Symantec is a proud contributor to the Anti-Defamation League's effort to provide programming and materials to educate school administrators and classroom teachers about cyberbullying and cybersafety. As part of the material package they've developed for educators who attend their one day workshop, they've created a marvelous cyberbullying quiz. Do you think you know all there is to know about cyberbullying? Take the quiz yourself and see if you are a cybermaven! (Answer key provided after the quiz.)
Cyberbullying Quiz[1]
1. (True or False) Cyber threats involve only direct threats to harm someone else.
2. Match the type of cyberbullying with its description:
Type Answer
Flaming _______
Harassment _______
Cyberstalking _______
Denigration _______
Impersonation _______
Outing and Trickery _______
Exclusion _______
Description:
a. Online "fights" using electronic messages with angry and/or vulgar language.
b. Sharing someone's secrets or embarrassing information online. Misleading someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing information, which is then shared with others online.
c. Repeatedly sending messages that include threats of hard or are highly intimidating. Engaging in other online activities that cause another person to be afraid for her or his safety.
d. Intentionally rejecting someone from an online group, like a "buddy" list or a game.
e. Repeatedly sending offensive, rude and/or insulting messages.
f. Showing disrespect toward someone online. Sending or posting cruel gossip or rumors about a person to damage his or her reputation or friendships.
g. Breaking into someone's account, posing as that person and sending messages to make the person look bad, get the person in trouble or danger, or damage that person's reputation or friendships.
3. (True or False) Students are protected against cyberbullying if their school or home computers have filtering software and/or parental controls.
4. (True or False) A recent study found that more than 50% of students report incidents of cyberbullying to teachers when they occur.
5. (True or False) Because of First Amendment protections, schools do not have the legal ability to punish students for cyberbullying and Cyberthreats that occur on campus or through school technology.
6. Name five methods used to cyberbully.
a. _____________________ b. _________________________
c. ______________________ d. _________________________
e. ______________________
7. (True or False) Recipients of an email or IM from a cyberbully should not response and should immediately delete the message.
8. (True or False) Most students have, at some time, said or done something mean or hurtful to another person online.
9. (True or False) While many students have been targets of cyberbullying, very few have actually been threatened.
Answer Key
1. Cyber threats involve only direct threats to harm someone else.
False. Cyberthreats are online materials that threaten or raise concern about violence against others, suicide or self-harm. There are two kinds of Cyberthreats: (1) actual threats to hurt someone or commit suicide, and (2) online materials (referred to as "distressing materials") that provide clues that the person is emotionally upset and may be considering hurting someone, hurting him or herself or planning to commit suicide
(Nancy Willard, "An Educator's Guide to Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats" Eugene: Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, 2005), www.cyberbully.org/docs/cbceducator.pdf).
2. Match the type of cyberbullying with its description:
Type Answer
Flaming __a.___
Harassment __e.___
Cyberstalking __c.___
Denigration __f_.__
Impersonation __g.___
Outing and Trickery __b.___
Exclusion __d.___
(Nancy Willard, "An Educator's Guide to Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats" Eugene: Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, 2005), www.cyberbully.org/docs/cbceducator.pdf).
3. Students are protected against cyberbullying if their school or home computers have filtering software and/or parental controls.
False. Filtering software programs can create a false sense of security. Filtering software cannot prevent cyberbullying, and, in many cases, students can still access the kinds of materials the filters are designed to exclude.
4. A recent study found that more than 50% of students report incidents of cyberbullying to teachers when they occur.
False. According to one major study, only about 40% of youth tell an adult about cyberbullying experiences. About 41% tell a parent and only about 12% tell a teacher. Teens are reluctant to tell adults about online or cell phone incidents of cyberbullying out of fear that their online activities or use of cell phone will be restricted. In addition to concerns about activity restrictions, teens may not talk to adults about cyberbullying because they are emotionally traumatized, think it is their fault, fear greater retribution, or think that it is a "normal" part of being online.
(Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin, Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying (Thousand Oaks, CA; Corwin Press, 2008)).
5. Because of First Amendment protections, schools do not have the legal ability to punish students for cyberbullying and Cyberthreats that occur on campus or through school technology.
False. Students have a limited expectation of privacy on the district's Internet system and routine maintenance and monitoring should be expected. An individual search of computer and Internet use records can be conducted if there is a reasonable suspicion that the student has violated district policy, including policies against bullying. In addition, schools can place education-based restrictions on student speech that appears to be sponsored by the school or that is necessary to maintain an appropriate school climate. Although no current case law exists, the standard probably applies to student speech through the district Internet system or via cell phones used at school
(Nancy Willard, "An Educator's Guide to Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats" Eugene: Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, 2005), www.cyberbully.org/docs/cbceducator.pdf).
6. Name five methods used to cyberbully:
Cyberbullying or cyberthreat material can be posted on personal websites or blogs, and can be transmitted via e-mail, discussion groups, message boards, chat, IM or text/image/video cell phones.
7. Recipients of an email or IM from a cyberbully should not response and should immediately delete the message
True and False. Recipients should NOT respond - engaging in conversation with the perpetrator of a cyberbullying incident or retaliating can make the situation worse. However, students SHOULD save the IMs or e-mails as a record of the cyberbullying behavior and tell an adult about what has occurred.
8. Most students have, at some time, said or done something mean or hurtful to another person online.
False. In a survey of middle school students from a large U.S. school district, when asked about specific types of online harassment and aggression (e.g., sending a text message or e-mail to make someone angry, making fun of someone online, posting a private photo of others without permission), 33.4% reported carrying out such behavior in the previous 30 days. While mean and hurtful online communications are common, most youth use the Internet in responsible ways (Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin, Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying (Thousand Oaks, CA; Corwin Press, 2008)).
9. While many students have been targets of cyberbullying, very few have actually been threatened.
False. In a survey of 1,500 Internet-using adolescents nationwide, 12.6% of respondents reported they had been threatened physically and almost 5% reported that they were scared for their safety.
(Justin W. Patchin and Sameer Hinduja, "Bullies Move Beyond the Schoolyard; A Preliminary Look at Cyberbullying," Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 4 (2006): 148-169).
[1] ©2007 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.