I was targeted

I am 16 and have amazing friends. I can get along with all groups. Although my life is great now it hadn't always been that way. When I was in the 5th grade I met a girl who was in 6th. She was popular and I wanted to be her friend. And we were. Until she found out that earlier that year her friends had bullied me when we were all in girl scouts. She joined along. And wrote me a nasty letter. This stopped after my 5th grade year but I remember coming home crying not sure why I was the girl they just chose to pick on. I've definitely learned from that experience. These girls may be popular but they don't feel happy. They are weak. I believe they saw me and knew my confidence, and tried to break me down. Now I know that if a situation ever happens like that again I will just brush it off. Also, I believe had I not cared and just blew them off in the first place they would have stopped. For any girls going through this be strong.
—Guest Marilyn

Thoughts: It's just so sad that a friend can  so quickly become an enemy just because of some peer influence! We really should not even do anything remotely LIKE cyberbullying. Can't people see that their actions are HURTING others? But this example also shows that there's still hope after cyberbullying. Just because someone's rotten to you doesn't mean it's the end of the world. So those who are being bullied, tell your parents or your teachers or a trusted adult and STAY STRONG!!!

Source: http://familyinternet.about.com/u/ua/computingsafetyprivacy/Cyberbullyua.htm
Provided By: Phoebe

Cyber-Crime Laws

Good news!!

The New Paper
Sunday, Mar 04, 2012
Thoughtless comments have no place even on social media because a "single thoughtless comment can have immense reach and severe consequences".
While the Penal Code covers offences such as criminal intimidation in both the physical world and cyberspace, there are no specific laws protecting persons from cyber harassment, bullying and other anti-social acts on the Internet, said Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Teo Chee Hean in Parliament yesterday.
DPM Teo, who is also Minister for Home Affairs, said his ministry will work with the ministries of Law and of Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica) to review the matter and consider the laws needed to address such situations.
Mr Teo was asked whether existing laws were adequate to protect Singaporeans against inappropriate or wrongful online behaviour.
Touching on the "changing complexion" of Singapore society, DPM Teo said there are those who feel "they should be allowed to express their views in an unfettered way".
But, he added: "On the other hand, when remarks or acts denigrate another culture, nationality or religion, members of the public and those groups who are the target want action to be taken against the perpetrators."
He added that the UK, Australia, India and the US have laws to protect people from cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking or cyber-harassment.
In reviewing Singapore's laws in these areas, the Government will also consider "enhancing civil remedies for those affected by wrongdoings which are not criminal in nature".
He said: "For example, an aggrieved party should be able to protect himself from falsehoods spread on the Net when suing for defamation and obtain a timely injunction to order the removal of any offensive statements... given its viral nature."
People must also be savvy in spotting and avoiding others with malicious intent.
On this, cyber-wellness initiatives will be part of the Government's efforts to protect online users.
Mica will give details about this later.

Source: http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Science%2Band%2BTech/Story/A1Story20120303-331382.html
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Students bullying teachers

  By Daryll Nanayakara
  My Paper Friday
  Nov 18, 2011

Many students are embarrassing and bullying their teachers online, by taunting or irritating them, then filming such incidents with mobile phones and posting the clips online. And these students do so out of peer pressure or for a thrill, said psychologist Nicholas Lim yesterday, at the release of this year's Norton Online Family Report. "Most of the time, they want to feel a sense of belonging among their peers and something like this also gives them a sort of thrill," he explained. The report revealed that three in 10 teachers here have been a victim or know another teacher who has fallen prey to this growing pheno menon, called cyber baiting. Three in five teachers said that being friends with their students on social networks exposed them to such risks. Still, three in four said that they would still do so, as it helps them reach out to their students beyond the classroom. Another worrying trend is that one in four children here admitted to visiting websites with adult content when their parents were not around. This is higher than the global average of one in 10. Almost 20,000 respondents across 24 countries were polled for the report, of which almost 800 were from Singapore. The respondents were made up of children, parents and teachers.
darylldj@sph.com.sg

Source: http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Science%2Band%2BTech/Story/A1Story20111118-311282.html
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Dead teen incident a reminder of cyber addiction dangers

By Irene Tham

Central District mayor Sam Tan said that cyber addiction can incite violent behaviour. The recent death of a teenager, who sought refuge at a cyber cafe after running away from home, is proof.
He said this at the launch of the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) Cyber Wellness Programme targeted at Chinese-speaking low-income families.

