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85% of children aged 9-12 using Facebook | Irish Examiner

November 8, 2013

Peter Singhatey Cyberbulling Cyberbulling, Education, Facebook, Ireland, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

85% of children aged 9-12 using Facebook | Irish Examiner.

Despite a minimum age limit of 13 years, 85% of nine to 12-year-olds are using social networking website Facebook, causing principals and teachers to have to deal with cyberbullying on an almost daily basis.

Irish anti-bullying service Bully 4U surveyed 1,720 children between nine and 17 years over the course of two months, asking them about their web usage. One section of the survey asked different age groups whether they were on Facebook and Twitter.

It found that 85% of nine to 12-year-olds were using Facebook and 35% were on Twitter. For 13 to 14-year-olds 97% were on Facebook and 50% were on Twitter. And in the 15 to 17-year-old category, 98% were on Facebook and 55% were on Twitter.

The huge presence of the youngest children surveyed on Facebook was a significant concern for Bully 4U director Jim Harding…

Facebook agrees to help schools tackle cyberbullies

June 7, 2013

Peter Singhatey Cyberbulling Cyberbulling, Education, Facebook, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Facebook agrees to help schools tackle cyberbullies.

A deal was brokered at a meeting between senior Facebook executives and officials at the Department of Education.

Facebook has been under growing pressure after a number of disturbing incidents where students or teachers were targeted on social media sites.

In one case earlier this year, Facebook repeatedly refused to remove an offensive photograph and text casting a slur on a teacher at the second-level Colaiste Chiarain, Croom, Co Limerick, stating that it did not believe it violated its standards on bullying and harassment.

In cyberspace no one can hear you scream

February 5, 2013

Peter Singhatey Cyberbulling, Education Cyberbulling, Education, peter singhateh Leave a comment

In cyberspace no one can hear you scream.

The perpetrator and the victim are familiar roles in any bullying scenario but a lot less attention is paid to the bystander.

Yet, statistically, your teenage son or daughter is much more likely to have the “walk on” part of bystander, particularly when the bullying is carried out in cyberspace. They may think they are doing nothing when they glance at hurtful comments aimed at somebody else tumbling in on a news feed on a social media page, but they are involved.

There are grades of bystanders, says clinical psychologist Sarah O’Doherty, which range from being actively involved and encouraging the bullying – “you may not be the person who instigated it but as soon as it starts up you jump in and start adding at the same volume” – right down the scale to somebody who is just watching and doing nothing.

“You are never neutral if you are a witness to bullying,” she explains. “You have a choice to either do something or not do something – either way you are making a decision about it.”…