TWO Northsiders involved in highlighting the scourge of cyberbullying have warned that victims are now being tormented relentlessly 24 hours a day.
The warnings come in a week when research published by the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) revealed a 33 per cent increase in students reporting cyberbullying incidents.
In 2012 the issue made national headlines after the suicides of Irish teenagers Erin Gallagher and Ciara Pugsley were widely blamed on cyberbullying.
Teacher Paula O’Connor from St Kevin’s College, Finglas, has been campaigning against cyberbullying for over four years and says it was only a matter of time before tragedy struck.
Paula, who developed a programme called
‘Don’t Be Mean Behind Your Screen’ and hosts workshops on internet safety says girls are more likely to be bullied and to engage in bullying behaviour.
“Statistics have proven it’s mostly girls who are engaged in this nasty cycle of attacking each other,
? she told Northside People.
“It would come in the form of a nasty comment from one girl to another – such comments would range from how people look or what they wore, to what friends they hung out with or it could be as simple as what they may have said in class.
“They never mention names as they are too clever for that but they can make it blatantly obvious who they are talking about.
“Those who would see the status update would immediately know the meaning behind the hateful comment.
“This shows just how cowardly and underhanded the whole thing is.
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Paula herself became a victim of cyberbullying when a bogus Facebook page was set up in her name and she knows first hand how difficult it is to have harmful material removed once it has been posted online.
Through her work on highlighting cyberbullying she’s also aware of how bullying has evolved into a torment that victims now get little respite from.
“Years ago, a kid being bullied could go home every evening and have a break from their suffering in school,
? she says.
“But now, more than ever, bullies can get to their victims 24/7. A bully can send a text whenever they want to or can write something on Facebook so that every time you log in, you’re able to see not just what one person is saying but what a group of people are saying about you.
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Finglas student, Caitlin Mahon from St Michael’s Holy Faith, also devotes her time to highlight the danger of cyberbullying. The 18-year-old is a member of the Safer Internet Ireland Youth Advisory Panel, which plays an active role in developing anti-cyberbullying campaigns and contributes to Government policy advice on the issue.
As an older student, she’s also involved in promoting positive online behaviour amongst younger pupils.
“It happens in every school but we need to talk about it and be open about it and let students know, and that’s what we do here,
? she said.
“Sometimes it’s easier for a student to talk to another student about it rather than a teacher.
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Caitlin agrees that cyberbullying has become more of a problem in recent years due to the increased availability of technology and internet access.
“People have their phone on them 24/7 now, it’s in their pocket, it’s always there,
? she said.
“So many people put up nasty comments about other people, like really horrible things, and it causes people to feel really bad about themselves.
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Caitlin also pointed out that without the benefit of body language and facial expressions it’s easy for internet posts and text messages to be misinterpreted.
“There’s a fine line between bullying and banter. Somebody could make a comment not intended to hurt your feelings but because you’re not seeing the person’s face you just think it sounds horrible.
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Caitlin and her fellow students carried out a survey in the school on internet use and found younger students were often unaware of how social media works.
“People need to be more aware of what can happen on Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. You should not accept anybody you don’t know as a friend and you shouldn’t post anything that you wouldn’t be happy for your mother or father to see.
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Last week’s survey by the (NAPD) came up with some startling findings on cyberbullying.
As well as a 33 per cent increase in victim reports compared to 2013, there was also an 80 per cent surge in students admitting they cyberbullied a fellow student.
The survey also found that only one-in-four parents monitor their children’s activity online daily, while 15 per cent admit to never checking.
NAPD Director, Clive Byrne, said it was worth noting that 16 per cent of students admitted to being cyberbullied while just 12 per cent of their parents were aware their children had been victims.
“It’s fairly obvious that there is a divergence between what parents are aware of and what is actually happening in the lives of their children,
? he said.
“Less parents are reporting that their children are victims of cyberbullying while more teenagers are admitting to being victims. The survey clearly indicates that the less parents monitor their children’s online activity, the less they know about it and thus the less they are able to detect it.
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