'It is unfortunate but the incident is yet another reminder that cyber addiction is a problem facing young people today,' said Mr Tan, who is also chairman of CDAC Family Workfare & Support Committee.
On Sept 4, a 13-year-old boy from St Patrick's School was found dead in a back lane in Geylang after he was beaten up over a missing wallet. He had run away from home three weeks ago and had hung out in an Internet cafe in Geylang. The dead boy's parents were aware he had been gaming for some time.

 

Central District mayor Sam Tan said that cyber addiction can incite violent behaviour. The recent death of a teenager, who sought refuge at a cyber cafe after running away from home, is proof. -- PHOTO: ST FILE

 

Read more: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_710346.html

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How does Cyber Bullying affects a person?

The effects on a person of cyberbullying is: feeling very hurt that a person or group would target them and say the things they do for no apparent reason other than being mean spirited ... feelings of being lonely ... fear ... afraid to go to school ... a drop in grades ... fear of leaving their home ... dread going to school ... becoming paranoid so it's difficult to make new friends ... a feeling of helplessness (not knowing who to go to for help) ... depression for the victim of cyberbullying ... in severe cases of constant cyberbullying suicide MAY occur. The issues of cyberbullying are being taken very seriously in the U.S. and Canada and it's an offence! The best thing to do is not to respond back to the bully(s) ... if you have to see them at school try to ignore them ... go to your school counselor or, talk to your parents. Remember, cyberbullies will pick on one person and if you cease to ignore them they will move on to bully other victims. Cyberbullies are generally a product of their environment where they are verbally or physically abused or, they may be just spoiled rotten and bored enough to make other people's lives miserable. In groups of Cyberbullies they feel they are strong because they are together and feed off each other, but, inwardly some don't enjoy this so-called sport, but don't know how to move away from it for fear of being cyberbulliedthemselves.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_cyberbullying_affect_a_person#ixzz1o6uYLMuU
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Posters about Cyber Bullying

Source: Google Images

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Episode One – Instant Messaging Little Red Riding Hood:

Little Red Riding Hood comes online to find a message from an unfamiliar girl living in another part of Singapore. She starts chatting with her, ends up saying she’s going to visit her Grandma, and even reveals her Grandma’s address! We later discover this “girl” is in fact the Big Bad Wolf in disguise. Watch to see what happens to Little Red Riding Hood next!

Episode Two – Snow White and Online Gaming:

Beautiful Snow White settles into her seat and begins to enjoy a steaming cup of freshly brewed hot chocolate. Turning to her computer, she fires up a popular online game and starts playing…. and playing… and playing. Time flies by, the hands on the clock are turning, but Snow White keeps going till we see that she is so tired and exhausted. Will Snow White ever stop?

Episode 3 - The Three Little Pigs and the Attack of the Internet Virus

The first little pig is a carefree – and careless – character. While surfing online, he unknowingly picks up a virus which causes havoc on his computer! His brother pigs are online as well, and they get the same virus. What will happen to the second and third little pigs?

Episode 4 – Sleeping Beauty and Her Mobile Phone

Sleeping Beauty is playing a game on her handphone while on an MRT train. She falls asleep on the train, with her mobile phone on her lap. A short while later, the MRT train comes to a stop. She wakes up just in the nick of time as she realises she is at her station. She rushes out of the train. In the process, however, she has dropped her mobile phone. Will a kind soul pick up the phone and return it to her untouched?

Episode 5 - Pinocchio Goes on a Blind Date

Pinocchio tries to get a date in an online chat room, but instead of being truthful, he decides to “borrow” Prince Charming’s identity. He poses as Prince Charming, posting photos of the tall and handsome prince as himself! To his surprise, he manages to land a date. Will it he get a happily-ever-after ending?

Episode Six – The Big Bad Internet Bully

The Little Princess has just set up a blog. She is happy and starts posting blogs about her travels and photos. One day, she realises that someone has been anonymously posting stupid and offensive comments on her blog, together with vandalised photos from her site. She is angered and takes matters into her own hands. Watch what happens next!

