# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Students, teachers and parents can learn how to combat bullying and create healthy and safe school communities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Cyberbullying: Understand, Prevent and Respond

Guidance for Schools

Cyberbullying is a form of bullying, and research reveals it has increased to affect 12% of young people in this country. This Guidance is designed to support schools in preventing and responding to cyberbullying. The Guidance comprises of four main sections below. This work has been assisted by a range of experts in this area who formed part of an Advisory Board, as well as the voice of young people on this subject area. We also received great examples from schools of what they are doing in this area.

You can view or download the Guidance as a complete document, and below we have the four sections that make up this full Guidance, including further resources and examples from some schools.

Topics

Type

Donate

Even a small donation can support the development of our online safety resources and help our Education Team to connect with more children and young people.
Donate

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Guidance for schools about understanding, preventing and responding to cyberbullying.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As our BeKind campaign has shown, bullying is a massive problem for British children and teenagers. But where it was once something confined to the school playground and classroom, the torment for many continues long after the school day ends.

Social media acts as a way for bullies to send a barrage of abuse 24 hours a day. So what steps can parents and guardians take to ensure their child is safe online? And what precautions should they be taking to keep their children out of harm's way?

Richard Pursey joins us to talk about his groundbreaking AI software for protective parents, while Alice Beer will highlight the apps which let you monitor your child's online activity.

There are several types of apps that parents can get their hands on - some are free, some come at a one-off cost and others require you to sign up to a subscription. Today's apps provide parents with help and advice for identifying and combating cyberbullying and online threats, filtering out inappropriate content, and tracking and spying on your children.
Know Bullying
A free app from the US government, Know Bullying provides parents with ways of talking to their children about cyberbullying and online safety.

In the 'Learn' section there is comprehensive details on how to spot online bullying, how to intervene, and supporting the victims.

TooToot

An exact alternative from the UK government does not exist, however the government recently invested £4.4 million in an app called Toot Toot which allows people to screenshot examples of cyberbullying and post them anonymously so teachers can then view them and act accordingly. This only works on iPhones/iOS.
Net Nanny
Parents sign up for a costly monthly subscription - for a 5 device family package we paid £43.00 for the year.

This allows parents to see what kind of online content their children have been viewing. They can then decide if they want this type of content to be shown to their children, flag up a warning if they start viewing it, or blocked entirely.
Kaspersky Safe Kids
This popular antivirus software also sells an app at £14.99 which allows parents to filter the kind of content being viewed on their children's devices.

For the one-off cost, there is no limit on the number of devices parents can set up with this filter.

Webwatchers

This app is installed onto the admin's device i.e. the parent's, allowing them to see all the recent activity on another phone - everything from an email received and the location of the phone.
CloseCircle
Describes itself as your in-pocket bodyguard, providing parents with up to date information on any natural disasters happening and where their children are. £595 for a family of 6 subscription. For iPhones only.
SafeToNet
Richard Pursey and his wife have developed an app which uses artificial intelligence to monitor how children and teens behave online. Launches on Android on Thursday 15 March 2018 and on iOS in 5-6 weeks time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The apps designed to help beat the bullies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As our BeKind campaign has shown, bullying is a massive problem for British children and teenagers. But where it was once something confined to the school playground and classroom, the torment for many continues long after the school day ends. Social media acts as a way for bullies to send a barrage of abuse 24 hours a day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Students, teachers and parents can learn how to combat bullying and create healthy and safe school communities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
VIDEOS

The Better Internet for Kids (BIK) video gallery aims to bring you the best awareness-raising videos from the European network of Safer Internet Centres and other partners from research and industry.

Browse the videos below, or refine by language using the selector.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Better Internet for Kids (BIK) video gallery aims to bring you the best awareness-raising videos from the European network of Safer Internet Centres and other partners from research and industry. Browse the videos below, or refine by language using the selector.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) develop various educational resources aimed at helping teachers, parents and carers, and children and young people, to discover the online world safely.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Check out our range of resources and videos from the Insafe network of European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) and beyond to help create a safer and better internet for children and young people.

# data[].attributes.body
For teachers, there is a big variety of different types of educational and awareness-raising resources available online related to the topic of cyberbullying. The resources section of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal, for instance, is a useful point to start finding resources and videos on many different topics across all EU languages.

