobile phone. It is common, especially among children and teenagers.
Cyberbullying can include teasing, name calling, threats, nasty comments, put-down and rumours. In fact, it can involve anything intended to embarrass, upset, scare or exclude the person being bullied’ – www.healthdirect.gov.au/cyberbullying
Teenagers are especially vulnerable to Cyberbullying because of the amount of time they spend online. According to a 2017 Sensis report, they can spend an average 3.3 hours a day online, looking at posts and uploading selfies. Peer pressure to look good and to share their experiences online is having an unintended social consequence of isolating people and allowing the spread of malicious behaviour due to the perceived anonymity of the internet. Young people often do not report online bullying for fear that adults will not understand the problem and that the situation will only be made worse.
Strategies for coping with Cyberbullying might involve some digital downtime including tech free zones, especially in bedrooms because screen use interferes with sleep, and teaching children how to pause without posting. Schools can encourage the reporting of Cyberbullying through confidential channels such as https://kidshelpline.com.au, and through encouraging children to look out for each other if they have a friend that may be being bullied.
The Library has many books on Cyberbullying sharing research and coping strategies and a selection of these books is available to view in the display case. The display also includes a novel by the UTS author Wendy James ‘The Golden Child’; a ‘blogger’ in a normal, happy household with two gorgeous children, but with a real life alter ego where family tensions exist and one child is accused of bullying. A thoughtful perspective into how well we really know the lives of our children, and a timely reminder to parents to look out for signs of Cyberbullying.
The new display is available for staff and students to view on Level 4 in the Library.
Videos:
- Cyberbullies. By Meridian Education Corporation.
- Lesson starters: Cyberbullying and teenagers. By Teachers TV/UK Department of Education, 2010.
Books:
- Digital research confidential: The secrets of studying behaviour online. Edited by Eszter Hargittai and Christian Sandvig.
- Digital identities: Creating and communicating the online self. By Robert Cover.
- Cyberbullying in social media within educational institutions: featuring student, employee, and parent information. By Merle Horowitz and Dorothy M. Bollinger.
- Cyberbullying and e-safety: What educators and other professionals need to know. By Adrienne Katz.
- Cyberbullying. Edited by Louise I. Gerdes.
- Sexting and cyberbullying: Defining the line for digitally empowered kids. By Shaheen Shariff.
- Cyberbullying and the wild, wild web: what everyone needs to know. By J.A. Hitchcock.
eBook:
- Cyberbullying: Bullying in the Digital Age. By Robin M. Kowalski, Susan P. Limber, and Patricia W. Agatston.
- Cyberbullying : causes, consequences, and coping strategies. By Nicole L. Weber and William V. Pelfrey, Jr.
- Cyberbullying : what counselors need to know. By Sheri Bauman