The National Centre Against Cyberbullying is holding a conference  in Melbourne,  Australia  8 - 10 April 2010. The theme is "Navigating the maze - cybesafety and wellbeing solutions for schools". The NCAB is an initiative of The Alannah and Madelaine Foundation. Keynote speakers at the  event  include:

•  Bill Belsey, president and creator of www.bullying.org
• Prof. Shaheen Shariff , McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
• Prof. Donna Cross,  Edith Cowan University, Adelaide, Australia
• Michael Boivin, Laval University, Canada

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The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard,  has announced the 164 schools selected to take part in a national pilot project to address cyber-safety. Schools participating in the project will implement policies and practices to support the smart, safe and responsible use of technology.  They will be provided with web resources designed to help them create an approach to cyber-safety that meets their own specific needs. Government and non-government primary and secondary schools in urban, rural and remote Australia will participate in the cyber-safety pilot which will run until 30 April 2010. Read the media… Read More

 In a classic example of  "dont tell them, show them", US advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi has created “RE: Cry of the Dolphins” with Google/YouTube and the US  National Crime Prevention Council's Circle… Read More

Read  the article in NewsOk.com Read More

When a school in the United States recently suspended a student for cyberbullying, free speech advocates claimed the school was overreacting to an issue that was outside its jurisdiction. A recent editorial in the LA Times  argues that "parents, not schools, are the first line of defense against cyber-bullying. School administrators across the nation are trying to rein in cyber-bullying, and some judges have been ruling against the crackdowns. The judges are right." Read… Read More

The Sydney Morning Herald's  legal affairs reporter, Joel Gibson, looks at the downside of putting too much information online - and how companies are using Facebook to research clients and employees. Read the full article. Read More

The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, has released Australian research on the ‘Method of Shared Concern’ which seeks to resolve cases of bullying without the use of punishment. The study provides the first in-depth examination of the approach and suggests it can be highly successful in improving the situation of children being bullied Read More

A new consumer protection guide from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) , called Net cetera - Chatting with kids about being online , advises parents that talking, not censorship, is the best  way to help kids stay safe online. Jon Leibowitz, the FTC Chairman said: "The conversations that make kids good digital citizens aren’t about the technology; they’re about communicating your values as a parent. Teaching kids to treat others as they’d like to be treated online is key. Net Cetera tells you how to start those conversations – even if you think your kids… Read More

Fact sheets produced by the NSW Department of Education and Training to help parents, teens and younger… Read More

Internet censorship plan gets the green light - Sydney Morning Herald December 15, 2009

Twitter reacts to Australia's internet filter - IT Wire December 15, 2009

Internet filter to protect her children from porn and other horrors gives mother some peace of mind -… Read More

The Australian Government announced today (15 Dec 2009) further details of its approach to improve safety on the internet for Australian families. (media release)

The cybersafety measures announced include:

1. Introduction of mandatory ISP-level filtering of Refused Classification (RC) –rated content

2. A grants program to encourage the introduction of optional filtering by Internet Service Providers, to block additional content as requested by households

3. An expansion of the cybersafety outreach program run by the Australian Communications and Media… Read More

Channel 7 breakfast show, Sunrise, hosted by Melissa Doyle and David Koch is currently focussing on bullying. The "Face up to bullying" campaign includes  a petition to the Australian government to appoint a regulator for social networking sites and  introduce a national uniform policy… Read More

This special issue of Click- a technology guide for parents reviews the recent Cyberbullying Forum hosted in Sydney by the NSW Department of Education and Training, and provides information for parents and community on the latest research and suggestions from industry experts.  Articles: Latest… Read More

According to the Sydney Morning Herald today: "Facebook users may be in for a rude awakening this week following a revamp of privacy settings that prompts them to post their status updates and personal information directly to the internet for everyone to see. The privacy overhaul, which is intended to give users more control over who sees the information they post on their personal pages, suggests users publish posts and personal information, such as work and education, to everyone, as the social networking company responds… Read More

