Cyberbullying: A Student Safety Threat & Prevention Measures

This blog was originally posted on Gaggle.net here.

One of the greatest threats to student safety online is cyberbullying—the digital harassment of students by other students. Nearly 15% of students ages 12–18 have reported being bullied online, which doesn’t include the significant estimate of students who experience cyberbullying but choose not to report. Cyberbullying is an incredibly harmful experience, and students who are digitally harassed are afflicted with suicidal thoughts more often than they are with traditional bullying.

To help you combat cyberbullying in schools and protect students online, the Gaggle Cyberbullying Playbook—newly updated for 2020—is now available. Protecting students from digital harassment is a critical part of supporting positive mental health and promoting academic success. In this eBook, you will learn about some of the ways students experience cyberbullying, preventative measures that parents, schools, and districts can take against cyberbullying, and how you can prepare yourself and react when cyberbullying occurs in your school or district.

Here’s What You’ll Find in the Gaggle Cyberbullying Playbook:

• Identify cyberbullying: Cyberbullying occurs across many different platforms—from social media and email to group messages—and knowing where to watch for digital harassment is the first step in stopping it.
• Prevention measures: Between teaching students to be good digital citizens to implementing a full safety management solution, there are many ways you can take action to prevent cyberbullying.
• Distance learning: Remote learning offers a new outlet for cyberbullying to occur, and it can be particularly hard to spot. With so many other negative effects caused by the pandemic and students having to social distance, it’s important to stay on top of cyberbullying prevention when students are learning from a distance.
• Handling cyberbullying: By reacting to cyberbullying situations in a consistent and fair way, you set a precedent for what you define as unacceptable digital behavior for your students. Knowing the laws and taking the right steps when handling cyberbullying are both important in preventing future incidents.
• Resources: We’ve updated our list of helpful cyberbullying resources for administrators, educators, parents, and students to learn more about cyberbullying and prevent harmful digital harassment.

Cyberbullying is a reality of the modern digital classroom, but with the right tools and resources, you can help protect students from digital harassment and reduce future occurrences. Download the Cyberbullying Playbook to learn the answers to all of your questions about cyberbullying and protecting students online.