QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY

DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

Module 3: The Internet is a defining factor of modern education. In fact,

Topic 2 education has become more accessible and widespread than ever before
because of the Internet. From using digital textbooks to getting a degree
online, more classroom functions and student experiences are moving
into cyberspace — including, unfortunately, bullying.
Despite all the good that the Internet has brought to students,
parents, and teachers alike, there are people who use it with malicious
intent. And just as bullying has existed since the dawn of time, virtual
bullying has existed since the beginning of the Internet. Hence, this
module introduces you to cyberbullying.

Competencies  Compare and contrast traditional bullying and cyberbullying.

 Determine the examples of cyberbullying.
 Discuss safety rules for appropriate internet use to prevent
cyberbullying.

Discussion According the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, cyberbullying is “the

electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person (such as a
student) often done anonymously.” But as time goes by and the Internet
itself has evolved, so has the definition of cyberbullying.
Stopbullying.gov defines cyberbullying as “bullying that takes place
over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets”, whereas the
Cyberbullying Research Center describes it as the “willful and repeated
harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other
electronic devices.” Essentially, it’s the use of electronic communication
to mirror the way a person would be bullied in real life, typically by
sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.

Differences from Traditional Bullying

 Anonymity
While victims usually know who their bully is, online bullies may
be able to hide their identities online. The anonymity of the internet
can lead to crueler or harsher abuses from the bully, all while the
victim has no means of discovering who his or her harasser is.
 Persistent
Bullying typically ends once the victim is removed from the
negative social situation. Due to the existence of smartphones,
laptops, and other devices, cyberbullies may be able to torment their
victim twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week, making it
difficult for the victim to escape it by going home or even changing
schools.
 Public
With traditional bullying, often only people that interact with those
involved will know of the abuse. However, when content is posted or
shared online, it’s possible that anyone may see it. This opens up the
victim to more potential ridicule or pain from strangers.
 Permanent
Because online content is impossible to delete entirely,
cyberbullying may damage the victim’s, or possibly the bully’s,
reputation permanently. This may negatively impact future
employment, college admissions, or relationships for victim and bully
alike.
 Easy to Overlook
Cyberbullying may be harder for teachers, administrators, and
parents to discover, because they may not have access to students’
VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

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 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

online activities. They may not be able to overhear or see the abuse
taking place. Unless someone comes forward, parents and teachers
may never know that bullying is taking place.

Examples of Cyberbullying
 Harassment
Much like offline harassment, online harassment involves sending
abusive or offensive messages to an individual or group. Further, it is
intentional, repeated, and constant. Especially over a period of time,
these messages can have a negative impact on the victim’s self-
esteem or confidence.
 Cyberstalking
Cyberstalking is a form of harassment. These messages are often
no longer just offensive or rude, but more threatening in nature.
Messages may escalate to threaten the victim’s physical safety.
Cyberstalking can quickly lead to in-person harassment or stalking.
 Exclusion
Exclusion comprises of deliberately excluding the victim. This may
involve leaving them out from social media groups, chat rooms,
messages, events, or activities. It may mean purposefully having
conversations on social media platforms or apps that the victim does
not have access to, or that they see, but are unable to join. The
group may then go on to say cruel or rude things about the excluded
person behind their back.
 Outing
Outing is when the bully publicly shares private messages,
pictures, or other information about the victim on the internet. This
is done without the victim’s knowledge or consent, and is meant to
embarrass, shame, or humiliate them. The information may be trivial
or more private and serious, but either way, it is a form of outing.
 Masquerading
Masquerading occurs when the bully, or possibly even bullies,
assumes another identity to anonymously harass the victim. They
may either impersonate someone else, use a real person’s account or
phone number, or create an entirely fake identity.
 Fraping
Fraping is the act of logging into someone’s social media profile and
posting inappropriate content under their name. While many people
consider this to be a funny joke, fraping can hurt someone’s
reputation, get them in trouble with family, or otherwise embarrass or
harm them.

Cyberbullying Statistics
Cyberbullying is not something that parents or their teenager have
made up. It’s more common than you may think. And for many
teenagers, young adults, and social media users, it poses a very real
threat.
 28% of all students from grades six to twelve have experienced some
kind of bullying (School Crime Supplement from the National Center
for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics).
 30% of students have bullied others in some way or form during their
lifetime (Stopbullying.gov).
 A survey from the World Health Organization reports that, compared
to 35 other countries in the Americas and Europe, the U.S.
VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

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 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

experiences an average amount of bullying. Across various age

groups, Estonia and Lithuania rank highest for both bullying and
victimization, while the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Sweden report
the lowest rates.
 About 34% of students had been a victim of cyberbullying at some
time in their lives (Cyberbullying Research Center, 2016). Moreover,
adolescent girls (36.7%) were somewhat more likely to be a victim of
cyberbullying than adolescent boys (30.5%).
 Youth who are part of the LGBTQ community are significantly more
likely to experience cyberbullying. The 2015 National School Climate
Survey found that almost half (48.6 percent) of students who are
LGBTQ had experienced cyberbullying at some time in the last year.
 16% of students had cyberbullied others at some point in their
lifetime (Cyberbullying Research Center).
 Typically, victims will encounter at least one other form of traditional
bullying in addition to cyberbullying (Journal of Adolescent Health).