Source: http://www.mda.gov.sg/Public/Pages/CyberWellness.aspx
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Teacher mocks 'poor' essays by pupils in blog

A teacher has come under fire after his blog entry mocking his Primary 3 pupils was discovered and its URL passed to other netizens.

The relief teacher had posted online four excerpts from different compositions written by his pupils and accompanying them, he had commented: "I have three terribly ridiculous compositions... a source of entertainment, I should say... I will type it out... no corrections or whatsoever... enjoy!"

He later added a fourth composition.

A primary school teacher who only wanted to be known as Ms Wong, 28, felt the blogger was not professional.

"If he puts it on his blog such that the children can improve, it's okay. If it's to amuse himself, then it's not," she said.

Parents my paper spoke to also had harsh words for the teacher.

Madam Jearina Champion, a 36-year-old homemaker whose son is in Primary 6, said: "As a teacher, he has forgotten his role. If he thinks the compositions are bad, he should keep it within the boundaries of the classroom. As a teacher, he should care for the emotional well-being of the child."

If her son had been one of the pupils whose compositions were criticised on the blog, she would "have a word quietly with him", if she is close to and respects the teacher.

If not, she would "write to the teacher and send a copy (the e-mail) to the principal".

Madam Pee Hian Hwe, a 48-year-old mother of a Primary 5 pupil, agreed.

"It's not up to me to say whether teachers have a right to do this on their personal blogs, but I guess the school should have rules as to what teachers can or cannot put online," she said.


Source: http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20080218-50182.html

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Elite school's horrific cyber-bullying case

David Mark for PM and staff

Updated May 08, 2009 13:40:00

Photo: The MySpace posting shows adolescent girls at their bullying worst.

Audio: Girls forced to leave school for cyber-bullying (PM)

Map: Sydney 2000

Two adolescent girls have been forced to leave one of Sydney's elite private schools because of cyber-bullying.

The girls were taken out of Ascham School after they published material on the social networking website, My Space, containing personal and possibly defamatory information about their classmates.
The posting included information on the girls' alleged sexual proclivities, drinking, drug use and relationships.
A parent of one the girls says the girl was horrified when strange boys began approaching her in public.

Bullying worst

The MySpace posting shows adolescent girls at their bullying worst:
"Everyone thought she was sweet nice girl who was never mean. She actually is a bitch and really mean about some people. She also sucks up to people."
"Everyone says they hate her and say she is really annoying."
"The biggest try-hard in Year 9, everyone apparently hates her."
"She became cool in term 4 Year 8 and became really popular, that is all changing now. People are starting to not like her very much and getting annoyed at her."
In more than 2,500 words, the post goes over the behaviour and relationships of 31 Ascham Girls, including the two who wrote it.
It was on the MySpace website for at least four days and possibly several weeks until it was taken down last Thursday.
Some of the details go far beyond school-ground teasing.
One of the authors boasts about making a fellow student's life hell by getting everyone to hate her.
Some of the girls had rumours about their sexual behaviour as well as their drug taking and alcohol habits made public.
It accuses one girl of bestowing sexual favours to multiple boys on the same day.

Parent 'horror'

A parent of one of the girls who was victimised describes her reaction to the web posting:
"Horror. She was one of the ones named in it, and all her friends were. The 30 or 40 mentioned were in sort of a group," he said.
He says his daughter has been approached by strangers who have read the post.
"She imagines quite a large number because she was approached when she was in Bondi Junction last week. She was approached by all sorts... from boys school to everywhere else, and at a party she went to last Saturday night. Everybody's aware of it, I would say the eastern suburbs schools are all aware of it," she said.
"She's actually quite a stoic child and so she's handled it particularly well, but she's not very amused to say the least."

School response

The school said in a statement:
"When the school became aware of the incident last Friday, the two girls were placed on immediate in-school suspension, pending a detailed investigation into the incident. Once the full nature of the incident became clear the school concluded the girls' continued attendance at Ascham was not possible. The parents withdrew them from the school. Ascham is deeply concerned about this incident and the potential reputational harm and emotional distress it may cause to those girls named."
The school says it is not aware of any girls who are taking legal action about the posting.
But one parent has vented his anger:
"It is absolutely defamatory and I have some knowledge of defamatory law and without any doubt it is because most of it was untrue and they knew it was untrue when they wrote it," he said.
Another parent says his daughter has been offered counselling and he is happy with how the school has dealt with the issue.
"They've done it very well, they didn't rush or panic. They did a measured approach as far as I can see, and a lot of the parents as I understand it did write in and complain. My knowledge is that most of them are happy with the way the school's handled it," he said.
Even so, the parents says the incident serves as a warning about the dangers of cyber-bullying.
The cyber-bullying happened despite the fact Ascham has measures in place to try to stop it.
The school bans its students from using social networking websites on school computers, has held presentations on the subject, and several girls are taking part in the Federal Government's cyber use advisory group.
A statement by the school says there is a limit to what schools and parents can do to control students using social networking sites.

