cyber-bully - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz Catholic News New Zealand Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:31 +0000 en-NZ hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cathnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-cathnewsfavicon-32x32.jpg cyber-bully - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz 32 32 70145804 St Bede's College stands down four cyber-bullies https://cathnews.co.nz/2013/05/24/st-bedes-college-stands-down-four-cyber-bullies/ Thu, 23 May 2013 19:29:31 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=44574

"God willing they're going to learn from it," is the reaction of St Bede's College, rector, Justin Boyle to four year 10 boys who have been stood down for cyber-bullying. Boyle said cyber-bullying is even more insidious because the younger generation is on the whole far more adept in their use of technology than parents Read more

St Bede's College stands down four cyber-bullies... Read more]]> "God willing they're going to learn from it," is the reaction of St Bede's College, rector, Justin Boyle to four year 10 boys who have been stood down for cyber-bullying.

Boyle said cyber-bullying is even more insidious because the younger generation is on the whole far more adept in their use of technology than parents or St Bede's college staff.

Imploring parents to keep an eye on how their sons are using technology, Boyle said parents are welcome to contact the St Bede's guidance counsellor if they had a concern they cannot address.

Boyle promised to keep parents informed of a programme to address the issue proactively.

The programme is being designed by the College guidance counsellor and some senior students.

The incident involved a 14 year old student being held over a bin by three pupils, while a fourth took a photo and uploaded it to Facebook.

Boyle said the victim was not physically injured and is coping well.

The incident happened in the last week of last term and came to light only through an anonymous "survey" the school periodically ran to give students the opportunity to report inappropriate behaviour.

In St Bede's latest newsletter, Boyle said the school was working hard to tackle the problem, and he has told parents that if the school community chooses to ignore cyber-bullying it does so at its own peril, reports Stuff.

"I'd implore parents to keep an eye on how your son is using technology and if you have concerns you feel you cannot address, contact the college," he wrote.

NetSafe, an independent organisation promoting cybersafety, reported in 2007 that one in five New Zealand high school students have been cyber-bullied.

"Everyone has the power to do this in their hands yet most are choosing to exercise this power responsibly," Martin Cocker executive director of NetSafe said.

The St Bede's incident comes amid a push for a law change to address cyber-bullying. Under government proposals, aimed at protecting victims of online bullying, cyber-bullies could be jailed for up to three years.

Boyle said the cyber-bullies' behaviour "hasn't come to my attention before this, that's why they were given a second chance."

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St Bede's College stands down four cyber-bullies]]> 44574 Coping with cyber-bullying https://cathnews.co.nz/2013/04/09/coping-with-cyber-bullying/ Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:12:48 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=42475

What can be more painful to a parent than losing a child to suicide? The problem of cyberbullying was brought to national attention several years ago by the passing of 13-year-old Megan Meier, who committed suicide subsequent to cyberbullying by Lori Drew, the mother of another girl. Despite years of public campaigns and passage of Read more

Coping with cyber-bullying... Read more]]> What can be more painful to a parent than losing a child to suicide?

The problem of cyberbullying was brought to national attention several years ago by the passing of 13-year-old Megan Meier, who committed suicide subsequent to cyberbullying by Lori Drew, the mother of another girl.

Despite years of public campaigns and passage of laws against cyberbullying, the phenomenon is becoming increasingly common and children continue to suffer, with too may of them tragically taking their own lives.

What can you do to protect your children from the ravages of cyberbullying?

The advice we usually get from experts is that adults need to increase their supervision of children, to inform the school and the legal authorities when cyberbullying is discovered, and to fight for increasingly tough anti-bullying laws.

While such efforts may be helpful and are sometimes necessary, if you are depending upon them as the ultimate solution for your children, you are likely to be disappointed.

It would be wonderful if we could solve social problems simply by passing laws against them, but bullying has been an escalating problem despite passage of intensive anti-bullying laws. Getting the authorities involved against other people's children usually escalates hostilities, as their parents are likely to take their own kids' sides against yours, and the kids will hate your child for trying to get them in trouble.

Many bullied children who have taken their own lives did so after the authorities got involved. And as much as you may wish to, you can never fully supervise your children's use of cell phones and computers or you'll have no time for anything else. Furthermore, if you try to deprive them of all privacy, they are likely resent you.

If you truly wish to help your children avoid the pain of cyberbullying, it helps to take a different attitude towards the problem.

Would you give your children a car and let them drive it without having learned how to use it properly and how to avoid the dangers of the road? Continue reading

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Coping with cyber-bullying]]> 42475