Films can be a powerful tool for giving young people the confidence to speak about bullying and discuss strategies and ways of coping with bullies without having to talk about it on a personal level. Children can begin developing empathy but also the ability to adopt a viewpoint other than their own, and to look at a situation as an independent observer. Asking the right questions driven by the film and using a dialogic approach that raise discussions in a safe and open environment can be a key point for dealing with bullying in your classroom. This lesson plan, developed during the “Combat Bullying: A Whole School Program” (ComBuS) project, guides you on how to use movies in the classroom to tackle bullying issues.

There are also various types of apps that parents can use to filter out inappropriate content, track the online activity of their kids, identify and combat online threats. You can find some of them here.

As an additional resource for you, the Guidance by Childnet is designed to support schools in preventing and responding to cyberbullying. The NESET II report “How to prevent and Tackle Bullying and School Violence: Evidence and Practices for Strategies for Inclusive and Safe Schools” highlights some whole school programs in different European countries. The ComBuS Toolkit provides guidelines, resources and activities which help to raise awareness of bullying in schools and to help identify, report and tackle this issue.

# data[].attributes.body
Acknowledging the value of diversity and developing mutual respect seems to be a key starting point for upgrading the safety level of a classroom and school. More things to be considered towards this direction are the following:

Setting your anti-bullying school policy: giving direction and guidance to the whole school community in preventing and tackling any type of bullying behaviour is a first step towards ensuring safety at your setting.

Training: making sure that students, school staff and parents are aware of this policy and are frequently updated on new risks and challenges related to the topic is required.

Ensuring a safe and secure school network: using a filtering/monitoring tool allow educators to be aware of what sites students visit when using school-issued devices and Internet services, and ensure access is used for educational-purposes only.

Create an inclusive classroom climate: the class syllabus should recognize the need for accommodations and the course content should consider that the perspectives of diverse groups are being represented.

Setting ground rules for class discussions: create an inclusive atmosphere and signal that you are open to the ideas of your students, that’s a key to their engagement in learning.

Violation of rules: consider the violation of rules as a teaching opportunity for all. Don’t ignore it, stay calm and model the behaviour you would like students to use.

Frequent audit of the school’s safety measures: the process of monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the school’s safety standards should happen systematically to ensure that the last version of the agreed policy covers all the needs of the school.

As we said before, safety concerns everything that happens in school. Since the interactions happening online affect the school life as well, grounding rules for users in the form of "Netiquette" seems to be essential. According to the Press Council of Luxembourg and BEE SECURE (the Luxembourgish Safer Internet Centre (SIC)) a netiquette is a collection of behavioral suggestions and/or rules to make online interaction more pleasant for everyone. The term contains the word "Net" (internet) and "etiquette" (Code of Conduct). You can view the entire Netiquette here.

# data[].attributes.body
KiVa, the innovative research-based antibullying program developed in Finland, is operating at both universal and indicated prevention levels. The following video explains the key elements of the program.

# data[].attributes.body
Evidence now shows that bullying is not a problem of individuals, but a systematic problem that occurs because of what happens in the wider social environment. This means that schools need to develop a whole school approach, which focus on a range of elements to prevent and respond to bullying. What do we actually mean by a whole-school approach? A whole-school approach covers all aspects of the school experience, including policies, culture and classroom practice. Effective bullying prevention strategies require a broad range of activities that promote a positive, inclusive learning environment and involves all staff, students, boards, parents and the wider community.

# data[].attributes.headline
3.3 Raising awareness with a whole school approach

# data[].attributes.subject
3.3 Raising awareness with a whole school approach

# data[].attributes.body
The following video, Park Yuhyun, co-founder of Infollution Zero, underlines the importance of communication between parents and children and shares tips for parents to spot and stop bullying. Teachers can use these tips as notes for their communication with parents when they try to engage them in the fight against bullying.

# data[].attributes.body
Sometimes it is hard for parents to support their children if they do not understand the problems with cyberbullying or do not see it happen. The video below features six real life families, and their children telling their stories of being cyberbullied. The kids read some of the messages they have received on their phones, while their parents listen on the other side of the room. The responses of the parents to their child’s victimization could help us empathize and support us to understand better the level of parents’ awareness of bullying, aiming at helping us find effective ways to work collaboratively with them to prevent and intervene in bullying situations.

# data[].attributes.body
A young person's involvement in bully-victim situations is highly determined by the support received from within the family environment. Parenting style and family disharmonyconstitute two key aspects of family life that are particularly influential (Eysenck, 2013).

