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A whole-school community issue Today’s children and young people have grown up In a world that Is very deferent from that of most adults. Many young people experience the Internet and mobile phones as a positive, productive and creative part of their actively and development of their Identities; always on and always there. Above all, Information communication technologies support social activity that allows young people to feel connected to their peers. Unfortunately, technologies are also being used negatively.
When children are the target of bullying Vela mobile phones or the Internet, they can feel lone and very misunderstood. They may not be able to identify that what is happening to them is a form of bullying, or be confident that the adults around them will understand it that way either. Previously safe and enjoyable environments and activities can become threatening and a source of anxiety. As mobile phone and internet use become increasingly common, so has the misuse of this technology to bully.
Current research in this area indicates that accessibility is a feature of many young people’s lives. One study carried out for the Anti-Bullying Alliance found that 22% of young people reported being the target of accessibility. This document explains how accessibility is different from other forms of bullying, how to respond and combat misuse through a shared responsibility, and how to promote and develop a culture of confident technology users to support innovation, e-safety and digital literacy skills. Accessibility, A whole-school community issue’ is a summary of the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DOCS) Guidance for schools on preventing and responding to accessibility, which was written in conjunction with Children International and published in September 2007. This document seeks to give racial advice to young people, their careers and school staff about the Issue of accessibility. What Is Accessibility? Accessibility Is the use of Information Communications Technology (CIT), particularly mobile phones and the Internet, deliberately to upset someone else.
What’s different about accessibility? Bullying Is not new, but some features of accessibility are different from other forms of bullying: Education law: Bullying is never acceptable. The school community has a duty to protect all its members and provide a safe, healthy environment. A range of Education Acts and government initiatives highlight hose obligations. The Education and Inspections Act 2006 (EIA 2006) outlines some legal powers which relate more directly to accessibility. Head teachers have the power to such an extent as is reasonable’ to regulate the conduct of pupils when they are off site.
The EIA also provides a defense for school staff in confiscating items such as mobile phones from pupils. 1 . 2417 and the invasion of home/ personal space. Accessibility can take place at any time and can intrude into spaces that have previously been regarded as safe or personal. 2. The audience can be very large and reached rapidly. The difficulty in controlling electronically circulated messages means the scale and scope of accessibility can be greater than for other forms of bullying. Electronically forwarded content is hard to control, and the worry of content resurfacing can make it difficult for targets to move on.
Civil and criminal law: Although bullying is not a specific criminal offence in UK law, there are laws that can apply in terms of harassing or threatening behavior, for example, or indeed menacing and threatening communications. In fact, some accessibility activities could be criminal fences under a range of different laws, including the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, which has both criminal and civil provision, the Malicious Communications Act 1988, section 127 of the Communications Act 2003, and the Public Order Act 1986. 3.
People who superbly may attempt to remain anonymous. This can be extremely distressing for those being bullied. The person accessibility may never be in the same physical space as their target. 4. The profile of the bully and target. Accessibility can take place both between peers and across generations; teachers have also been targets. Age or size are not important. Bystanders can also become accessories to the bullying; for example, by passing on a humiliating image. 5. Some instances of accessibility are known to be unintentional.
It can be the result of not thinking (something sent as a Joke may be deeply upsetting or offensive to the recipient) or a lack of awareness of the consequences – for example saying something negative online about another pupil, or friend that they don’t expect to be forwarded or viewed outside their immediate group. ‘I felt that no one understood what I was going through. I didn’t know who was sending me these messages, and I felt powerless to know what to do. A pupil reasons why it’s important to know how to respond! Preventing Accessibility The best way to deal with accessibility is to prevent it happening in the first place. The key first step is deciding who within the school community will take responsibility for the coordination and implementation of accessibility prevention and response strategies. It’s best if this person is a member of the school’s senior management team and/or the staff member responsible for coordinating overall anti-bullying activity. This person will need to have experience of making sure the whole school immunity contribute to, and are included in, activities.
