Online Safety

Teaching your kids how to deal with Cyber-bullying

Save and print (right click will usually bring a print option).
Stop or leave
Tell a trusted adult
Block the sender
Never reply to harassing messages
Change the phone number or address
Report to phone service, website or internet provider
Read the policies, user agreements and guidelines
Meet with teacher or principal and sk for help resolving the situation
Report any incident of physical threats to your parents and the police

Sites About Bullying

Bullying is an issue we take very seriously at our school. Here are some sites that can help us to understand the problems that bullies and bullying create and what to do if you are being bullied.

Youth Action Net: Includes online resources, links, forums, and postings about events.

DoSomething.org: Kid created projects and activities to raise awareness and promote safe schools.

Online Safety: The 10 Commandments for Kids Online

The internet is an extremely useful tool for research and recreation but there are dangers that students and parents should be aware of online. Setting ground rules for the use of the internet in your home can help to protect your children. The following document, The 10 Commandments for Kids Online, is available for you to copy, print and use in your home to help you define those ground rules and is suggested as a contract between parents and children to promote safe and responsible internet use.

Click to view document

Sometimes, the Internet can be an unsafe place. Because of this, I am making this agreement with my parents to help keep me and my family safe.

1. I will talk with my parents and we will set up rules for when I go online. We will decide the times of the day that are right for me to use the computer, how long I can use the Internet, and the kinds of places I can visit and the kinds of places I will always avoid.

2. No matter who asks while I'm online, I will never give out my real name, home address, telephone number, the name of my school, principal or teachers, where my parents work or their telephone numbers at work without getting my parents' direct permission.

3. If anyone online does anything strange or writes anything that makes me feel confused or uncomfortable, I will tell my parents right away.

4. I will never send anyone anything, especially a picture of me or my family, without getting my parents' direct permission.

5. I WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER MEET WITH ANYONE I'VE TALKED TO ONLINE WITHOUT FIRST TALKING WITH MY PARENTS.

6. I will NEVER give out my online passwords to anyone--not even my friends. No matter how "official" it looks, I understand that no one should ever ask for my password online. If they do, I'll tell my Mom or Dad right away, because I understand that this is just a way to trick me into giving out the password.

7. If I want to download any games or programs, I will show them to my parents first and ask permission.

8. If I receive any messages or pictures that are mean or dirty, I realize that this is not my fault. I agree to tell my parents right away so they can notify our Internet service provider and stop this kind of thing.

9. I will never use bad language or send mean messages online. I will tell my parents if someone does that to me or if I see a site that says bad things about people.

10. I give my parents permission to look on my computer whenever they want to see where I have gone on the Internet, the e-mail I have sent and received, or what I do in a chat room.

I have read the above and agree to follow these rules. If I don't, my parents can take away the privilege of using the Internet.

Child’s Signature: ___________________________________

Parent’s Signature: __________________________________

This agreement is provided courtesy of the following website: Komando.com

Forms of Cyber-bullying

E-mail

Instant Messaging (IM)

A type of communications service that enables you to create a private chat room with another individual (ICQ, AOL Messenger, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger etc.). Cyberbullies can and do use IM to send harassing and threatening messages to the targets of their hatred and loathing.

IM has become a very large part of the social lives of our young people. The relationships they form with others in school and in other facets of their lives are extended and maintained through IM-ing. The conversations and conflicts that arise online often give rise to behaviours that are acted out in person during school or in the community.

Chatrooms/Bash Boards

Real-time communication between two users via computer. Once a chat has been initiated, either user can enter text by typing on the keyboard and the entered text will appear on the other user's monitor. Most networks and online services offer a chat feature. The "bash board" is the nickname for an online bulletin board, or virtual chat room, where teenagers can go to anonymously and write anything they want, true or false, creating or adding mean spirited postings for the world to see.

People are not always who they appear to be or who they say they are in chat rooms. Chat rooms can be places where some strangers may try to "befriend" others, especially young people. They may attempt to lure them into meeting in person. Young people should NEVER arrange to meet someone in person whom they have been in contact with online. Young kids shouldn't be in a chat room unless a trusted and responsible parent or guardian is sitting with them at the computer.

Older kids should be only in moderated chat rooms and even moderated chat rooms can lead to compromising, embarrassing and harassing situations. Kids shouldn't exchange e-mail with someone from a chat room or arrange to meet someone from a chat room without a parent or guardian present.

Websites

Voting/Polling Booths

Some Web sites such as www.freevote.com offer users the opportunity to create online polling/voting booths. Cyberbullies can use these Web sites to create Web pages that allow others to vote online for "The Ugliest , Fattest,Dumbest etc. Boy/Girl at ***** School". While such Web sites may state that they do not condone the use of their Web sites for such purposes, the reality is that most of these pages are not regulated by the Web site creators.