'Zip it, Block it, Flag it'
British children over 5 years old will now be taught cybersafety, as part of a new cybersafety strategy. The mandatory lessons hope to reproduce the same level of awareness schools achieved with  road safety campaigns of the past. "The internet provides our children with a world of entertainment, opportunity and knowledge - a world literally at their fingertips," said Prime Minister Gordon Brown. "But we must ensure that the virtual world is as safe for them as this one. We hope that 'zip it, block it, flag it' will become as familiar… Read More

Following a study by MTV and Associated Press, the music channel has joined forces with social networking sites like Facebook  and Twitterto  promote their campaign, A Thin Line. The site features videos, articles,  "Get help now" advice,links, a quiz - and a chance for  kids to win $10K with their own creative entries in the "Redraw… Read More

SMART ONLINE SAFE OFFLINE (SOSO) is a unique social initiative bringing together community, government and the digital media industry as partners to deliver online campaigns, aimed at educating young internet users about the dangers in their online environment. The SOSO initiative will raise awareness and educate kids about how to be smart online in a relevant and engaging way, operating within the online social networking space. SOSO campaigns will target online threats such as cyberbullying and identity theft. Read More

The Cyber Friendly Schools Project site is  maintained by Edith Cowan University and  includes : Student Voices, a short film consisting of 3 x 3 minute interview segments with Western Australian students' thoughts and opinions on cyber bullying related issues. The Cyber Friendly Student Summit -  Students who attended the Cyber Friendly Student Summit created original 30 second multimedia submissions about cyber bullying. Cyber Friendly Student… Read More

 Take a stand - lend a hand is the tag line for the US campaign, Stop Bullying Now. The site is created by the HRSA - The US  Government's  Health Resources and Services Administration. It features  a series of animated "webisodes"  and games aimed at younger kids,  information for parents, educators, health and… Read More

Tom Wood  writes for Girlfriend Magazine, and has a wealth of cyber experience he shares with adults, kids, researchers and government. He has just finished the HSC in Melbourne and hasn't been as active on his blog as  usual, but  it's worth reading his Complete Guide To Stopping Cyberbullying. It includes details about how to report abuse and block users from a range of social networks. Read More

This workshop explored the role of Legislation and Policy in providing a framework to address cyber-bullying across contexts (curriculum; education campaigns; academic, community and industry partnerships) within the community.     Focus questions: What are the Legislative and Policy issues involved for government and community?

• Legislative and policy issues – where  schools provide access to technology (ie DER) they need to incorporate acceptable use policies 
• Cyberbullying  becomes a  child protection issue?
• What Digital education  means to  Australian schools– requisite policy to minimise… Read More

ABC Heywire blogger, Jarrod Watt looks at the UK's National Anti-Bullying Week, and the guidelines released by Facebook to help young people and parents avoid online bullying. (See UK Guardian story ) Click here to read Jarrod Watt's article on the ABC's Heywire blog. Read More

It's National Anti-Bullying-Week in the UK and the theme is cyberbullying.  A recent study for the Department for Children, Schools and Families revealed 47% of 14-year-olds in the survey reported bullying, while  41% of 15-year-olds and 29% of 16-year-olds report facing the problem. As part of the campaign,Facebook  has released user guidelines to help reduce  cyberbullying. Director of European public policy, Richard Allan, said: "National Anti-Bullying Week is a really important campaign and Facebook takes the issue of cyber-bullying very seriously. It's a great opportunity for us to communicate… Read More

The Chair of General Purpose Standing Committee No 2, the Hon Robyn Parker MLC, today tabled the Committee’s report on the bullying of children and young people, saying the inquiry clearly demonstrated that there needs to be a concerted effort to address bullying, particularly given that in the most extreme cases, bullying can result in the loss of young lives to suicide. 091112 Media release and recommendations   Full Inquiry report … Read More

This  workshop explored how academic, community and industry partnerships can work together to better inform strategies  around cyberbullying prevention.   Key themes from the discussion:

1. Partnerships need to operate under a common, shared framework, which includes no “silos” ,  a common language and clear goals across departments… Read More

This workshop focussed on creating a brief for educational materials aimed at students, parents, teachers and the community, to support curriculum and policy. The youth audience is a tough market to impress. What do successful marketers consider when targeting this audience? Facilitators: Ashley Farr, SMART Advertising and Tracey Sen NSW DET. Participants included, parents, industry leaders, marketers, parent groups, educators and  researchers.