There is no single solution to the problem of accessibility. These are the five key areas schools need to address together to put in place a comprehensive and effective prevention plan: 1 . Understanding and talking about accessibility The whole school community needs a shared, agreed definition of accessibility. Everyone needs to be aware of the impact of accessibility and the ways in which it differs from other forms of bullying. Young people and their parents should be made aware of pupils’ responsibilities in their SE of ‘CT, and what the sanctions are for misuse.
Students and parents should know that the school can provide them with support if accessibility takes place out of school. 2. Updating existing policies and practices Review and update the school’s anti-bullying policy plus other relevant policies – for example, policies on behavior, pastoral care and e-learning strategies. Review your existing Acceptable Use Policies (Pups) – the rules that students have to agree to follow in order to use CIT in school – and publicist them to parents and students. Keep good records of any incidents of accessibility. Be able to conduct searches of internet use records at school.
Knowing that the school is taking such steps may act as a disincentive for bullies to misuse school equipment and systems. 3. Making reporting accessibility easier No one should feel that they have to deal with accessibility alone, but reporting any incident of bullying can be really hard for the person being bullied and for bystanders. Provide and publicist different ways of reporting accessibility in schools – for instance, a student council attackers, peer reporting, anonymous reporting – and provide information about contacting service providers directly. Promoting the positive use of technology Technology is successfully being used to support engaging, positive and effective learning, and to realize and increase the potential of personalized learning by making learning more flexible, creative and accessible. Explore safe ways of using technology with learners to support self- esteem, assertiveness, participation and to develop friendships. Promote and discuss ‘netiquette’, e-safety and digital literacy. Show learners that the adults in the school understand the technologies they use – or get the students to teach them! . Evaluating the impact of prevention activities Regular reviews are vital to make sure that intangibility policies are working and are up-to-date. Consider conducting an annual survey of pupils’ experiences of bullying, including accessibility, and a community – keep accessibility a live issue and celebrate your successes! ‘Having my daughter show me text messages from nearly everyone in her class, all saying derogatory things about her, was devastating. A parent 3 Responding to Accessibility Accessibility is a form of bullying, and therefore all schools should already be quipped to deal with the majority of cases through their existing anti-bullying policies and procedures. This section outlines key steps to take when responding to Supporting the person being bullied * Give reassurance that the person has done the right thing by telling someone, refer to any existing pastoral support/procedures and inform parents. * Advise on next steps: ; Make sure the person knows not to retaliate or return the message. Ask the person to think about what information they have in the public domain. ; Help the person to keep relevant evidence for any investigation (e. G. By not deleting assuages they’ve received, and by taking screen capture shots and noting web addresses of online accessibility instances). ; Check the person understands simple ways to prevent it from happening again, e. G. By changing contact details, blocking contacts or leaving a coatroom. * Take action to contain the incident when content has been circulated: ; If you know who the person responsible is, ask them to remove the content; ; Contact the host (e. . The social networking site) to make a report to get the content taken down. ; Use disciplinary powers to confiscate phones that are being used to superbly. Ask the pupil to tell you who they have sent messages on to. ; In cases of illegal content, contact the police, who can determine what needs to be kept for evidential purposes. Investigating incidents All bullying incidents should be properly recorded and investigated. Accessibility can be a very serious matter and can constitute a criminal offence.
In I-J law, there are criminal laws that can apply in terms of harassment or threatening and menacing communications. * Advise pupils and staff to try and keep a record of the bullying as evidence. It can be useful to show parents, teachers, pastoral care staff ND the police, if necessary, what has happened. * Take steps to identify the bully, including looking at the school systems, identifying and interviewing possible witnesses, and contacting the service provider and the police, if necessary.
The police will need to be involved to enable the service provider to look into the data of another user. Working with the bully and sanctions Once the person bullying is identified, steps should be taken to change their attitude consider when determining the appropriate sanctions include: * The impact on the victim: was the bully acting anonymously, was the material widely circulated and immolating, how difficult was controlling the spread of the material? * The motivation of the bully: was the incident unintentional or retaliation to bullying behavior from others?
