Cyberbullying and Teaching Netiquette

Cyberbullying is a complex and growing problem in our society. 17.4% of students said they were a target of cyberbullying in 2019(Patchin, 2019). Cyberbullying, as defined by stopbullying.gov, is the unwanted aggressive behavior perceived or real power imbalance that takes place on digital devices like cell phones, computers, or tablets across services such as social medial, email, SMS, instant messenger, or internet forum.  

In the early nineties the word netiquette started appearing in reference to proper behavior on the web and in digital communications. The words etymology comes from a combination of the words "net" and "etiquette". The foremost principle of the concept is to respect others online. The internet does not have a policing entity so enforcement is up to the community and/or moderators/service administrators.

The core rules of netiquette are as follows(Shea, 1997):

1. Remember the human
2. Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
3. Know where you are in cyberspace
4. Respect other people's time and bandwidth
5. Make yourself look good online
6. Share expert knowledge
7. Help keep flame wars under control
8. Respect other people's privacy
9. Don't abuse your power
10. Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

The rules of netiquette are a key part of digital citizenship. The term digital citizenship refers to anyone who uses digital technology and the internet in an ethical way. It's important to raise awareness about the responsible use of technology through education. Incorporating lessons about netiquette, cyberbullying, and internet safety into the curriculum is one of many ways to help start the process of dealing with these issues. Teaching students to become good digital citizens may help to remedy some of the current societal woes.

©Shutterstock.com/mmstudiodesign

To find out more about cyberbullying and bullying in general please visit the sites below.

https://www.stopbullying.gov

https://www.stompoutbullying.org


Resources:

Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in k-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal Of Education And Training Studies, 3(6), 111-125.

Future of Education Technology Conferences. (2018). Cyberbullying, internet safety and netiquette lesson lans for high school students. Retrieved from https://blog.fetc.org/2018/12/12/cyberbullying-internet-safety-and-netiquette-lesson-plans-for-high-school-students/

Patchin, J. (2019). School bullying rates increase by 35% from 2016 to 2019. Retrieved from https://cyberbullying.org/school-bullying-rates-increase-by-35-from-2016-to-2019

Shea, V. (1997). Netiquette. Retrieved from http://www.albion.com/catNetiquette.html