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
Monday, 5 March 2012
Sunday, 4 March 2012
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
Provided by:
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
Provided by:
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
Provided by:
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
Provided by:
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.
He said this at the launch of the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) Cyber Wellness Programme targeted at Chinese-speaking low-income families.
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
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
Provided by:
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_cyberbullying_affect_a_person#ixzz1o6uYLMuU
Provided by:
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
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
Provided by:
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?
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?
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?
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
Provided by:
Saturday, 3 March 2012
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
Provided By:
Elite school's horrific cyber-bullying case
David Mark for PM and staff
Updated
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."
First posted
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/
Provided By:
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/
Provided By:
.gif)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)