Technology-specific sanctions for pupils engaged in accessibility behavior could include limiting internet access for a period of time or removing the right to bring a mobile into school. Thankfully, my son’s school was very helpful: they identified the child who posted the video from another video he had posted; they have disciplined the other child and had him remove the video’. A parent 4 Key Safety Advice The whole school community has a part to play in ensuring cyber safety. Understanding children and young people’s online lives and activities can help adults respond to situations appropriately and effectively.
Asking children and young people to show adults how technologies and services work is a useful strategy that can provide an important learning opportunity and context for discussing online safety. For children and young people 1: Always respect others – be careful what you 2: say online and what images you send. Think before you send – whatever you send can be made public very quickly and could stay online forever. Treat your password like your toothbrush – keep it to yourself. Only give your mobile number or personal website address to trusted friends.
Block the bully – learn how to block or report someone who is behaving badly. Don’t retaliate or reply! Save the evidence – learn how to keep records of offending messages, pictures or online conversations. Make confidence; ; the provider of the service; check the service provider’s website to see where to report incidents; ; your school – your teacher or the anti-bullying coordinator can help you. For parents and careers 1: Be aware, your child may as likely superbly s be a target of accessibility. Be alert to your child seeming upset after using the internet or their mobile phone.
This might involve subtle comments or changes in relationships with friends. They might be unwilling to talk or be secretive about their online activities and mobile phone use. Talk with your children and understand the ways in which they are using the internet and their mobile phone. See the seven key messages for children (on the left) to get you started. Use the tools on the service and turn on in-built internet safety features. Remind your child not to retaliate. Keep the evidence of offending emails, text messages or online conversations.
Report can take appropriate action. ; Contact the service provider. ; If the accessibility is serious and a potential criminal offence has been committed, you should consider contacting the police. 3: 2: Finally, don’t Just stand there – if you see accessibility going on, support the victim and report the bullying. How would you feel if no one stood up for you? 5 How is Technology Used to Bully? Technology can be used both positively and negatively. The table below explores the range of ways today’s technology can be used. Technology: Mobile phones
Great for: Keeping in touch by voice or text, taking and sending pictures and film, listening to music, playing games, going online and sending emails. Useful in emergency situations and for allowing children a greater sense of independence. Examples of misuse: Sending nasty calls or text messages, including threats, intimidation, harassment. Taking and sharing humiliating images. Videoing other people being harassed and sending these to other phones or internet sites. Instant Messenger Text or voice chatting live with friends online.
A quick and effective way of keeping in touch even while working on other things. Sending nasty messages or content. Using someone else’s account to forward rude or mean messages via their contacts list. Sending nasty or threatening anonymous under false pretences – people pretending to be someone they’re not in order to get personal information that they can misuse in a range of ways – e. G. By spreading secrets or blackmailing. (IM) Coatrooms and message boards Groups of people around the world can text or voice chat live about common interests.
For young people, this can be an easy way to meet new people and explore issues which they are too shy to talk about in person. Email Sending electronic letters, pictures and other files quickly and cheaply anywhere in the world. Sending nasty or threatening messages. Forwarding unsuitable content including images and video clips, or sending computer viruses. Accessing someone else’s account, e. G. To forward personal emails or delete emails. Websites Taking pictures or recording messages. Being able to see and talk to someone live on your computer screen.
Bringing far-off places to life or video conferencing. Making and sending inappropriate content. Persuading or threatening young people to act in inappropriate ways. Using inappropriate recordings to manipulate young people. Posting nasty comments, humiliating images / video. Accessing another person’s account details and sending unpleasant messages, deleting information or making private information public. Groups of people picking on individuals by excluding them. Creating fake profiles to pretend to be someone else, e. G. To bully, harass or get the person into trouble.