Government response

The two girls who left the school will be able to enrol in a public school.
NSW Education Minister, Verity Firth, says the year nine students would be allowed to enrol in a public school, despite the incident.
"Yes, that could very well happen, but public schools deal with it in a very similar way to how private schools do," she said.
"All school sectors deal with cyber-bullying as a serious offence, and as something that needs to be fixed. We have both disciplinary powers but we also use, as we do with all bullying, counselling powers as well."

User reporting needed

Executives from My Space says it is largely up to users to report cyber-bullying.
The director of safety at My Space, David Batch, says there is no firm evidence that cyber-bullying is on the rise, but the site's users are the best line of defence.
"It's basically something that we ask our users to police, so we actually try to educate our users to block users that are bullying them, to delete users that are bullying them and report the incident of the abuse," he said.
"So we've advised our users to actually address the problem."

Topics: bullying, education, internet-culture, sydney-2000, australia, nsw

First posted May 07, 2009 18:20:00

Source:   http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-05-07/elite-schools-horrific-cyber-bullying-case/1675916

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Thank You

The People behind this Blog...

I would like to recognise the people who contributed to this blog, and hope they will continue to do so in the future.

They are:

CW leader

From:

♫*JM*♫

Online Bullies Pull Schools Into the Fray

Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

Students at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, N.J. , are old hands at text messaging, but not all of the words are friendly.

By JAN HOFFMAN

Published: June 27, 2010

The girl’s parents, wild with outrage and fear, showed the principal the text messages: a dozen shocking, sexually explicit threats, sent to their daughter the previous Saturday night from the cellphone of a 12-year-old boy. Both children were sixth graders at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, N.J.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/style/28bully.html?pagewanted=all

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Cyber Bullying Articles and Facts

Cyber-bullying incidents have quadrupled. Most students don’t tell their parents.
by Margaret Ross, Kamaron Institute
Approximately half of U.S. students are impacted by traditional bullying each school day. It happens on buses, in the cafeteria, gym, hallways, playground, and in classrooms. The most frequent form bullying takes is words (teasing, taunting, ridiculing, name-calling, and gossip - not blows). This type of bullying happens in the “physical” world and that world has time and space limits. Cyber-bullying is making school days even more painful for many children and some school staff. Bullying in cyberspace is not bound by school hours, school days, or facing the intended bully victim. Unfortunately, the perceived anonymous nature of the internet often insulates the bully from the consequences of their damaging behavior.
As the number of households with Internet access approaches saturation and cell phone ownership expands to the 100 million mark, so do the ways kids bully each other. Cyber-bullying in the form of text messages, emails, photos, website postings can go school-wide in minutes and global in days. Slanderous information sent out into cyberspace is difficult, if not impossible, to expunge. Cyber-bullying often takes the form of cyber gossip, where damaging content is based on whim; not facts, and is posted on social networking sites such as MySpace and FaceBook.

Cyber-Bullying Getting Bigger: Studies indicate that cyber-bullying incidents have quadrupled in five years. A 2000 survey by the Crimes Against Children Research center at the University of New Hampshire reported 6 % of young people had experienced some form of cyber-bullying. In 2005, studies of 1500 Internet-using adolescents found that over one-third had been cyber bulled and half of those admitted to cyber-bullying others (Hinduja and Patchin, In Review.) A 2005 study by National Children’s Home Charity revealed that 20% had been cyber-bullying victims. A 2004 survey conducted by i-Safe America of 1556 adolescents found that 42 % had been bullied online.