Encouraging parent participation in school activities and projects could bridge the gap between the school and the family environment. Parents and teachers should make a common commitment to creating a safe environment where children can socially and academically thrive without being afraid, and take relevant actions to this end.

Concerning the virtual life, parents and teachers need to make sure that the same guidelines they give them for real-world behaviour extends to their digital lives. “Think carefully before you post, email or text” should be part of parenting advice in the same way that parents teach their children to say “thank you” when being offered something.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
*If you intend to use the scoring feedback on Questionnaire L9R1 for students, then each question score is weighted as follows: Never 1 Rarely 2 Sometimes 3 Often 4 Always 5 These should then correlate to the feedback score ranges identifi ed in L9R2. However, it is worth bearing in mind that these scores are neither judgemental nor defi nitive but allow students to determine whether there have been any changes to the way they have responded to the questionnaire after completing the lesson sequence. An alternative approach may be to discuss the reasons behind their responses to verbalise any changes in perspective or attitude.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you intend to use the scoring feedback on Questionnaire L9R1 for students, then each question score is weighted as follows: Never 1 Rarely 2 Sometimes 3 Often 4 Always 5 These should then correlate to the feedback score ranges identifi ed in L9R2.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Introducing social and emotional learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SELMA - Activities: why is there hate speech out there?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Those involved in the creation or promotion of hate speech often do so for a variety of reasons. As part as our effort to hack online hate speech, we consider important to understand the reasons behind the dissemination of hateful messages, either by creating or sharing them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
SELMA is a two-year project co-funded by the European Commission which aims to tackle the problem of online hate speech by promoting mutual awareness, tolerance, and respect. The overall vision of the SELMA project is captured by its catchphrase: Hacking Hate. It builds upon a Social and Emotional Learning approach to empower young people to become agents of change.

# data[].attributes.body
Do you want to learn more about how to develop social and emotional learning skills as a means of building resilience in young people so that they can better understand and become more responsible and effective in their on- and offline social interactions? There are a number or resources for you to explore if you want to implement SEL in your classroom.

Achieving such school wide approach is a challenging endeavour but there are excellent resources that can help you get started at your school. For example, the SELMA Toolkit, which will be available soon, will provide a set of principles, methods and activities that will enable educators and professionals to work on online hate speech with 11-to-16-year-old teenagers. It consists of a range of modules looking at the issue of online hate through different lenses: social and emotional learning (SEL), media literacy and citizenship. The Toolkit is currently under development and will be made available at hackinghate this spring. You can find some activities as a preview of the SELMA Toolkit here.

Have a look at this case of a school in Australia which introduced social and emotional learning in its curriculum and the school community explains what’s the benefits of doing so. The ENABLE (European Network Against Bullying in Learning and Leisure Environments) summary report can provide you an overview of the research and anti-bullying initiatives in Europe. The ENABLE resource gallery is also there for you if want to find and download the material you are looking for.

# data[].attributes.body
Symonds Elementary School in New Hampshire, USA, applies a school wide approach to SEL aiming at providing students with a safe, supportive space and ensuring that students are ready and available for deeper learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Social and Emotional Learning: A Schoolwide Approach

# data[].attributes.body
According to UNICEF, only 19% of adolescents feeling unsafe online said that they would tell a teacher. So, how can we realise our vision of bully-free schools when we are not aware?

Social and emotional learning (SEL) helps children and adolescents to manage their emotions, empathize with others, and develop positive relationships. Regarding bullying, SEL provides a significant framework for schools to use in supporting students acquire and strengthen social and emotional skills to prevent bullying behaviours and support inclusion and respect.

Goal-setting, problem-solving, resilience, optimistic thinking, character strength development, emotional intelligence, and self-confidence are all social and emotional competencies that help build the foundation for teaching and learning at schools and can be developed through SEL. A group of education advocates who research and develop SEL programming in a Chicago-based organization, CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning), focuses on five core SEL competencies that can be taught in many ways across many settings.