Social network sites Socializing with your friends and making new ones within online communities. Allowing young people to be creative online, even publishing online music. Personalizing homepages and profiles, creating and uploading content. Video hosting sites Accessing useful educational, entertaining and original creative video content and uploading your own. Virtual Learning Environments School site, usually available from home and school, set up for tracking and recording student assignments, tests and activities, with message boards, chat and IM.
Posting inappropriate messages or images. Hacking into someone else’s account to post inappropriate comments or delete schoolwork. (VALES) Gaming sites, consoles and virtual worlds Live text or voice chat during online gaming between players across the world, or on manhandle consoles with people in the same local area. Virtual worlds let users design their own avatars – a figure that represents them in the virtual world. Name-calling, making abusive / derogatory remarks. Players may pick on weaker or less experienced users, repeatedly killing their characters.
Forwarding unwanted messages to other devices in the immediate vicinity. 6 When and How to Contact the Service Provider: Mobile phones: All I-J mobile phone operators have nuisance call centers set up and / or procedures in place to deal with such instances. They may be able to change the number of the arson being bullied. Mobile operators cannot bar a particular number from contacting a phone, but some phone handsets do have this capacity. Action can be taken against the bully’s phone account (e. G. Blocking their account) only with police involvement. Contacts: 02: ncb@02. Com or 08705214000.
In order to do this, you will need to create an account (this is free) and log in, and then you will have the option to flag content as inappropriate’. The option to flag the content is under the video content itself. Youth provides information on what is considered inappropriate in its terms f service. See www. Youth. Commuters. (e. G. , Windows Live Messenger or MANS Messenger): It is good practice for Instant Messenger (IM) providers to have visible and easy-to- access reporting features on their service. Instant Messenger providers can investigate and shut down any accounts Social networking sites (e. . , Namespace, Bebop, Faceable): It is good practice for social network providers to make reporting incidents of accessibility easy, and thus have clear, accessible and prominent reporting features. Many of these reporting features will be within the profiles themselves, so hey are ‘handy for the user. If social networking sites do receive reports about accessibility, they will investigate and can remove content that is illegal or breaks their terms and conditions in other ways. They can delete the accounts of those who have broken the rules.
Contacts of some social network providers: Bebop: Reports can be made by clicking on a ‘Report Abuse’ link located below the user’s profile photo (top left-hand corner of screen) on every Bebop profile page. Bebop users can also report specific media content that have been misused and clearly break their terms of service. The best evidence or the service provider is archived or recorded conversations, and most IM providers allow the user to record all messages. Contacts of some IM providers: MANS: When in Windows Live Messenger, clicking the ‘Help’ tab will bring up a range of options, including ‘Report Abuse’.
Yahoo! : When in Yahoo! Messenger, clicking the ‘Help’ tab will bring up a range of options, including ‘Report Abuse’. Coatrooms, individual website owners / forums, message board hosts: It is good practice for chat providers to have a clear and prominent reporting mechanism to enable the user to contact the service provider. Users that abuse the service can have their account deleted. Some services may be moderated, and the moderators will warn users posting abusive comments or take down content that breaks their terms of use. I. E. Photos, videos, widgets) to the Bebop customer services team by clicking on a ‘Report Abuse’ link located below the content they wish to report. Namespace: Reports can be made by clicking on the ‘Contact Namespace’ link at the bottom of every Namespace page and selecting the ‘Report Abuse’ option. Alternatively, click on the ‘Report Abuse’ link located at the bottom of each user profile page and other user generated pages. Inappropriate images can be reported by clicking on the image and selecting the ‘Report this Image’ option.
Faceable: Reports can be made by clicking on the ‘Report’ link located on pages throughout the site, or by email to abuse@facebook. Com. 7 Technology is great and offers fantastic opportunities for children. However, the technology can be misused, and this can be very painful for those, both children and teachers, who are the targets of accessibility. Adults need to help children and young people prepare for the hazards whilst promoting the many learning and social opportunities available. Tackling accessibility will be an ongoing process as technology continues to develop.