New site bids to curb internet bullying scourge

TEENAGERS are making use of a Government-sponsored website in a bid to help others who have been abused or humiliated through the internet.

The ability of technology to be used as a tool for bullying or posting embarrassing pictures has been a subject of concern to parents, teachers and students themselves in recent years. But while there have been calls from some quarters to shut down some of these social networking sites, or have tighter regulations, these actions are not possible.

The Watch Your Space site launched by Education Minister Mary Hanafin yesterday takes account of the effects some of these forums can have on young people and offers tips from peers on how to deal with them.

“When online, young people should ensure they are creative, be themselves but above all, be in control. Disclosing too much personal information can put young people at increased risks of exploitation, bullying and harassment,” the minister said. “Some of the content on these sites ranges from careless to shocking and can include obscenity and bullying,” she said.

Her comments follow last month’s closure of the hateboard.com website where a message had been posted by someone claiming her daughter took her own life as a result of bullying messages about her there.

The new site set up by the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) offers advice for those who have witnessed or been victims of cyber-bullying, including the message not to respond as this will only make things worse. Teenagers are also advised to keep a record of the message, block the sender and inform somebody in authority or who they trust.

The prevalence of pictures and videos from digital cameras and mobile phones and their appearance on websites such as Bebo, YouTube, MySpace, flickr and piczo, is also a worry. Watch Your Space reminds people of the fact that once a person uploads a picture to the internet, they lose control of it:

“It can be copied, altered and displayed in different contexts without consent. Stay in control by only uploading pictures that you are happy for everyone to see.”

While these kind of sites are hugely popular among older teenagers, younger children are also beginning to follow the online patterns of their older siblings.

Irish National Teachers’ Organisation general secretary John Carr said the approach of the NCTE website makes a refreshing change from various calls to ban social network sites.

* www.watchyourspace.ie