How Cyber-Bulling Messages Are Communicated:

• Text or digital imaging messages sent on cell phones
• e-mails
• instant messaging
• web pages
• web logs (blogs),
• chat rooms or discussion groups, and
• other information communication technologies

Cyber-bullying Perpetrators - It Is A Cycle:

• Middle School and High School girls were about twice as likely as boys to display cyber-bullying behaviors in the form of email, text, and chat*
• Middle School and High School girls were twice as likely as boys to report receiving email, text messages or chat room messages that teased, taunted, and ridiculed. *
• 62% said that they had been cyber-bullied by another student at school, and 46% had been cyber-bullied by a friend. **
• 55% didn’t know who had cyber-bullied them.

Only 20% cyber-bullying victims tell their parents about the incident. Victims are most likely to tell a friend (42%).
**(2005, Kowalski et al., Electronic bullying among school-aged children and youth.)
* (2007-2009, Kamaron Institute, School Surveys)

Ten Tips: Parents Cyber-Bullying Preemption

1. Consider installing filtering and blocking software, but understand clearly that proactive parents are the only real deterrent and the best resource for bullying preemption.
2. Keep your home computer(s) in easily viewable places, such as a family room or kitchen.
3. Model the behavior you want to see in your child
4. Talk regularly with your child about on-line activities he or she is involved in.
5. Set firm guidelines for cell phone use and monitor that behavior.
6. Talk specifically about cyber-bullying. Explain that that it is harmful and unacceptable behavior.
7. Outline your expectations for responsible online behavior and clearly explain the consequences for inappropriate behavior. Use the Cyber Positive Character Contract from this Kamaron site
8. Encourage your child to tell you immediately if he or she is a victim of cyber-bullying. Tell your child does not respond to the bully.
9. Stay calm. Plan in advance how you will calmly receive the news that your child is being bullied and the solution steps you will take. You will want the evidence. Tell your child to save the bullying messages or photo.
10. Call your child’s school; ask the principal what measurable, bullying preemption, activity-based programs they have in place today. Offer to serve on the group that expands the school’s behavior policy to include cyber bullying behavior that disrupts the schools teaching and learning environment. Ask about results.

More tips and tools for parents and teachers are available at the Kamaron Institute Resource Center on this site.
Margaret Ross, president Kamaron Institute (www.kamaron.org) is a business, relationship, and bullying preemption expert. Ross is a frequently featured guest on America’s top radio shows.

Source: http://kamaron.org/Cyber-Bullying-Articles-Facts
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How to stay cyber safe?

Take the Quiz and find out if you are!

http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/ayzbmsG/Are-You-Cyber-Safe
:)

Interesting Videos!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62BC6Nr6lnU&feature=related

You can also catch this show about cyber bully. Just continue with part 2 all the way till part 6.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Du6A-HIzmY



:)

Cyber Wellness

About Cyber Wellness

The digital revolution – particularly the advancement of mobile and digital technologies - has changed the way media is used. The new environment presents risks and pitfalls, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the digital world.

Cyber wellness refers to the positive well-being of internet users and a healthy cyber culture for the Internet community. It involves an understanding of the risks of harmful online behaviour, an awareness of how to protect oneself and other Internet users from such behaviour, and a recognition of the power of the Internet to benefit oneself and the community at large.

To encourage and promote safe, responsible use of the Internet and healthy gaming, MDA advocates a holistic public outreach approach to educate not just youth, but also educators, parents and the general public to raise the awareness as well as impart essential coping skills in evaluating what they read, see and hear in the media.

MDA works closely with a number of partners from the public, people and private sectors to raise awareness on the core values of cyber wellness through various activities. In particular, MDA works closely with Inter-Ministry Cyber Wellness Steering Committee (ICSC) and Internet and Media Advisory Committee (INMAC) in identifying and facilitating key cyber wellness initiatives.

Inter-Ministry Cyber Wellness Steering Committee (ICSC)

Formed in February 2009, the ICSC comprises of representative members from MICA, MOE, MCYS, MINDEF, MHA, IDA as well as MDA. Focusing on public education, ICSC works on improving coordination across the various government agencies and partners from the people-private sectors with regards to cyber wellness.