 

Review of available resources:

• At the moment, too many resources being developed independently, in isolation of others.
• Great risk of  parents, teachers,… Read More

Students from public schools across NSW  joined a videoconference workshop to discuss young people’s priorities for addressing or preventing cyberbullying.  These priorities can inform other roundtable workshop areas like policy, curriculum and education campaigns. Key concepts:

1. Technology offers great opportunities for young people to learn, develop, socialise and participate.  However, like anything else, technology can be misused. There are risks that need to be managed.
2. Technology is a part of all aspects of life, including school.
3. We all have a responsibility to prevent bullying, including cyberbullying,… Read More

Media Release : NSW Minister for Education and Training
Students from 42 NSW schools will share their experiences of cyberbullying and offer solutions to help tackle the behaviour at a dedicated forum in Sydney on Wednesday. NSW Minister for Education and Training Verity Firth said students would be joined by top policy makers, researchers, educators and social media experts. Minister's media release -Cyberbullying forum Read More

This workshop explored the role of the curriculum in addressing cyber-bullying. Participants included curriculum designers,  ACMA, parents groups, social media industry leaders, researchers, NSW police and educators from public and independant systems across Australia. Technology has a positive role in the lives of children and young people’s. However, technology is also open to misuse and has some risks associated with its use.

1. Technology is embedded in all aspects of life, including teaching and learning.
2. Addressing cyberbullying is a whole-of-community responsibility, and requires a whole-of-community response.
3. For… Read More

Dr Marilyn Campbell looks at the definition of cyberbullying, why criminalising it may be a dangerous step and other issues for schools and communities. Cyberbullying issues for communities… Read More

This workshop explored young people’s priorities for addressing or preventing cyberbullying.  These priorities can inform other roundtable workshop areas like policy, curriculum and education campaigns. Key concepts:

1. Technology offers great opportunities for young people to learn, develop, socialise and participate.  However,… Read More

Professor  Donna Cross shares the most recent (and sometimes surprising) research findings, which are essential reading for anyone planning anti-bullying strategies. How prevalent is bullying in NSW? What surprising similarities do the bullies, and young people being bullied share? Is there a correlation between offline and online bullying? What strategies do we now know don't work? Prof Donna Cross Bullying that follows you… Read More

Watch the Channel Ten news coverage of the recent Cyberbullying Forum in Sydney hosted by the NSW Department of Education and Training Read More

Marilyn Campbell, Associate Professor at the Queensland University of Technology, said responses to cyberbullying had so far focused on “cyber-safety” measures. At the Cyberbullying Forum, Dr Campbell asked delegates to consider: “We seem to emphasise protection of all kids [but] should we have the same emphasis on preventing kids bullying in the first place?” “How do we engage young people’s moral compass when they actually go online because … some kids are actually more prone to a disinhibition effect, thinking they are protected behind the screen?” What are your thoughts? Read More

Students talk about the importance of social media in their lives, and what they know of cyberbullying. This video also features cyber-safety consultant and HSC student Tom Wood, explaining what he advises kids to do when they're bullied online.


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A panel of communication industry experts gave insights into kids’ online social networking worlds and suggested directions society should be taking to address cyberbullying.   There are amazing benefits to using social networking sites!… Read More

The Cyberbullying Forum is over and 160 participants from government, the community, schools and industry have shared insights and the latest Australian and international research on cyberbullying. The group has formed important networks and collaborated to come up with ideas on how to address the issue. But what’s the next step? Apart from continuing the discussion through the forum blog, some clear and strong messages came from the forum participants which will help guide the development of future strategies. NSW Department of Education Hunter/Central Coast regional director Robyn McKerihan said the forum represented a first “significant… Read More

NSW school students say a graphic online advertising campaign could be successful in highlighting the devastating effects of cyberbullying and deterring would-be perpetrators. However any campaign needs to use teenagers and not “celebrity role models”, they say. Speaking at the Cyberbullying Forum, students from around the state shared their views via videconference with facilitator Ann-Marie Furney. Ms Furney, a NSW Department of Education and Training school education director, says students believe a strong online campaign on YouTube could highlight the “ripple effect” that bullying has for victims.… Read More