# data[].attributes.body
Have a look at the following video, where Efi Saltidou, course coordinator, explains what you will learn in this module.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bullying - NOT in my class! Module 3 Intro

# data[].attributes.body
Before starting, make sure to reflect on your goals for this third and final module and then identify relevant learning objectives for yourself. Some you can choose from are the following:

Identify ways of managing conflicts of your students

Identify the key ingredients of social emotional learning aiming at the development of social emotional well-being

Discover ways to collaborate with parents to develop a whole school approach to tackle bullying

Discuss learning activities and apps

Make connections to other course participants

Reflect about own practice and beliefs

Design activities that raise the mutual respect among students aiming at preventing and combating all types of bullying

# data[].attributes.body
Promoting a coordinated system of services that build social emotional competencies and positive relationship skills from birth through high school can prevent bullying from happening either at school, in the community or through technology. As society and as teachers in particular, it is our collective responsibility to foster good relations between people and mutual respect of each other’s uniqueness.

So how can we create safe learning environments that encourage students to embrace diversity? Many anti-bullying initiatives worldwide try to raise awareness, offer how to advice and leverage student empathy to prevent or combat bullying.

In this module you will explore ways of getting additional support as a teacher to create optimal learning environments, meaning environments that promote physical and emotional safety for all students, but also respond with effective forms of intervention when students or adults engage in disrespectful or hurtful behaviour. If you are curious to read how your colleagues would intervene in specific bullying scenarios, you can always come back to this forum category, where a new bullying scenario is waiting for your reaction now, and provide your feedback or submit your own bullying incident here.

# data[].attributes.headline
Module 3: Creating a safe learning environment

# data[].attributes.subject
Module 3: Creating a safe learning environment

# data[].attributes.headline
Here is the slideshow that Dr. Angela Mazzone during this webinar

# data[].attributes.subject
Here is the slideshow that Dr. Angela Mazzone during this webinar

# data[].attributes.body
Dr. Angela Mazzone is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre (ABC), Dublin City University. She is involved in a large-scale national study on workplace bullying, which is funded by the Health Service Executive(HSE). After completing her PhD in Psychology, Angela was a visiting researcher at several European Universities, where she was involved in international research projects focused on bullying in various contexts. Her main research interests are workplace-bullying, school bullying, bullying towards immigrant youth, peer relations and socio-moral development. She published in the field of school-bullying and adolescent development.

# data[].attributes.body
Schools play a paramount role in providing a secure and enriching environment in general, but also for safe access to online technology as part of the teaching and learning experience. That is why there is a serious need for school policies and teachers’ training to tackle bullying.

At this webinar, happening on Wednesday 3rd of April at 17:00 pm, Dr. Angela Mazzone, will provide a general overview of bullying, its causes and consequences and the evidence-based programs to prevent and tackle it. Suggestions for teachers, parents and educators on how to tackle bullying and promote students’ wellbeing will be provided.

# data[].attributes.headline
2.5 Webinar - Tackling bullying and being safe at school: Suggestions for teachers

# data[].attributes.subject
2.5 Webinar - Tackling bullying and being safe at school: Suggestions for teachers

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.webwise.ie/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Talk to someone

Worried about something you have seen online or concerned about your child? Childline and the National Parents Council Primary offer free advice and support service.

Childline is a support service for young people up to the age of 18.There is a 24hr telephone, online and mobile phone texting service.

The National Parents Council Primary enables and empowers parents to be effective partners in their children's education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Webwise offer free information, advice and resources to help parents, teachers and students address internet safety issues.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Talk to someone

Worried about something you have seen online or concerned about your child? Childline and the National Parents Council Primary offer free advice and support service.

Childline is a support service for young people up to the age of 18.There is a 24hr telephone, online and mobile phone texting service.

The National Parents Council Primary enables and empowers parents to be effective partners in their children's education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Worried about something you have seen online or concerned about your child? Childline and the National Parents Council Primary offer free advice and support service. Childline is a support service for young people up to the age of 18.There is a 24hr telephone, online and mobile phone texting service.

# data[].attributes.body
The problem of “faking” news or information on the internet is not only concerning politicians nowadays, but it is also a phenomenon teenagers have to deal with in the context of bullying situations.

For instance, Deepfakes, a new AI-based technology that is used for producing or altering video content so that it presents something that did not in fact occur, is becoming increasingly easy to reach and use for teenagers. This technology can be used by a bully to swap one porn performer’s face with that of a peer’s, or create convincing videos of students saying or doing things they did not say or do, just to ruin their reputation. While spreading rumours has always been a way for bullies to harass their victims, combined with convincing “evidence” such as a fake video, this method becomes especially harmful and traumatising for the victim.

How do we deal with such scenarios? A good start would surely entail teaching our students to critically evaluate all information they find online, not just in the context of recognising fake news but also for their own personal well-being. If you are unsure how to go about this, start out by taking a look at the resources and teaching materials developed by Webwise (the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre) which can help teachers to enable their students to be wiser and safer internet users.