The ICSC recognises the importance of a multi-prong collaborative approach involving public-people-private sectors. To provide greater support to the community, ICSC has launched a call for proposals on 30 November 2009. Successful proposals will receive a co-funding support from ICSC, through the $10 million fund which has been set aside for the scheme over the next five years

Internet and Media Advisory Committee (INMAC)

The INMAC comprises from representatives from industry and people sectors such as Hewlett Packard, SingTel, MediaCorp, StarHub, Nokia as well as TOUCH Community Services and Fei Yue Community Services. The members are active in the facilitation and promotion of media literacy and cyber wellness public education programmes.

In addition, INMAC is also an advisory and consultative council that works closely with MDA and ICSC on key issues pertaining to media literacy, cyber wellness and related policies, issues and programmes.

Once Upon A Cyberspace

New media is becoming an inseparable part of the everyday lives of youth in Singapore. To raise the awareness on the importance of Internet safety among youth between the ages of 10 and 14 – and their families – MDA commissioned a special programme Once Upon A Cyberspace.

The 3D animated series ran as six 1-minute interstitials on MediaCorp’s okto channel for six running weeks at the beginning of April 2009, highlighting situations where discerning and responsible use of new media and Internet should be cultivated. The series covered the following issues:

· Cyber-bullying

· Game addiction

· Dangers of sharing personal information online (for example, in chat rooms), online socialisation (for example, making new friends via chat rooms)

· Invasion of privacy

· Internet viruses

Thoughts: After reading this,I feel that people should stop cyber-bullying.
Source: http://www.mda.gov.sg/Public/Pages/CyberWellness.aspx

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Stories of Cyber Bullying
October 13th, 2008 by admin

Currently, cyber bullying is one of the fastest growing problems facing school administrators and local governments around the country. Cyber bullying is defined as using the computer or other electronic devices to intimidate, threaten or humiliate another individual. Cyber bullying most commonly takes place on the Internet among students from a given school or neighborhood.

What follows is a series of highly publicized cases of Cyber bullying – each one chosen to shed light on the nature of the problem and the fallout that ensues when one young individual uses technology to hurt another person psychologically.

The Megan Meier MySpace Incident

Megan Meier was a 13 year old from Missouri who struck up an online friendship on the popular social networking site MySpace with a person she believed was a new boy in her hometown. In actuality, the “friend” was a group of individuals, including adults, who were intent on humiliating the poor girl because of a friendship with another child that had gone awry. Megan was very upset when she found out the truth, then later committed suicide once the friendship had terminated. The horrifying case stunned the community and caused state government officials to pass some of the harshest cyber bullying laws in the country.

The “Kill Kylie” Campaign of Hate and Homophobia

Kylie Kenney, an eighth grade student from Vermont lost two years of her life as a result of cyber bullying from classmates. From junior high through her sophomore year of high school, Kylie was forced to deal with websites created by her classmates that featured names like “Kill Kylie Incorporated” that were filled with threatening, homophobic remarks about the young girl. These hurtful kids obtained screen names with handles close to Kylie’s name and used them to make suggestive remarks and sexual advances on Kylie’s teammates on the field hockey team. As a result police filed charges of harassments against the individuals responsible.

The “Dog Poop Girl”

In South Korea, a female college student was riding the train with her dog when it defecated on the floor of the subway car. After the girl refused to clean up the mess, another passenger on the train took her picture using her cell phone and posted it online. In the months to follow, it became an Internet sensation in South Korea and “Dog Poop” girl became the target of extreme harassment. Individuals found out her name and address and soon she was forced to withdraw from school and move to another part of the country.

A Fake Facebook Rival

This year in Clinton Missouri, charges were filed against a teenager who allegedly created a fake Facebook account to serve as a competition against a young girl who was interested romantically in a male student. The account was created by another girl who wanted the boy all to herself, the suit claims. As a result, the targeted individual underwent significant levels of stress which affected her studies and her ability to attend school regularly. The case is one of many that feature phony accounts on Facebook or MySpace that are used to harass young people or stir up trouble among friends.

Cyber Bullying has become a worldwide problem because of the difficulty to track its occurrences. It some cases it has been accepted as humor, but when is it taken to far? When a child has taken her own life because she was cyber bullied, we know it has been taken way too far.

Cyber bullying has been present in the 2008 presidential election with the slurrying of both presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. Even the vice-presidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden have been victims of this abuse. These slanders wouldn’t technically be considered cyber bullying, but are loosely related. Senator Sarah Palin has received the worst of it with the creation of videos mocking her interviews on Saturday Night Live. NBC reports over 7 million views online, with millions more watching it on YouTube and Google video.