A national multi-agency approach involving government, community groups, industry members, educators and students is required to deal with the upsetting issue of cyberbullying, NSW Minister for Education and Training Verity Firth says. Ms Firth, speaking at the Cyberbullying Forum, says cyberbullying is a social problem that requires a whole of society approach. “Because children socialise online outside school hours, cyberbullying is not solely an issue for, or in our schools,” she says. “It’s not solely a school issue – it’s an issue that effects the whole community.” Ms Firth says cyberbullying is an unfortunate side-effect of… Read More

The number of Australian children who report being bullied each day would fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australian academic Donna Cross says. Professor Cross, director of Edith Cowan University’s Child Health Promotion Research Centre, says 100,000 children are bullied at recess and lunch breaks in Australian schools each day. Professor Cross, who was lead author of a national… Read More

High school students say cyberbullying is under-reported because teenagers don’t want their access to technology taken away. Students, speaking at the Cyberbullying Forum, say they use social media sites, such as Bebo and MSN Messenger, to keep in touch with friends and often feel ashamed to alert parents about cyberbullying… Read More

A new Smart Online, Safe Offline education campaign focussing on bystander behaviour has been launched by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. The campaign features a YouTube video and online game aimed at 9-15 year olds.  Read More

The Reach Out site provides young people with the information, help, support, advice and connections they need to manage mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, suicide, bullying and relationship issues.
Cyberbullying: What is it and how to get help Read More

Cyberbullying: what the research is telling us. A presentation on slideshare by Amanda Lenhart, pewinternet.com at the NAAG: Year of the Child Summit Philadelphia 2009 Read More

Bullying. No way! is developed and managed by all Australian education authorities. 
It has content available for parents, teachers and students. Read More

Resources from the Victoria Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) The 'Safe Schools are Effective Schools' strategy includes a definition of bullying, an anti-bullying policy, the key characteristics of safe and effective schools, strategies for schools including case studies of good practice schools and strategies for parents dealing with bullying incidents. Cybersafe Classroom - Learning… Read More

Young People and Technology - A review of the current literature (2nd edition) PDF.
Prepared for The Alannah and Madeline Foundation Read More

This is a hub for conversations, research, resources, events and stories about cyberbullying and how to deal with it. If you've found this site you probably have an interest in or an experience with cyberbullying.  Please contribute to this blog and help create a deep and shared understanding of the issue. This site has been created to run in parallel with the Cyberbullying Forum held in Sydney on 4 November 2009. Through this event we have created a community of parents, educators, students, government, researchers, NGOs  and industry experts who are all passionate about making cyberspace a friendlier and more supportive space. Read More

Donna Cross is the Foundation Professor of Child and Adolescent Health in the School of Exercise Biomedical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University. She is also the Director of the University's Child Health Promotion Research Centre. During the past 20 years Donna has conducted research in the areas of bullying prevention, injury control, mental health promotion and smoking cessation and has worked for various international organisations including WHO, UNICEF, and the American Health Foundation. Research: Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Study, 2009… Read More

An article from Click - a NSW Department of Education and Training ezine for parents. Technology has provided a new medium with which to intimidate and cyberbullying has become a highly unwelcomed side-effect.  And it can have far-reaching and highly targeted effects. More Read More

Cyberbully411 is a resource for youth who have questions about or have been targeted by online harassment. The website was created by Internet Solutions for Kids, Inc with funding from the Community Technology Foundation of California. Most of the data and information they talk about on the site is based upon three national surveys of young people online. Read More

The Advisory Committee to the Congressional Internet Caucus has posted a collection of papers from prominent American researchers including Amanda Lenhart, Dr. David Finkelhor and Dr. Michele Ybarra (and KJ Mitchell and J Wolak) and Danah Boyd. Read More

An article from Click - a NSW Department of Education and Training ezine for parents.
When we were kids bullying was usually out in the open, in front of other people. Or it included things like notes being passed around about you in class. As horrible and upsetting as it was, you could usually escape the torment at home.  More Read More

