Online Bullying

Connect and Check

Cyberbullying is becoming more common with the introduction of my social media apps and the ability to create private groups away from the public eye. This topic looks at what the severe consequences associated with online bullying and what support is available should people be struggling. Students should also discuss the laws around social media communication.

Lesson objectives

As part of this lesson students should be able to:

Explain what online bullying is
Explain and understand the consequences of online bullying
Understand the benefits of positive online relationships

Guided learning hours: 2 hours 30 minutes

Present

‘Let’s talk online relationships’.

Warm up Activity

Write online bullying on the board. Ask students to discuss the definition of online bullying. Once there is an agreed definition, ask students to list all of the different social platforms, including gaming, where they think online bullying could take place.

Private vs Public Forum

From the list of online platforms that were created previously, ask students to add whether they are a public forum or a private forum. A private forum could be a group chat, 1:1 chats or online gaming. A private forum is where everyone is not able to see the content being shared. Conversely, a public forum is where content is not hidden or limited to a select group of people. Once students have decided, ask them to determine and explain the types of risks each of these different platforms face.

Online Gaming

Ask students to watch the clip and discuss the topic around people being carried away and angry when gaming to the point where they can become bullies or aggressive. Discuss strategies to stop it before it gets to the levels seen in the video. What strategies do they have for managing their screen time and mental health when gaming?

Differentiation for SEND and Inclusion

Ensure that all language and complex terms used e.g. harassment, homophobia and trolling are understood / accessible for students with additional needs. Spending time to build an understanding of these key terms using visual support/exploring scenarios will help provide a solid foundation for the rest of the unit/lessons.
Some learners with SEND will be more vulnerable online and fail to see the risks or consequences when using social media/chat forums etc. Working through specific scenarios using comic strip conversations can help them to be more independent and keep both themselves and others safe.

Apply

Work through the following activities:

Recall and Review

Activity 1

Ask students to research the Diana Award.

What are their aims?
How could some of their resources be used within their school to offer a starting point?

Activity 2

Ask students to discuss:

What law/protection would you bring in if you were advising the police around social media and conduct relating to online bullying?

Provided below are all the key words and definitions.

Cyberbullying: The use of electronic communication to bully a person typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.
Trolling: A troll is internet slang for a person who intentionally tries to instigate conflict, hostility, or arguments in an online social community. Trolling can occur anywhere that has an open area where people can freely post their thoughts and opinions.
Consequences: This is the result of an action. In this case, children who are bullied are more likely to experience depression and anxiety; increased feelings of sadness and loneliness; changes in sleep and eating patterns; and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood.
Public Forums: A public forum is a place, situation, or group in which people exchange ideas and discuss issues, especially important public issues.
Harassment: Harassment is unwanted behaviour, which you find offensive or which makes you feel intimidated or humiliated. It can happen on its own or alongside other forms of discrimination. Unwanted behaviour could be spoken or written words or abuse, offensive emails, tweets or comments on social networking sites, images and graffiti, physical gestures, facial expressions or jokes.
Racism: The prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people based on their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalised.
Sexism: Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to stereotypes and gender roles, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is intrinsically superior to another.
Body shaming: Body shaming is someone trying to make you feel bad for having a body that does not conform to cultural (or just their own personal) beauty ideals.
Homophobia: A dislike of or prejudice against gay people.