Source: http://www.cyberbullyalert.com/blog/2008/10/stories-of-cyber-bullying/

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Crime has a new face in today's times. The worst part - it's invisible.

A True Story:
Maria Gromakova, a blogger from St. Petersburg, Russia, experienced it first hand when her blog became the target for Russian radical nationalists, and was filled with offensive comments and threats.
Not content on attacking Maria on her blog, her online assailants sent her abusive fascist text messages on her cell phone, hacked her profile on a popular Russian social network site, and even attacked her on a city train, all in the name of 'preserving Russia's nationalistic fabric'. The result - Maria's life turned into a living hell, and made her and her family leave Russia.
If you feel you are a victim of online abuse and harassment from an anonymous source, it is a case of personal injury. Get in touch with an attorney in Billings, Montana, and restore your online persona.
Harmful Effects of Online Abuse:

A number of researches have demonstrated the serious consequences of cyber harassment. The victims often develop lower self-esteem, increased suicidal ideation, and a variety of adverse emotional responses. A major damaging effect of online abuse is a victim avoiding his/her friends, family and social activities. The suicide of Megan Taylor Meier, a Missouri teenager in 2006, was attributed to cyberbullying through the social networking site MySpace.

Stop Online Harassment Before Its Too Late:

Follow these steps to ensure you always remain one step ahead of your invisible enemy:
-Never give out your primary email ID to anyone you do not trust or know.

-Never put any sensitive information on personal pages on social networking sites.

-Be careful when posting messages in an online forum.

-Do not fall for phishing emails that claim your account has been suspended or needs to be  updated - they are scams.

Online abuse and harassment can leave a permanent scar on your life. The internet is not what it used to be any more. Although we need the internet in our daily lives, we should also exercise proper caution before furnishing our personal and business details. After all your online identity is just as important as your offline one. If you think your identity is violated in the cyberspace, get legal advice immediately.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Cyber-Crime-and-Cyber-Bullying---The-New-Online-Danger&id=4614436

My Opinion: It is really important to be cyber safe online. Once a mistake is made, your whole life will be ruined.

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Cyber Bullying(for children)

This article is contributed by TOUCH Cyber Wellness and is written for children...

Netiquette means treating online friends with respect and politeness. If you are not careful in how you express yourself, you may hurt their feelings. Examples of positive netiquette include:

• not writing nasty comments about other online users;
• not shouting by typing instant or email messages in full capital letters.

Cyber bullying is the act of being unkind to other online users. It is an example of bad netiquette. Cyber bullying can take place:

• within online games such as MapleStory, Club Penguin etc.;
• within online social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter;
• through instant messaging services such as MSN Messenger;
• within online forums.

Importance of Netiquette

In exercising netiquette, you learn to be mindful and considerate about your friends’ feelings. And when you demonstrate such good behaviour online, you will also earn respect from your friends.
Cyber bullies, on the other hand, often hurt their victims by:

• making online threats against them;
• making fun of or spreading lies about them online;
• stealing their identities and humiliating them by posting embarrassing messages, photos or videos online.

Cyber bullying is hurtful. So do not be a cyber bully. Instead, show good manners online.

Tips Against Cyber Bullying

1. Practise positive netiquette and good online behaviour by:
1. being courteous and polite to other online users;
2. being responsible when sharing photos or videos of others online;
3. not shouting by typing instant or email messages in full capital letters;
4. not spreading online rumours about others.

2. If you or your friends are being cyber bullied, you should:
1. stop or block all communication with the bully;
2. keep any evidence; and
3. report the bullying to your parents or teachers.

Where to seek help

Get help from your parents, teachers or school counsellors if you are being cyber‐bullied.
You can also call TOUCHLine 1800‐377‐2252 (Mon‐Sat, 9am‐6pm) or email cyberwellness@touch.org.sg to speak to a Cyber Wellness mentor.

Source: http://www.cyberwellness.org.sg/knowledge
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Cyber Bullying(for parents)

The following article is contributed by TOUCH Cyber Wellness and is written for parents...