# data[].attributes.body
Raising awareness of youth about digital footprints and teaching them how to take control over their personal data, privacy and their life online is paramount nowadays. To this end, the Council of Europe is taking action to protect children in the digital environment, to empower them and to protect them from the violence they may be subject to in all settings. The Guidelines to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child in the digital environmentwere developed by the Council of Europe (2018) as a way of assisting states and other relevant stakeholders in their efforts to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child in the often complex world of digital environment.

# data[].attributes.body
Socialna akademija in Slovenia has recorded another video aiming at explaining this type of bullying to us.

# data[].attributes.body
Another form of cyberbullying is the act of outing, meaning the act of sharing and publishing private information online or forwarding personal communications to people who did not mean to be the recipients. It aims at embarrassing or publicly humiliating a person through the online posting of sensitive, private or embarrassing information without their consent. As an action, it can cause real psychological damage to the people involved.

# data[].attributes.body
The act of impersonating somebody online and ruining their reputation can have serious consequences considering that Google never really forgets. Therefore anything rude or insulting posted online is likely to stay there for a very long time.

Educating the students on preventing such a scenario is part of the e-safety education. Ensuring social media accounts are always logged off after using them on laptops and desktops, setting up ‘stand-by’ passwords on the devices to prevent access if the machine is left unattended, and knowing how to react if something like this has happened (for instance by visiting http://www.facebook.com/hacked, Facebook will secure your account by locking out all other locations except yours) are some main advices that should be provided to students.

# data[].attributes.body
If you want to see what this means in practice, have a look at the following video developed at Socialna Akademija during work practice of three high school graduates from Karlstad, Sweden and in the context of the project Joining Forces to Combat Cyberbullying in Schools (supported by the Daphne Programme of the European Union).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Forms of Cyberbullying #4: Impersonation

# data[].attributes.body
The world of technology and social media generates not only new norms and behaviours, but also new words. According to the Dictionary of Social Media of Oxford Reference, fraping (facebook + rape) is the action of hijacking someone’s Facebook page when they are still logged in, but not present. It involves the unauthorised alteration of information on an individual’s online social network site. This type of bullying happens in an offline context, when the victim leaves their phone of computer unlocked, but it’s actually taking place online.

# data[].attributes.body
Preventing and tackling cyberbullying in schools is not easy as it usually goes undetected by the teachers. Encouraging a “telling” atmosphere so that students will report cyberbullying where they see it seems to be the catalyst in this area. This requires an education on good netiquette and personal safety issues.

Insafe and INHOPE work together through a network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs)across Europe, and support you to find further information on services in your country. For instance, Webwise, the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre, offers you this Primary Anti-Cyber Bullying Teachers’ Handbook as an SPHE (Social Personal and Health Education) resource developed to help 5th and 6th class primary school students to develop the skills and understanding to be responsible, socially conscious and effective internet users, as they explore social networks for the first time. A series of short animations are the centrepiece of the resource. You can find the resource here.

# data[].attributes.headline
The following video created by Children of Prisoners Europe, a European-wide initiative on behalf of children with an imprisoned parents, provides you a glimpse on the topic.

# data[].attributes.subject
The following video created by Children of Prisoners Europe, a European-wide initiative on behalf of children with an imprisoned parents, provides you a glimpse on the topic.

# data[].attributes.body
Cyberbullying is often defined as bullying using electronic forms of contact such as email, chat rooms, blogs, websites, social networking sites, virtual learning environments, mobile phones etc. for repeatedly deliberate and hostile behaviour by an individual or group aiming at hurting another individual (Smith, Mahdavi, Carvalho, Fisher, Russell, & Tippett, 2008; Slonje, et al., 2013).

# data[].attributes.body
To begin with, take a look at the video below, where Efi Saltidou, course coordinator, provides you with an overview of the module content and details on how the course is organised

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bullying - NOT in my class! Module 1 Intro

# data[].attributes.body
Have a look at the following video, where Efi Saltidou, course coordinator, explains what you will learn in this module

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bullying - NOT in my class! Module 2 Intro

# data[].attributes.body
As before, it is important you identify your own objectives for each module. Here are some to choose from for Module 2:

Discover the phenomenon of cyberbullying

Identify main characteristics of different types of bullying happening online

Learn from shared experiences towards dealing with cyberbullying

# data[].attributes.body
As a unique but complex form of interpersonal aggression, bullying takes many forms, serves different functions and is manifested in different patterns. The introduction of social networking has given space to the rise of a new form of harassment often referred to as cyberbullying.
This module will help you identify some of the different types of bullying happening online and will allow you to find ways to respond to them.

