Cyber-Warzone: Stories of Cyber-Bullying and Textual Abuse (Kindle Edition)

This a book about cyber-bullying and consists of a central starting point, a school having teachers cover different aspects of cyber-bullying and stories to illustrate those points. The students in the class are questioned about what they thought about the stories and what they might do different.

One thing to note which is not in the book is that cyber-bullying is a relatively new aspect of bullying. Cyberbullying covers both computer bullying and bullying via cell phone and, since most young people have access to computers and cell phones these days this type of bullying can affect them much easier than in the days before personal computers and cell phones.

The book starts off in an intelligent manner defining just what is cyber-bullying. It states that some 20% of students are victims of cyber-bullying. The statistic they give is actually very, very low. From a site about cyber-bullying specifically I wound that over half of adolescents have been bullied online, about a third have experienced cyber-threats online, and about 25% have been bullied repeatedly. Over half do not tell their parents what has been happening to them.

The book also discusses sexting, communications and social hierarchy, fear of aggression and sarcasm. It also points out that, with face-to-face contact you can see the other person, note their physical appearance and reactions and listen to their voice. With online communications, though, all the physical clues are missing as are the verbal ones and this can lead to misunderstandings and problems.

Another minor problem with the book is that is states virtually all schools have Internet capability yet only about 65% actually do. (This comes from a legal site on the topic.) There is also one thing the book didn't discuss that I think it should have and that is does a school have a right to discipline students for things they do on their own home computer on their own time.

From some legal sites I look at it appears the school does have that right if what the student does has a direct impact on the school itself via the students, the school's reputation, etc.

The stories and examples the book covers are the use of cyber-threats, identity theft, tricking people into providing information/photos/etc, flaming, harassment, denigration and outing. The examples are good and the reaction of the teachers and students is usually good (except for a couple of smart-alec boys.)

The book also includes references and resources and appendices.

I think this is basically a must book for parents and I think schools could learn from it.


Causes main page

Main Page

Main Bullying Index Page