Signs and Symptoms of Cyberbullying

Some of the warning signs of cyberbullying may overlap with those of
traditional bullying. However, here are a few things you should look in
particular:
 Anxiety or Anger
Pay attention to their mood both during and after they use a
mobile phone or computer.
 Secretive
If they unexpectedly shut off devices when others approach, refuse
to discuss what they do online, or get upset or agitated when you try
to discuss this with them, they may be attempting to hide the fact
that they are being bullied.
 Avoiding Technology
Take note of the frequency of the amount of time they spend
online, especially if they have always enjoyed it. If they have
suddenly stopped using their devices as frequently (or possibly
altogether), they may be attempting to avoid a bully.
 Becoming Withdrawn
Even if they have always been quiet or introverted, observe their
social behavior like spending more time away from friends or pushing
away people they’re close to and wanting to spend time alone.
 Increase Messages
Observe if they started to receive a lot more messages or emails
from unrecognized numbers or people than they usually do.
 Depression
Observe if their mood changed, seem sad or depressed, change in
sleeping or eating pattern, avoid social events and lost interest in
activities or hobbies.

Why Cyberbullying Happens

The reasons why one bully chooses to bully another are complex and
varied. They may want to feel powerful, feel the need to act out for
attention, or feel like they must control others. While each person’s
motives are different, similar factors may come into play when they
choose to cyberbully:
 Boredom
Some cyberbullies may simply be bored and or craving attention.
It’s a way to add excitement or drama to their lives with very little
VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

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 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

effort.
 Peer Pressure
Some cyberbullies may be trying to impress their peers, become
more popular, or maintain their social status.

 Revenge
They may choose to cyberbully someone because they feel wronged
by that person or that their victim deserves it. The bully may feel
that their behavior is justified due to the pain the victim previously
inflicted upon them.
 Anonymity
Cyberbullies can embrace the chance to be anonymous by doing all
of their harassment online under an identity other than their own.
They may feel like they won’t get caught and don’t have to face their
victim directly.
 Ignorance
Some cyberbullies may simply not realize that what they’re doing
is, in fact, bullying. They may think it’s just a joke and not take the
situation seriously.

Potential Effects of Cyberbullying

Due to traditional bullying, victim’s academic performance can suffer,
anxiety and depression can develop — and these issues can continue into
adulthood. And much like traditional bullying, cyberbullying can have
severe, negative consequences for the victim.
Victims may experience the following effects after being cyberbullied:
 Decreased Self-esteem - Victims may believe that all of their peers
dislike them and develop issues with trust and confidence.
 Emotional Distress - The constant stress of the attacks can make
victims prone to outbursts of frustration, sadness, or anger as they
try to cope with the bullying.
 Physical Symptoms - Victims may begin to develop frequent
headaches, stomach aches, and have trouble sleeping since the
victim grows increasingly stressed and anxious.
 Depression - The constant stress and lowered self-esteem can cause
them to feel hopeless, unloved, and sadness developed to depression.
 Suicidal Thoughts - Bullying does not directly cause victims to commit
suicide, but it does put them at a higher risk of doing so.
Guidelines for Appropriate Internet Use to Prevent Cyberbullying
 Privacy
Teach young adult about the importance of maintaining privacy
online. Make sure they know to never share personal information,
such as physical addresses and phone numbers, with strangers
online, as well as passwords to their accounts, even with their close
friends.
 Strangers
Make sure they know they should be careful about, or avoid
altogether, talking to strangers online. Tell them that you don’t always
know what someone’s intentions are, and some people may try to
befriend you in order to hurt you.
 Permanence
Remind your teen that once something is put online, it cannot ever
be truly deleted — even if the post is removed. Let them know that
they cannot anticipate or control who may eventually see that content,
VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

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 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

so they must think very carefully before sharing things online.

Emphasize that the Golden Rule — that you should treat others the
way they want to be treated — still applies when they are online. Teach
them what it means to be a good digital citizen. Most specially, keep the
lines of communication open.

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

Page | 5