How to tackle the scourge of cyber bullying

The ever-evolving ways of digital bullying mean we need to teach children how to make the right decisions to keep themselves safe online, says Richard Hogan.

“Jumping off the GW Bridge, Sorry.” So read the final status update posted on Facebook by Rutgers student Tyler Clementi before he threw himself off the George Washington Bridge in 2011. His tragic story, which garnered international attention, put a human face on the consequences of cyberbullying. And brought this ever-increasing issue into the public discourse.

What was traditionally confined to the school environment has now, with the proliferation of electronic media, become a potentially ubiquitous occurrence for children and teenagers alike. Cyberbullying is defined as “any behaviour performed through electronic or digital media by individuals or groups that repeatedly communicates hostile or aggressive messages intended to inflict harm or discomfort on others”