# data[].attributes.headline
A safe environment is required for the learning and general well-being of students. The following video, developed as part of the Diana Award Anti-Bullying Ambassador programme, gives voice to the victims of bullying and helps understand its impact on student’s lives.

# data[].attributes.subject
A safe environment is required for the learning and general well-being of students. The following video, developed as part of the Diana Award Anti-Bullying Ambassador programme, gives voice to the victims of bullying and helps understand its impact on student’s lives.

# data[].attributes.body
Bullying can have negative short and long-term consequences for both the victim and the bully, but also for the bystanders.

Students who bully others over many years are often characterized by decreased self-control capacity (Unnever & Cornell, 2003) and low empathy (Farrington & Baldry, 2010) and have been found to later have issues not only in educational outcomes, but also in mental health. They usually also tend to show criminal and anti-social behaviour as adults (Eriksen et al., 2012). In any case, persistent bullying is an important warning sign of ongoing problems.

For the students being bullied, the most obvious and immediate effect is reducing student’s participation and enjoyment of school. Feeling unsafe or being unable to focus on learning at school may lead victims to stay away from school to avoid being bullied. Cyberbullying can be just as or even more hurtful for students as bullying does not only happen at school, but it feels like being bullied 24 hours a day. The victim may never feel safe or protected from the bully – not at school or at home. Physical health complaints and fatigue, mental health impacts, such as depression and anxiety, or social implications including self-doubt and reluctance to participate in group activities, are some other considerable impacts of bullying on the life of the victim (Stavrinides et al., 2010).

As far as the bystanders are concerned, students who see bullying happening feel distress and anxiety about not knowing what to do. They may be concerned about their own safety as they may also be afraid of being bullied themselves (Rivers et al, 2009).

# data[].attributes.headline
YouTube influencers underline the fact that no one can stop bullying on their own. They strengthen people to take action when they are witnesses.

# data[].attributes.subject
YouTube influencers underline the fact that no one can stop bullying on their own. They strengthen people to take action when they are witnesses.

# data[].attributes.headline
A “What If” activity could help you raise such discussions in your classroom and make students think of specific ways to change the bullying situation. 

# data[].attributes.subject
A “What If” activity could help you raise such discussions in your classroom and make students think of specific ways to change the bullying situation. 

# data[].attributes.body
Adults can prepare children to become helpful bystanders by explaining the ways they can intervene and by encouraging them to make a difference in such situations. A “What If” activity could help you raise such discussions in your classroom and make students think of specific ways to change the bullying situation. Useful learning resources for teachers and students are also videos like this, where YouTube influencers underline the fact that no one can stop bullying on their own. They strengthen people to take action when they are witnesses.

# data[].attributes.body
Bullying is not only a problem between a bully and a victim, however. It is recognized as a group phenomenon, occurring in a social context in which various factors serve to promote, maintain, or suppress it (Olweus, 2001; Rodkin & Hodges, 2003; Salmivalli, 2001). That is why the role of the bystander, the person who watches bullying happening or hears about it, is powerful. Bystanders usually think that they play a neutral role, but in fact, depending on how they respond, they can either contribute to the problem or prevent it (Salmivalli et al., 2011).

Hurtful bystanders, for instance, are those who instigate the bullying by probing the bully to begin, or by cheering and making comments that further stimulate the bully. Bystanders of this category may even join in the bullying once it has begun. Other forms of hurtful bystander just passively accept bullying incidents by watching and doing nothing. This silent acceptance or this uncovered endorsement encourages bullies to continue their hurtful behaviour.

Helpful bystanders, on the other hand, take the decision to directly intervene by discouraging the bully, defending the victim or redirecting the situation away from bullying. Other helpful bystanders take action and get help by asking support from peers to stand up against bullying or by reporting the bullying to adults.

# data[].attributes.headline
The following bullying stories from Ireland, put us in the shoes of some of the so called “at risk students”.

# data[].attributes.subject
The following bullying stories from Ireland, put us in the shoes of some of the so called “at risk students”.

