Help Your Organization Prevent Cyberbullying
Bullying and harassment can be traumatic for people of all ages. In recent years, cyberbullying has become especially concerning. Cyberbullying can be defined in two different manners:
- Victimization: Victimization takes place when an individual is singled out from a crowd. This may be a child who gets left out of the dodgeball team or an employee who is left out of office events for speaking up in a meeting.
- Perpetration: Perpetration is the act itself being carried out by an individual. This could take place if a student decides to throw a classmate’s folder on the ground or an employee decides to yell at a fellow employee.
Over time, bullying has changed significantly. With the emergence of social media outlets, it can be difficult to limit the content that children and others have access to.
Bullying in the Past
- Took place on the playgrounds and hallways of schools.
- Easier for teachers or administrators to take action.
- Most often physical violence.
Bullying Today
- Takes place on social media outlets such as Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc.
- More difficult to track; harder to implement controls.
- In the form of messaging and can spread far beyond the classroom and workplace.
Cyberbullying that takes place in offices and classrooms can often go unnoticed. The significant increase in information limits what schools and parents can do, which makes understanding the scope and severity of the situation more difficult than in the past. The long-term effects of cyberbullying can be long-lasting in the forms of depression and anxiety, with many students or workers not realizing the long-term effects that these events may have on the individual.
The below resources can help define how bullying can take multiple forms in both youth programs and the workplace. Included is information on how organizations can help make a difference:
