BULLYING: AN EMERGING SECURITY PROBLEM IN
NIGERIA
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive
behavior among children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The
behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying
includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone
physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Aggressive
behavior may be bullying depending on what happened, how often it happens and
who it happens to. Bullying typically involves subtle methods of coercion, such
as intimidation.
There are many roles that children can play. Children can
bully others, they can be bullied, or they may witness bullying. When children
are involved in bullying, they often play more than one role. It is important
to understand the multiple roles teenagers play in order to effectively prevent
and respond to bullying.
Burger, Christoph; Strohmeier,
Dagmar; Spröber, Nina; Bauman, Sheri; Rigby, Ken (2015) observed that bullying is a subcategory of aggressive behavior
characterized by the following three minimum criteria: hostile intent, imbalance of power, and repetition over a
period of time. Bullying may also be referred to as the activity of repeated,
aggressive behavior intended to hurt another individual, physically, mentally
or emotionally.
The Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus
noted that bullying occurs when a person is "exposed, repeatedly and over
time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons". He
says negative actions occur "when a person intentionally inflicts injury
or discomfort upon another person, through physical contact, through words or
in other ways." He pointed out that individual bullying is usually
characterized by a person behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person.
Bullying Is Not Conflict.
Bullying
is not conflict. Bullying is the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively dominate
others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite
is the perception, by the bully or by others, of an imbalance of social or physical power, which distinguishes bullying from
conflict.
Behaviors used to assert such domination can
include verbal harassment or threat, physical assault
or coercion, and such acts may be directed repeatedly towards particular
targets. Rationalizations for such behavior sometimes include differences of social
class, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, appearance, behavior, body
language, personality, reputation, lineage, strength, size or ability. If
bullying is done by a group, it is called mobbing.
Bullying ranges from one-on-one,
individual bullying through to group bullying called mobbing, in which the bully may have one or more
"lieutenants" who may seem to be willing to assist the primary bully
in his or her bullying activities. Bullying in school and the workplace is also
referred to as peer abuse. Robert W. Fuller
has analyzed bullying in the context of rankism.
A bullying culture can develop in any context in which humans interact with
each other. This includes school,
family, the workplace, home, and neighborhoods. Bullying can also be used by the
national government to coerce, intimidate and suppress oppositions as we are
witnessing in Nigeria today.
Types of Bully
There are many types of bullying. Individual
bullying can be classified into four types. These include:
Collective bullying which is also known
as mobbing and can include any of the individual types of bullying.
Physical, verbal, and relational
bullying are most prevalent in primary and junior secondary schools and could
also begin much earlier. Cyber-bullying is more common in senior secondary
schools.
Individual Bullying
Individual bullying tactics can be
perpetrated by a single person against a target or targets.
Physical Bullying
This is any bullying that hurts
someone’s body or damages their possessions. Stealing, shoving, hitting,
fighting, and destroying property all are types of physical bullying. Physical
bullying is rarely the first form of bullying that a target will experience.
Often bullying will begin in a different form and progress to physical
violence. In physical bullying the main weapon the bully uses is their body. Physical bullying was widely
perpetrated by the rival cultists in Ebubu during the 2013 cult clashes. Houses
and properties of members of rival cult groups were burnt and destroyed with
abandon. These forced many of them to switch loyalty and groups.
Verbal Bullying
This is any bullying that is done by
speaking. Calling names, spreading rumors, threatening somebody, and making fun
of others are all forms of verbal bullying. Verbal bullying is one of the most
common types of bullying. In verbal bullying the main weapon the bully uses is
their mouth. Many parents are
guilty of verbal bullying. They have also use their mouth to talk their
children and wards into bad relationship and groups.
Relational Bullying
This is any bullying that is done
with the intent to hurt somebody’s reputation or social standing. Politicians
are known to run down their opponents by assassinating their characters and
hurting their reputation.
Cyber Bullying
This is any bullying that happens
over any technological device. This includes email, instant messaging, social
networking sites (such as Facebook), text messages, and cell phones.
Collective Bullying
Collective bullying tactics are
employed by more than one individual against a target or targets.
Mobbing
Mobbing is ganging up to alter someone’s actions
forcefully, through rumour, innuendo, intimidation, humiliation, discrediting,
and isolation. It involves
more than one aggressor, often orchestrated by a leader who is a skilled
manipulator. Cult groups used mobbing to recruit and initiate new members. The cultists
consider mobbing as a convenient instrument for engaging new entrants.
Effects of Bullying
According to Mona O'Moore of the
Anti-Bullying Centre at Trinity College, Dublin, "There is a growing body
of research which indicates that individuals, whether child or adult, who are
persistently subjected to abusive behavior are at risk of stress related
illness which can sometimes lead to suicide".
Those who have been the targets of
bullying can suffer from long term emotional and behavioral problems. Bullying
can cause loneliness, depression, anxiety, lead to low self-esteem and increased susceptibility to illness.
Bullying has also been shown to cause
maladjustment in young children, and targets of bullying who were also bullies
themselves exhibit even greater social difficulties.
Suicide
Even though there is evidence that
bullying increases the risk of suicide, bullying alone does not cause suicide. Depression is one of the main reasons why children who are bullied
commit suicide. It is estimated that between 10 and 25 children commit suicide
every year in Nigeria alone because they are being bullied. Certain attributes of a person are correlated to a higher
risk for suicide than others such as: lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.
When someone is unsupported by his or her family or friends, it can make the
situation much worse for the victim.
Violence
Serial killers were frequently bullied through
direct and indirect methods as children or adolescents. Henry Lee Lucas, a
serial killer and diagnosed psychopath, said the ridicule and rejection he
suffered as a child caused him to hate everyone. Kenneth Bianchi, a serial
killer and member of the Hillside Stranglers, was teased as a child because he
urinated in his pants and suffered twitching, and as a teenager was ignored by
his peers. A serial killer and leader of one of the notorious cult groups that
terrorized Ebubu in 2013 told a gathering of chiefs, elders, youths and women
that the humiliation and rejection he experienced as a child made him to hate
everyone.
Positive development
Some have argued that bullying can
teach life lessons and instill strength. Helene Guldberg, a child development
academic, sparked controversy when she argued that being a target of bullying
can teach a child "how to manage disputes and boost their ability to
interact with others", and that teachers should not intervene, but leave
children to respond to the bullying themselves.
A few studies have pointed up some
potentially positive outcomes from bullying behavior. These studies have found
that with some individuals, as a result of their having been targeted with
bullying behavior, this certain minority of former bullying targets have actually experienced being enabled through their experiences with
bullying to develop various coping strategies, which included standing up for themselves in ways which
acted to re-balance former imbalances
of power. Such former bullying targets have reported such things as becoming a better person as a result of
their former bullying ordeals. The teaching of such anti-bullying coping skills
to would-be-targets and to others has
been found to be an effective long term means of reducing bullying incidence
rates and a valuable skill-set for individuals.
Some widows in Eleme are known to
have encourages and advised their children to join bully-gangs to get
protection.
Projection
A bully may project his/her own
feelings of vulnerability onto the target(s) of the bullying activity. Despite
the fact that a bully's typically denigrating activities are aimed at the
bully's targets, the true source of such negativity is ultimately almost always
found in the bully's own sense of personal insecurity and/or vulnerability. Such aggressive projections of displaced negative emotions
can occur anywhere from the micro-level of interpersonal relationships, all the
way up through to the macro-level of international politics, or even
international armed conflict.
Emotional Intelligence
Bullying is abusive social
interaction between peers which can include aggression, harassment, and
violence. Bullying is typically repetitive and enacted by those who are in a
position of power over the victim. A growing body of research illustrates a
significant relationship between bullying and emotional intelligence (EI). Mayer
et al., (2008) defines the dimensions of overall EI as "accurately
perceiving emotion, using emotions to facilitate thought, understanding
emotion, and managing emotion". The concept combines emotional and
intellectual processes. Lower
emotional intelligence appears to be related to involvement in bullying, as the
bully and/or the victim of bullying. EI seems to play an important role in both
bullying behavior and victimization in bullying; given that EI is illustrated to be malleable,
EI education could greatly improve bullying prevention and intervention
initiatives.
Cyber Bullying
Cyber bullying is any bullying done
through the use of technology. This form of bullying can easily go undetected
because of lack of parental/authoritative supervision. Because bullies can pose
as someone else, it is the most anonymous form of bullying. Cyber bullying
includes, but is not limited to, abuse using email, instant messaging, text
messaging, websites, social networking sites, etc. With the creation of social
networks like Facebook, MySpace, Instagram, and Twitter, cyber bullying has increased. Particular watchdog
organizations have been designed to contain the spread of cyber bullying.
Disability bullying
It has been noted that disabled
people are disproportionately affected by bullying and abuse, and such activity
has been cited as a hate crime. The bullying is not limited to those who are
visibly disabled, such as wheelchair-users or physically deformed such as those
with a cleft lip, but also those with learning disabilities, such as autism and developmental
coordination disorder.
There is an additional problem that
those with learning disabilities are often not as able to explain things to
other people, so are more likely to be disbelieved or ignored if they do
complain.
Gay bullying
Gay bullying and gay bashing
designate direct or indirect verbal
or physical actions by a person or group against someone who is gay or
lesbian, or perceived to be so due to rumors or because they are considered to
fit gay stereotypes. Gay and lesbian youth are more likely than straight youth
to report bullying.
Legal Bullying
Legal bullying is the bringing of a vexatious legal
action to control and punish a person.
Legal bullying can often take the form of frivolous, repetitive, or burdensome
lawsuits brought to intimidate the defendant into submitting to the litigant's
request, not because of the legal merit of the litigant's position, but
principally due to the defendant's inability to maintain the legal battle.
Military Bullying
A culture of bullying is common in
the military. In the Nigerian Army for instance, bullying is common place and
is an acceptable behavior to express superiority. In 2000, the United Kingdom Ministry of
Defence (MOD) defined bullying as "the
use of physical strength or the abuse of authority to intimidate or victimize others or to give unlawful
punishments".
Some argue that this behaviour
should be allowed, due to ways in which soldiering is different from other
occupations. Soldiers expected to risk their lives should, according to them,
develop strength of body and spirit to accept bullying.
Parental Bullying of Children
Parents who may displace their anger, insecurity, or a persistent need to dominate
and control upon their children in excessive ways have been proven to increase
the likelihood that their own children will in turn become overly aggressive or
controlling towards their peers. The American Psychological Association advises on its website that parents who may suspect that
their own children may be engaging in bullying activities among their peers
should carefully consider the examples which they themselves may be setting for
their own children regarding how they typically interact with their own peers,
colleagues, and children.
Prison Bullying
An environment known for
bullying is a country's prison service. An additional complication is the staff
and their relationships with the inmates. Thus the following possible bullying
scenarios are possible in Nigerian Prisons:
- Inmate bullies inmate.
- Staff bullies inmate.
- Staff bullies staff.
- Inmate bullies staff.
School Bullying
Bullying can occur in nearly any
part in or around the school building. Though it may occur more frequently
during physical education classes and activities such as recess; bullying also
takes place in school hallways, bathrooms, on school buses and while waiting
for buses, and in classes that require group work and/or after school
activities.
Bullying in school sometimes
consists of a group of students taking advantage of or isolating one student in
particular and gaining the loyalty of bystanders who want to avoid becoming the
next target. Bullying affects children both at school as well as in their
homes. While bullying has no age limit, these bullies may taunt and tease their
target before finally physically bullying them. Bystanders typically choose to
either participate or watch, sometimes out of fear of becoming the next target.
Bullying can also be perpetrated by
teachers and the school system itself; there is an inherent power differential
in the system that can easily predispose to subtle or covert abuse (relational
aggression or passive aggression), humiliation, or exclusion — even while maintaining overt commitments to
anti-bullying policies.
Sexual Bullying
Sexual bullying is "any
bullying behaviour, whether physical or non-physical, that is based on a
person's sexuality or gender. It is when sexuality or gender is used as a
weapon by males or females towards others - although it is more commonly
directed at females. It can be carried out to a person's face, behind their
back or through the use of technology."
Trans Bullying
Trans bashing is the act of victimizing a person physically, sexually, or verbally because they are
transgender or transsexual. Unlike gay bashing,
it is committed because of the target's actual or perceived gender identity, not sexual
orientation.
Workplace Bullying
Workplace bullying occurs when an
employee experiences a persistent pattern of mistreatment from others in the
workplace that causes harm. Workplace
bullying can include such tactics as verbal,
nonverbal, psychological, physical abuse and humiliation.
This type of workplace
aggression is particularly difficult because,
unlike the typical forms of school bullying,
workplace bullies often operate within the established rules and policies of
their organization and their society. Bullying in the workplace is in the majority
of cases reported as having been perpetrated by someone in authority over the
target. However, bullies can also be peers, and occasionally can be
subordinates. Research has also investigated the impact of the larger
organizational context on bullying as well as the group-level processes that
impact on the incidence, and maintenance of bullying behaviour. Bullying can be
covert or overt. It may be missed by superiors or known by many throughout the
organization. Negative effects are not limited to the targeted individuals, and
may lead to a decline in employee
morale and a change in organizational
culture.
Academia Bullying
Bullying in academia is workplace
bullying of scholars and staff in academia, especially places of higher
education such as colleges and universities. It is believed to be
common, although has not received as much attention from researchers as bullying
in some other contexts. Bullying in the academia is perhaps responsible for the
current agitation for the promulgation of law to curb sexual harassment in
tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Bullying in Blue Collar Jobs
Bullying has been identified as
prominent in blue collar jobs, including on oil rigs and in mechanic shops and
machine shops. It is thought that intimidation and fear of retribution cause
decreased incident reports. In industry sectors dominated by males, typically
of little education, where disclosure of incidents are seen as effeminate,
reporting in the socioeconomic and cultural milieu of such industries would
likely lead to a vicious
circle. This is often used in
combination with manipulation and coercion of facts to gain favour among higher-ranking managers.
Bullying in Information Technology
A culture of bullying is common in
information technology, leading to high sickness rates, low morale, poor
productivity, and high staff-turnover. Deadline-driven
project work and stressed-out managers take their toll on IT workers.
Bullying
in Legal Profession
Bullying in the legal profession is believed to be more common than in some other
professions. It is believed that its adversarial, hierarchical tradition
contributes towards this. Women, trainees and solicitors who have been
qualified for five years or less are more impacted, as are ethnic minority
lawyers and lesbian, gay and bisexual lawyers.
Bullying in Medicine
Bullying in the medical
profession is common, particularly of student
or trainee doctors and of nurses. It is thought that this is at
least in part an outcome of conservative traditional hierarchical structures
and teaching methods in the medical profession, which may result in a bullying
cycle.
Bullying in Nursing
Even though The National
Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives
believes that all nursing personnel have the right to work in safe, non-abusive
environments, bullying has been identified as being particularly prevalent
in the nursing profession although the reasons are not clear. It is
thought that relational aggression (psychological aspects of bullying such as gossiping
and intimidation) are relevant. Relational aggression has been studied among
girls but not so much among adult women.
Bullying in Teaching
School teachers are commonly the subject of bullying but they are also
sometimes the originators of bullying within a school environment.
Bullying Generally
Bully as simply "forcing one's way aggressively or by
intimidation", may generally apply to any life experience where one is
motivated primarily by intimidation instead of by more positive goals, such as
mutually shared interests and benefits. As such, any figure of authority or
power who may use intimidation as a primary means of motivating others, such as
a neighborhood "protection racket don", a national dictator, a
childhood ring-leader, a terrorist, a terrorist organization, a cult group or
even a ruthless business CEO, could rightfully be referred to as a bully.
According to psychologist Pauline Rennie-Peyton, we each face the possibility
of being bullied in any phase of our lives.
The author Ben Shapiro claims that Liberals employ bullying to intimidate and
silence their Conservative opponents in an ongoing culture war. The same
scenario is playing out in Nigeria as the ruling APC is employing bully to
intimidate and silence PDP opposition members, masquerading as anti-corruption
war.
Impacts of Bullying
Bullying has
a negative impact on everyone involved: the target, the bully and the
bystanders.
Impact of Bullying on Victim
In the case of School Bullying, students who are bullied are more likely
to:
§
Feel disconnected from school and not like school.
§
Have lower academic outcomes, including lower
attendance and completion rates.
§
Lack quality friendships at school.
§
Display high levels of emotion that indicates
vulnerability and low levels of resilience.
§
Be less well accepted by peers, avoid conflict and be
socially withdrawn.
§
Have low self-esteem.
§
Have depression, anxiety, feelings of loneliness and
isolation.
§
Have nightmares.
§
Feel wary or suspicious of others.
§
Have an increased risk of depression and substance
abuse.
§
In extreme cases, have a higher risk of suicide,
however, the reasons why a person may be at risk of suicide are extremely
complicated.
Bullying Contributing Factors
Contributing factors to being bullied may include:
§
Depression
§
Family problems
§
History of trauma
§
Belonging to a minority group, where isolation or lack
of community support is an issue.
Impacts on Perpetrators of Bully
Students who frequently bully others are more likely to:
§
Feel disconnected from school and dislike school
§
Get into fights, vandalise property and leave school
early.
Recent
Victorian research has shown that bullying perpetration in Year 10 is associated
with an increased likelihood of theft, violent behaviour and binge drinking.
Impacts of Bullying on Bystanders
Students who witness bullying may:
§
Be reluctant to attend school
§
Feel fearful or powerless to act and guilty for not
acting
§
Have increased mental health problems, including
depression and anxiety
§
Have increased use of tobacco, alcohol, or other
drugs.
Impacts of Bullying on Schools
When bullying continues and a school does not take action, the entire
school climate and culture can be negatively affected. Bullying impacts on
student learning and engagement, staff retention and satisfaction and parental
confidence in the school; this can lead to:
§
The school developing an environment of fear and
disrespect
§
Students experiencing difficulty learning
§
Students feeling insecure
§
Students disliking school
§
Students perceiving that teachers and staff have
little control and don't care about them.
Prevention
Bullying prevention is the
collective effort to prevent, reduce, and stop bullying. Coping with bullying
can be very difficult. First, understand that you are not the problem. The
problem is the bully. Like everyone else in the school or neighbourhood, you
have the same rights to everything, including freedom and safety. Doing nothing
might suggest to him that there is no problem. Be very firm and say it straight
to his face that you do not like what he does. Act brave.
Sometimes you can ignore him to let him know that you really do not care about his comments or insults to you.
Sometimes you can ignore him to let him know that you really do not care about his comments or insults to you.
Below are a few more tips that can
help.
Avoid the Bully.
If you have to go to a place (bathroom, canteen, games room, locker room) where you may meet the bully, try going with a friend. Do not go alone. Try to make friends with those who use the bus, hallway or waiting room so you can move with them.
If you have to go to a place (bathroom, canteen, games room, locker room) where you may meet the bully, try going with a friend. Do not go alone. Try to make friends with those who use the bus, hallway or waiting room so you can move with them.
Stay Calm and Be Patient.
Bullies feel good when they are challenged or when you lose your temper. Ignore him and walk away. If he teases or laughs at you, try counting up to 10 slowly in your mind and head for the exit. This trick is great for temper control and you always come out stronger in the end.
Bullies feel good when they are challenged or when you lose your temper. Ignore him and walk away. If he teases or laughs at you, try counting up to 10 slowly in your mind and head for the exit. This trick is great for temper control and you always come out stronger in the end.
Tell an Adult.
Adults like your teacher, parent, neighbour, or even older friend can help. They usually have good advice and ways of ending that bully’s activities.
Make Friends.
Bullies tend to pick on people who do things alone. Try and make friends with more than one person and try to move with them. There is always strength in numbers.
Look Out for Your Friends.
Yes, that is what real friends are for. If you see someone bullying another, you need to do something about it. There is a wise saying that goes “evil thrives when good people do nothing” If you feel you are strong enough to face him, you can tell him that what he is doing is wrong. Do not go and fight him, just make your point. You can also encourage the victim to report it and stand by him as a witness.
Remember that you should never do to others what you would not like others to do to you. This means you should stay well away from gangs and groups that gossip, laugh and kick others.
Adults like your teacher, parent, neighbour, or even older friend can help. They usually have good advice and ways of ending that bully’s activities.
Make Friends.
Bullies tend to pick on people who do things alone. Try and make friends with more than one person and try to move with them. There is always strength in numbers.
Look Out for Your Friends.
Yes, that is what real friends are for. If you see someone bullying another, you need to do something about it. There is a wise saying that goes “evil thrives when good people do nothing” If you feel you are strong enough to face him, you can tell him that what he is doing is wrong. Do not go and fight him, just make your point. You can also encourage the victim to report it and stand by him as a witness.
Remember that you should never do to others what you would not like others to do to you. This means you should stay well away from gangs and groups that gossip, laugh and kick others.
Bullying
Prevention Tips for Parents
More than half of youths who are bullied fail to tell an adult about it. Parents have a role to ensure that schools and communities are safe and fair for their own children. This means helping the child to identify, reject, report or help another person being bullied is as important as training your child not to bully others.
Here are a few things parents can do.
More than half of youths who are bullied fail to tell an adult about it. Parents have a role to ensure that schools and communities are safe and fair for their own children. This means helping the child to identify, reject, report or help another person being bullied is as important as training your child not to bully others.
Here are a few things parents can do.
- Communicate with Children
Parents must find time to speak and get to know their Children. Talk to them every day about anything. Tell them how your day went and ask how they did. Tell them your problems and try to get them to offer suggestions to you. This way, you can also get them to open up and tell you their problems too. Most importantly, talk about bullying and the need to report it as soon as they identify one. - Raise children to be Respectful and Helpful
Right at an early age, parents must stress on the importance of good values. Teach them to respect their peers, be kind, resilient, and responsible for themselves and others, to know how their actions can affect others and so on. Help them to appreciate that personal success is not everything, but the ability to care for, help, contribute and make a positive impact in society is more important. - Teach Children How to Respond to Bullying
Parents must listen to their Children. Get them to be calm to tell the whole story. Let them know you are concerned. Try to develop a plan with them. Do not be too quick to jump into the school or confront the perpetrator’s parents. Offer simple solutions that will encourage him to work on the problem. Most importantly, keep a close eye on them and learn more about how they are improving or overcoming the problem. - Work together with your Child’s
School to Stop Bullying
The idea of discussing bullying with school authorities can be overwhelming. But not working with them is worse. Try to be present at Parent–Teacher meetings to raise your concerns. Find out what the school policies are, and if there are anger, stress and emotional management classes for Children. Ask about how these classes are done. Ask about how support staff (e.g.. bus drivers and janitors) can help. Ask about how you can also help them to make the environment safe for every kid in the school.
5.
Cyber Bullying
In this modern era, the internet, computers, and mobile phones are common ways of networking and having access to each other. But this also comes with a very serious threat. Bullies these days use the computers, internet and phones to:
In this modern era, the internet, computers, and mobile phones are common ways of networking and having access to each other. But this also comes with a very serious threat. Bullies these days use the computers, internet and phones to:
a.
Send threats, taunting or teasing
e-mails to you.
b.
Spread gossip or rumors.
c.
Impersonate (pretending to be
someone) online to get you to
e-mail things that will embarrass you or put people in trouble.
e-mail things that will embarrass you or put people in trouble.
d.
Texting hurtful or rude comments to someone’s
phone.
The Internet is virtual (that means
it is not something tangible that you can touch). This encourages evildoers and
bullies to remain anonymous to hurt others. Anyone at all (including the person
that sits next to you in class or in your neighbourhood) can anonymously use
the Internet to send you dirty, embarrassing and dangerous messages, and you
will never know. This means we all need to be careful and vigilant.
If you think you are being bullied online, tell an adult immediately. These days, people can be identified and arrested.
Below are a few things you can also do:
If you think you are being bullied online, tell an adult immediately. These days, people can be identified and arrested.
Below are a few things you can also do:
1.
Avoid unsafe websites. If your dad
or mum is watching your activities online, do not stop them. They are doing so
to protect you.
2.
Don’t share personal information
(email passwords and others) with someone you don’t know or don’t trust. Change
your passwords often.
3.
Do not post your e-mail address on a
public message board or in a chat room. Keep your email away from the public.
4.
Do not join, comment on funny things
that people post online. Stay away from trouble. If you are not sure of
something, get someone to read over before you post things online.
Do not Record or Take Photos of Bad Things
These days many young people have phones or computers or devices that can take photos or videos. These devices are all connected to the internet and very often people type, text, photograph, videotape and publish to their friends via the internet even before they get a chance to think of what they are sending and what that can do to them.
The danger is in Leaking. Leak means something gets out of your control without your permission and you have no way of getting it back.
Never text or type, take any photo or make a video of any silly thing, either of yourself or your friend, on any device. Once that is recorded, it can spread like wildfire because it is electronic content and can easily be shared by all. Sometimes it is not your intention to share it, but what if you lose your phone and a stranger gets hold of it, or a friend happens to see it on your computer, or your phone is hacked? If it gets viral (leaks onto the internet) it can never be controlled, and it can haunt you for the rest of your life!
Can you imagine what can happen if
there is a video/photo or text going around with you or a friend in it, drunk,
or naked, or in a boy-girl act, or in a situation that is very bad? How would
you feel? How would your parents feel? How would you handle that?
This is why it is very important that you stay away from
recording texts and photos and videos of yourself and others doing wrong or
silly things in the first place.
Do Not Hurt Someone by Posting
Each time you want to post something (text, photo, video) onto your Facebook or Instagram or internet, think carefully about how that will affect you and others. Ask yourself:
Do Not Hurt Someone by Posting
Each time you want to post something (text, photo, video) onto your Facebook or Instagram or internet, think carefully about how that will affect you and others. Ask yourself:
1.
Is it fair to everyone?
2.
Is it descent?
3.
Are you proud of it?
4.
Will it hurt someone's feeling?
5.
Will it damage someone's reputation?
6.
Is it safe?
If you think this way, you are more
likely to be safe and also, you will be helping to keep your friends safe.
You also
have to encourage your friends to stay away from such behavior. Look out for
your friends and ask them to do the same for you, but always remember that the
best and safest way now, is that DO NOT text, photograph or videotape
any incident of yourself or your friends that can get you into trouble.
Many Faces of Bullying |
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