# data[].attributes.body
Research shows that groups who are more targeted by bullying and abusive behaviours tend to be children who are different in appearance, cultural or religious background, social status, or have health issues or disabilities, or those who are super achievers, meaning those who are exceptionally gifted or who receive significant attention. Usually, also, the socially-shy and introverts as well as the newly arrived to a community tend to be harassed in different ways.

# data[].attributes.body
After reading this wikiHow on recognising a bully among a group of peers or friends in school, take your time to reflect: do you have students with these characteristics and behaviours? How do you deal with them?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Using modern psychology, it's not difficult to spot a bully among a group of peers or friends in school. There are many misconceptions about the archetype of the bully, but the best way to avoid getting bullied is to avoid associating with...

# data[].attributes.headline
But why do people bully? People being bullied themselves shed some light on this topic.

# data[].attributes.subject
But why do people bully? People being bullied themselves shed some light on this topic.

# data[].attributes.body
Even though it has been around for ages, experts still have not completely agreed on a definition of bullying. They conceptualize it mainly as a form of serious aggression, usually targeted and repeated, that takes many forms – verbal, physical, relational, sexual etc. - and involves a real or perceived power imbalance that’s physical, psychological and/or social (Griffin & Gross, 2004).

Understanding bullying behaviour is a demanding endeavour, as its reasons vary. Lack of impulse control and anger management, issues of revenge, make up for a lack of attention, power or love in the bullies’ own lives or even a longing to fit in makes many kids cause hurt and anxiety to others in order to feel powerful.

# data[].attributes.body
We will start by looking at the bully, the person that intends to hurt another person and has usually established a pattern of hurtful behavior, as he/she is one main actor of a bullying scenario. A bully can be a boy or a girl, a young or old person, a student with good or bad grades, coming from a wealthy or not wealthy family, having parents with high or low educational status. At school, bullies are often popular, have many friends, are often high achievers, socially and academically, and they use their power and social status to control the school’s social scene. Sometimes, bullies are the loners who have only a few friends and yearn for attention.

# data[].attributes.headline
13-year-old Limerick filmmaker/vlogger Luke Culhane, being bullied online himself, decided to raise awareness on the topic by creating the following video and demonstrating ways to stop it

# data[].attributes.subject
13-year-old Limerick filmmaker/vlogger Luke Culhane, being bullied online himself, decided to raise awareness on the topic by creating the following video and demonstrating ways to stop it

# data[].attributes.body
Bullying can happen either during or after school hours, in any place, context or location, and mainly in places where there is inadequate or no adult supervision. Playgrounds, toilets and corridors with hidden or obscured parts away from adult supervision and with high noise levels usually provide a conducive environment for bullying. However, bullying is also happening inside the classroom with the presence of the teacher with gestures, verbal attacks, note passing and other ways. Students also report bullying happening on the way to and from school.

But what happens in the virtual life? Often shielded by anonymity, students can now carry out harmful actions online, humiliate and harass their peers with more impactful ways. Cyberbullying, the digital version of bullying, is not only about some nasty comments that the kids are getting online. Children are being exposed to demeaning text messages, embarrassing photos and snide opinion polls, to name but a few. What makes this kind of bullying so disturbing, is that it is constant, pervasive and very public in this 24/7 digital world, and it often goes undetected.

# data[].attributes.body
The Council of Europe's film ”Beat Bullying” demonstrates the harmful effects of bullying and highlights how citizenship education programmes can equip children with the necessary understanding, skills and confidence they need to help stop bullying and violence at school.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bullying - Have you already been in such situation? - Beat Bullying

# data[].attributes.headline
Some suggestions for learning objectives to choose from are here:

# data[].attributes.subject
Some suggestions for learning objectives to choose from are here:

# data[].attributes.body
Understand (cyber)bullying

Identify the profile of a bully, a bully-victim, a witness and a bystander

Identify different types of (cyber) bullying

Recognize the impact of bullying on students

Develop strategies to prevent and combat bullying at your school

Make connections to fellow educators

Learn from the experiences of educators around Europe

# data[].attributes.headline
This course has two main goals: Provide teachers with a better understanding of different types of bullying, including via the use of technology. Empower and guide teachers to put actions in place to prevent and tackle bullying in their organization or setting.

# data[].attributes.subject
This course has two main goals: Provide teachers with a better understanding of different types of bullying, including via the use of technology. Empower and guide teachers to put actions in place to prevent and tackle bullying in their organization or setting.