Dr. Faye Mishna is widely recognized as a leader in cyberbullying research worldwide... Faye's 411> Faye Mishna, PhD, RSW Professor & Dean Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work Margaret & Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child & Family University of Toronto 246 Bloor Street West Toronto, Ontario M5S 1V4 Phone: (416) 978-3255 Email: f.mishna@utoronto.ca www.socialwork.utoronto.ca Key points of her keynote address 1. The social media world is complex, pervasive & here to stay 2. Cyber bullying can occur on any technological device 3. Cyber bullying can include various harmful behaviours 4. Both overlap & distinctions between online & offline bullying 5. Cyber bullying can be devastating 6. Adults must be supportive & accepting toward youth regarding their technology use 7. Adults must maintain open communication to help youth with technology use & problems that may arise

1. Understanding &
Responding to Cyber
Bullying in the Cyber
World
Dr. Faye Mishna, Dean
Margaret & Wallace McCain
Funded by Family Chair in Child & Family
f.mishna@utoronto.ca
January 31, 2013

2. Context of Social Media World
 Recent dramatic technological advances have
forever changed how we communicate & interact
 Children & youth are sophisticated users of
technology
 Youth acquire technological competence much
faster than their parents
 Youth seek social connections, information,
personal assistance, entertainment online

3. Social Media World: Benefits
 Unprecedented opportunities for communication,
learning & self-exploration
 Access to crucial resources such as social support
(Informal & formal), reduce sense of isolation
 Most online interactions positive/neutral
 Self-disclosure, social comparison, normalize
feelings of distress

4. Context of Social Media World: Risks
 Can reinforce negative or unhealthy views of self
 Can glamorize unhealthy identities through
subculture that normalizes & encourages deviant
behaviour
 Can provides pool of participants with low self-
worth who may be vulnerable to exploitative
relationships
• e.g., sites for anorexia, self-
injury, pedophilia, violence / terror

5. Context of Social Media World: Risks
 Cyber risks, through communication technologies
 Bullying
 Sexual solicitation or victimization
 Exposure to harmful material
 Pornography, violent images, hate messages
 When child feels safe (home, room)
 Those affected (youth) know much more about
technology use than those who should protect
(parents, educators)

6. Navigating the Social Media World
 Developmental characteristics & level of children
& youth make them unprepared for the freedom
afforded in the online world
 Dependency, growth, & change
 Autonomy & freedom
 Young people need guidance in order to make
the best choices when utilizing communication
technologies

7. Cyber Bullying
 No universal definition
 The use of communication & information
technology to cause harm to another person
 Criteria: intent to cause harm, target, power
imbalance
 Includes behaviours to spread rumours, hurt /
threaten others, or sexually harass

8. Prevalence of Cyber Bullying
 Typically ranges from 10 to 35% (Agatston, Kowalski, &
Limber, 2007; Hinduja & Patchin, 2008; Kowalski & Limber, 2007; Kowalski et al., 2008;
Li, 2007; Williams & Guerra, 2007)
 Some estimates are much higher, up to 72%
(Hoff & Mitchell, 2008; Juvonen & Gross, 2008; Mishna et al., 2010; Raskauskas &
Stoltz, 2007)

9. What Makes Cyber Bullying Unique?
 Engagement with social media world is constant
 Therefore cyber bullying transcends the
boundaries of time & space
 Difficult to escape, because technology follows
children & youth everywhere
 Can impact young people above & beyond the
effects of traditional bullying

10. Mental Health Implications
 Can be devastating for children
& youth
“Like 1000
paper cuts
 Is of growing concern for
eating away
parents, educators & society
at your soul”
 Can affect many areas of
child/youth’s life

11. Education & Training
 Adults require knowledge about the forms of
cyber risk
• Education to help identify & respond
appropriately
 Education should focus on safe use of
technology & harmful consequences of risky
interactions

12. Assessment Considerations
Type of
cyber risk
 Types of cyber risk
 Children & youth may not recognize extent of harm
Level of youth
understanding? cyber bullying
caused by
 Careful use of label “cyber bullying”
 Youth may not identify as targets or perpetrators of
cyber bullying
Labels But may be involved in cyber bullying behaviour
&
language?
 Must use youth’s language
 e.g., “drama”

13. Strategies to Address Cyber Bullying
 Choose strategies thoughtfully &
intentionally with consideration of the context
 Tools in your toolbox (Walker, 2012)
 Books, reports, research articles
 Brochures, fact sheets, safety tips
 School curriculum, webinars, tutorials
 Videos, DVDs, interactive media
 Youth driven prevention & intervention efforts
 Conversation starters to begin talking to youth about
technology use & cyber bullying

14. Strategies to Address Cyber Bullying
 What professionals who work with
children, youth & families can do (Bauman, 2011)
 Facilitate help-seeking
 Encourage sensitive responses from parents
 Enlist the help of police & lawyers when necessary
 Create innovative ways to support youth
 e.g., cyber counselling

15. What Social Workers Can Do
 Individual counselling with youth involved
 Can be brief or longer: must be tailored
 Helping youth learn different ways of interacting
 Youth support groups
 Supporting parents
 Advocacy at individual, community, societal levels
 Workshops bringing together school
administrators, teachers, parents, & youth (Bauman, 2011)

16. What Parents Can Do
 Adult supervision of technology challenging
 Parents faced with accepting children’s unavoidable
autonomy in cyber world, while trying to monitor activities
 Disclosure may be difficult because of fear of losing
technological privileges
 Ability for youth to tell adults is critical as delaying
disclosure delays receiving help
 Be supportive: associated with less cyber bullying
 Maintain open lines of communication
 Encourage youth to use technologies in positive ways
 Create environments in which children & youth feel safe
disclosing cyber bullying involvement

17. Key Points
 The social media world is complex, pervasive &
here to stay
 Cyber bullying can occur on any technological
device
 Cyber bullying can include various harmful
behaviours
 Both overlap & distinctions between online &
offline bullying

18. Key Points
 Cyber bullying can be devastating
 Adults must be supportive & accepting toward
youth regarding their technology use
 Adults must maintain open communication to
help youth with technology use & problems that
may arise