Cyberbullying and the risks of children on handheld devices

1. “With Great Power Comes…..
Great Responsibility !”
Risks and responsibilities
in a hand-held world!
Stephen Carrick-Davies
Childnet International
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

2. Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

3. Tim Berners-Lee ‘Weaving the Web’ 1999
quot;The web is more a social
creation than a technical one.
I designed it for social effect -
to help people work together -
and not as a technical toy….
The ultimate goal of the web is
to support and improve our web
like existence in the world......
We have to ensure that the
society we build with the web
is the sort we intend.”
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

4. Why is this important ?
THE OFFLINE WORLD IS THE CHILD’S WORLD !
ANONYMITY
ALWAYS ON ACCESS THE
WORLD
“If you took away
ADDICTIVE my mobile phone ACTIVE NOT
PASSIVE
you would take
MEDIUM
away a part of me”
AMPLIFIER
AWAY FROM ACCEPTANCE -
(gives children
SUPERVISION IDENTITY &
a voice)
STATUS
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

5. WHAT STARTS OFFLINE MOVES ONLINE (+ visa versa)
CONVERGED
MEDIA
CONTENT CUSTOMISATION
CREATION & CREATIVITY
COLLABORATION
& COMMUNITY
188m profiles on MY SPACE alone (320,000 new profiles a day)
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

6. CHANGING USE (ESP FOR YP)
WEB v 1 WEB v 2
Downloading + Uploading
Consuming + Creating
“Corporate” + Personal
Separate media + Converged media
Static + Truly interactive
“Perpetual beta Generation”
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

7. It’s coming up the agenda for schools
1) Every Child Matters: ONLINE TOO!
– Be healthy From maltreatment, neglect, violence
– Stay safe and sexual exploitation
– Enjoy and achieve From accidental injury and death
– Make a positive contribution From bullying and discrimination
– Achieve economic well-being From crime and anti-social behaviour in
and out of school
Have security, stability and are cared for
2) Safeguarding Children in Education – Sept 2004
3) Working Together to Safeguard Children (11.58-11.62) with schools
have a duty of care - both inside and outside school
4) OFSTED – Increasingly inspecting safeguarding (including ICT). 4b
the extent to which learners adopt safe and responsible practices in
using new technologies, including the Internet.
5) Education & Inspections Act (2006) Headteachers must introduce
measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils.
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

8. The dangers to children
Commerce Content Contact
Invasion of Inaccurate Unwanted
privacy contact
Extreme views &
Blur between Pornography Cyberbullying
advertising &
information Self-created Paedophiles
Personal – away from supervision
Portable - always on and reachable
Private – away from accountability?
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

9. Cyberbullying
What we know about cyberbullying
• It ruins lives of children (and adults!)
• 22% of young people reported being the
target of cyberbullying *
• It appears to be a growing issue of concern
• This is a whole-school community issue
• We need strategies to prevent
• We need strategies to respond
• We all have a shared responsibility -
including industry and providers
* SOURCE: Anti- Bullying Alliance research 2007
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

10. Cyberbullying
How is it different from other forms of bullying ?
• Change of roles - Bully may be weak, victim strong!
• Lack of closure (online forever)
• Perception of anonymity, saying things you wouldn’t say
face to face
• 24/7 contact – no escape even at home
• Bystander effect -others can quickly become involved
• Don’t necessarily see the affect –lack of empathy
• BUT…. it leaves a trail !
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

11. Cyberbullying
How does this all feel ?
'Let's Fight it Together'
Cyberbullying film
Play Film
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

12. A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
Users Parents &
Teachers
Industry Govt.
Legal/police
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

13. What Can Industry do ?
• Recognise the very real risk and issues affecting young users
• Make reporting easier
• Educate YP on the platforms (accessible, timely, positive!)
• Do all you can to recognise YP’s leadership as part of the education
• Build “better by design” into your services
• Review what you can do with technical filtering and monitoring tools
• Support teachers with “hands on” experience of new applications
• Support schools in updating anti-bullying policies
• Support parents and ensure that AUPs refer to zero tolerance to
cyberbullying
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

14. SUPPLIERS MUST DO MORE TO REMIND USERS
OF THE RESPONSIBLE USE ISSUES
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

15. Ultimately this is about moral leadership !
“What would
Gandhi have
done if he had
had a MYSPACE
account ?
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006

16. THANK YOU !
www.childnet.com
stephen@childnet.com
Handheld Learning 2007 © Childnet International 2006