Netiquette, or Internet etiquette, refers to good social behaviour when using the Internet. It includes respecting people’s privacy online and not doing or saying anything that may bring harm or annoyance upon other Internet users. Some common platforms where positive netiquette is emphasized include email and online chats, conversations and comments.
Cyber bullying refers to deliberate and intentional attempts to cause physical, emotional or psychological harm to others through the use of the Internet and/or other digital technologies. It can be more dangerous than physical bullying in the following ways:

1. it happens round-the-clock;
2. the victim’s humiliation is increased with the larger audience the Internet provides;
3. the effects of cyber bullying can linger and perpetuate since it is difficult to completely and permanently remove the incriminating content; Internet users could simply download and re-post the content;
4. it is difficult to identify the perpetrator as he can easily remain anonymous while online.

Some of the common platforms used by cyber bullies include:

• Online games such as MapleStory and Defense of the Ancients (DOTA; part of Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne);
• Social media networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and blogs;
• Instant messaging services such as Windows Live Messenger (“MSN”);
• Messages, photos and/or video captured by mobile phones.

Various Forms Of Cyber Bullying

Cyber bullying can be broadly grouped into three categories:
1. Online threats:
This form of cyber bullying is the most dangerous as the cyber bully threatens to harm the victim. Immediate action should be taken to ensure the safety of the victim.
2. Taunting and rumour-mongering:
This is commonly used by cyber bullies to humiliate the victim in front of the wider audience provided by the Internet. This usually causes emotional and psychological harm to the victim.
3. Impersonation
The cyber bully impersonates the victim and does things to damage the reputation of the victim in the eyes of the public. This often happens on social networking sites.

Signs of Cyber Bullying

Some cyber bullies are bullies in real life. They may have been victims of bullying themselves. They often bully others online as a form of revenge, or to feel powerful and to have some control over their victims. Others may engage in cyber bullying due to peer pressure or to be accepted as part of a group.
Your child may be a victim of cyber bullying if he or she:

1. Unexpectedly stops using the computer;
2. Is nervous or jumpy when an instant, text, or email message appears;
3. Appears uneasy about going to school or going outside in general;
4. Appears to be angry, depressed or frustrated after using the computer;
5. Avoids discussions about what he or she is doing on the computer;
6. Becomes abnormally withdrawn from friends and family members.

Tips Against Cyber Bullying

1. Educate your children on:
1. How to observe positive netiquette:

1. Be courteous and polite to others online;
2. Be responsible when sharing photos and videos of others;
3. Refrain from using full capital letters in messages, as this is online shouting;
4. Understand that spreading online rumours will hurt others;
2. How to respond if they are cyber bullied:
1. Keep any and all evidence of cyber bullying (e.g. press the PRINT SCREEN button - ‘Prt Scr’ - and paste the screenshot into a Microsoft Word document);
2. Stop all communication with the cyber bully by closing the application or window;
3. Report the bullying to parents, teachers or web moderators.

2. Take immediate action if your child is being cyber bullied by:
1. Requesting for a thorough investigation from the Internet service provider, mobile service provider, content provider or website administrator (provide evidence if available);
2. Working with school authorities if the cyber bully is suspected to be from the school;
3. Reporting the matter to the police if the cyber bullying involves criminal intimidation, the insulting of the modesty of a woman or racial slurs.

  Source: http://www.cyberwellness.org.sg/knowledge

  Thoughts:I feel that parents should take the responsibility to make sure his/her child is emotionally 
                and physically healthy, and the child should be aware of the friends he/she makes online,
                and the personal information he/she gives the other part.

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One in four UK children victims of cyber bullying

Thousands of children are too frightened to go to school or suffer depression and even attempt suicide after being targeted by 'cyber bullies', according to a UK study.

It found 28 per cent of children aged 11 to 16 in Britain had experienced bullying on the internet or via a mobile phone.


The most common form was a malicious text (13 per cent) and around one in ten said they had received nasty comments through a social network.

More than half the incidents of 'cyber bullying' happen on Facebook, with the MSN messenger service the second most common platform for harassment. More than one in ten victims had been bullied via YouTube.

The survey of 4,600 children was carried out by the charity Beatbullying and the National Association of Head Teachers.

Around 20 per cent of those bullied said it had made them reluctant to go to school. A worrying 11 per cent said it made them depressed, and three per cent attempted suicide.

- Daily Mail

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10783735

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