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SHMOOP – Internet Safety and Ethics Activity: The Golden Rule Goes Online: Preventing and Stopping Cyberbullying

Objective: Being a member of an online community doesn't just mean understanding what browsers and cookies are and keeping a handle on your private information. Using the Internet comes with certain responsibilities to others, namely, being a cool digital citizen. One of the main parts of being a good digital citizen is having respect for others and shutting down cyberbullying.

In recent years we've seen many examples in the news of the dangers of cyberbullying. Students have skipped a lot of school, suffered serious depression, and even committed suicide, thanks to cyberbullying. Students need to learn about the damage that can be done by bullying or by being a passive bystander. In this activity, students identify what cyberbullying looks like and how to end it.

Step 1 (10 mins):  As a class we will watch the video on this website and then you will independently read the Internet Safety 101 webpage on cyberbullying the website. Afterwards, copy & paste the following questions into a Google Doc you create

1. What is cyberbullying? 

2. Have you ever cyberbullied anyone? Has anyone ever cyberbullied you?

3. Have you ever seen someone else be cyberbullied? Did you do anything to stop it? If not, what could you have done? 

4. What percentage of teenagers report being cyberbullied in the last year? 

5. What are the different kinds of cyberbullying listed on the website? What do they each mean? What technology do students use to cyberbully? 

6. Why can it sometimes be easier to bully people over phones and the Internet than in person? 

7. In the video, what does the teenage girl say that other people have done when they hacked into her accounts, using her password? 

8. What does one boy do when he goes into the bathroom, to bully a classmate? What were the consequences? 

9. What are some things that you and your parents can do to keep track of the information that results from cyberbullying? 

10. What can students do to get help from cyberbullying?

Step 2 (10 mins):  Watch CNN's report on Hope Witsell's suicide and copy & paste the following questions.

1. What did Hope send to her boyfriend? 

2. What did another girl do with what Hope sent? How would you feel if someone did this to you? 

3. What did Hope's mother warn her about? Why do you think Hope didn't listen?

4. What did bullies do to Hope? 

5. Why do you think Hope kept quiet about the bullying?

6. What did bullies write about Hope in the Shields Middle School Burn Book? Have you ever seen stuff like that online?

7. How did Hope's friends try to help her? Is there something more they could have done?

8. Why did Hope commit suicide? 

9. Do Hope's parents blame her school for her death? Why? 

10. What did Hope's sister find online after Hope's death? 

11. Do you know anybody who has ever been cyberbullied like this, or in other ways? If you feel comfortable, share the story. What did you do? If you could go back, what would you do differently?

Step 4 (15-20 mins):  Pick one type of Cyberbullying (or tactic, as they're called in the Internet Safety 101 article from Step 1).

The types of bullying tactics are listed below. (Students should refer to the Internet Safety 101 article for definitions.)

• Gossip

• Exclusion

• Impersonation

• Harassment

• Cyberstalking

• Flaming

• Outing and trickery

• Cyberthreats

Each person creates a "group chat" using this link about the type of bullying, how the victims can get help, and who they can get help from.

The skits should each present at least one way to resolve the particular type of cyberbullying.  

Each skit "chat" will be written out on their Shmoop Day 1 Google Doc.

20 Lines of dialogue total!!! Split into 2 images 10/10

resolve it if/when it happens.