Edna - Australia's free online network for educators Read More

Cybersmart provides activities, resources and practical advice to help kids, teens and parents safely enjoy the online world. Cybersmart also offers training and resources for schools and materials for library staff. Developed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, Cybersmart is part of the Australian Government’s cybersafety program.  Read More

ACMA has an ongoing program of research, information collection and analysis of the availability, performance and adequacy of communications services, and consumer issues in Australia. This research aims to inform strategic policy development, regulatory reviews, investigations, and to better inform consumers. This page lists the ACMA's research publications grouped for consumers and for industry. Older research publications are available on the archive page. All publications on the site are provided in PDF format.  Read More

Childnet International is a non-profit organisation working with others to “help make the Internet a great and safe place for children”. Its digizen.org site has resources on cyberbullying including the cyberbullying film, Let’s Fight It Together. It is a drama documentary produced by students and has an accompanying lesson plan. (pdf)
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Click is the Department of Education and Training's very practical technology guide for parents. It includes stories, vodcasts, podcasts and expert blogs on a broad range of subjects including social media, online safety and how technology is currently being used in schools.


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The Australian Government has funded a national pilot project aimed at addressing cyberbullying in schools. At least 150 schools will be involved in the $3 million project which is being developed and conducted by the Alannah and Madeline Foundation. Government and non-government schools will participate in the pilot which will run until April 2010.  Read More

In April 2008, The West Australian Government committed $400,000 to study cyberbullying. The five-year study is being undertaken by the WA Government and Edith Cowan University’s Child Health Promotion Research Centre. The information gained in the study will be used to develop a cyberbullying intervention program to help school communites and families reduce cyberbullying behaviour.  Read More

On 28 February 2008 the Minister for Youth, the Hon. Linda Burney, met with the Youth Advisory Council and asked it to provide advice to the Government on strategies to build awareness of cyberbullying and its affects on young people. The Council took a number of steps in order to become better informed on the issue of cyberbullying. This included a Cyberbullying Online Forum which was held from 6 October to 7 November 2008. The Council presented a Report to the Minister for Youth on Cyberbullying(pdf) The report was released in March 2009. Read More

Dr Spears is senior lecturer at the University of South Australia in the Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences. She is currently researching insights into the human dimension of covert bullying. Research: Behind the scenes: Insights into the human dimension of covert bullying (2008) Read More

A recent online survey conducted by BoysTown among 548 young people across Australia found the most typical forms of cyberbullying to include name calling, abusive comments, spreading rumours, threats of physical harm, being ignored or excluded, having opinions slammed, online impersonation and being sent rude or upsetting images. (Kids Helpline. (2009). Cyberbullying: Experiences, impacts and interventions as described by Australian young people. Unpublished research report. Brisbane, Queensland: Megan Price) Common situations for cyber bullying to… Read More

Youth Poll 2008 is the final iteration of an annual survey conducted by the Australian Democrats since 1992. For 16 years, Senator Stott Despoja produced Youth Poll to give young people a say on a variety of issues including education, health and employment. The annual survey aimed to capture the perceptions of young people (15-20 years) about themselves, their place in society and the issues important to them. The survey was designed to produce a demographic and attitudinal profile of young Australians in relation to employment, health, education and training, and national and state issues. Findings that relate to online use and cyberbullying:… Read More

Dr Marilyn Campbell is currently an associate professor at the Queensland University of Technology. Her main clinical and research interests are the prevention and intervention of anxiety disorders in young people and the effects of bullying, especially cyberbullying in schools. Research A school's duty to provide a safe learning environment: Does this include cyberbullying? Australia and New Zealand Journal of Law and Education, 13 (2). pp 21 - 32 Cyberbullying and young people: Treatment principles not simplistic advice. In www.scientist-practitioner.com,… Read More

Keynote speakers: Professor Donna Cross, Edith Cowan University WA and Dr Marilyn Campbell, Queensland University of Technology The Forum will bring together Australian educators, researchers and industry experts to create a shared and deep understanding of cyberbullying. Round table workshops will explore recommendations for addressing cyberbullying through policy, curriculum and community education programs.  Read More