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With the advances of Web 2.0 and social media applications, it becomes evident that while new technologies today are said to isolate youth, they also provide opportunities for them to communicate and form new types of connections. This chapter will explore the range of relationships established and maintained by the use of technology. The media has recently devoted a great deal of effort into raising awareness of cyberbullying and other dangers associated with communicating online. Allowing a child to socialize using Facebook, Virtual Worlds, or online gaming is certainly a major risk. However, the question is whether or not the risk is worthwhile. There are ways to restrict what can be said online that can protect children, but this chapters explores ways for technologies to effectively embrace open communication that facilitates interaction, promotes language development, and strengthens connections between people.

This chapter acknowledges that earlier sections of this book have largely relied on positive parenting stories, but that we need to pay attention to the cautionary tales. Therefore, the chapter introduces the story of Lori Drew, the “cyberbullying mom” implicated in Meghan Meier's suicide. It also introduces Kayla Torelli, a teen with unhealthy Facebook practices, and reviews a teen focus group discussion on experiences with would-be Internet predators. Exploring teen resistance to parental helicopter parenting, the chapter questions the ways in which technologies make it easier than ever for parents to become over-involved in their children's lives through surveillance and other forms of privacy invasion, and the impact that such practices may have on parent/child relationships.

This chapter outlines what is known about the characteristics, vulnerabilities, and on- and offline behaviour of victims of online-facilitated child sexual abuse and exploitation, considering the analysis carried out through a systematic rapid evidence assessment (REA). Beginning with a summary of research sources, it presents four general conclusions from the research. First, online child sexual victimisation (OCSV) is varied. At least five types of OCSV were identified: grooming by strangers, primarily initiated in social networking or gaming websites; sexual exploitation by strangers in webcam centres and similar; sexual abuse by family members or acquaintances that is photographed or videoed; coercive sexual violence between peers, leading to youth-produced material; and trafficking of child abuse material online. Second, an important finding from the triangulation of the different data sources is the under-reporting, and lack of research, concerning young children who are subject to OCSV. A third finding is that the field encompasses a wide range of behaviours and social phenomena that are often implicit in the research, including the relationship between sexual victimisation and other sources of harm, such as cyberbullying; childhood sexual activity that is not violent; gender regimes and patriarchy; and social divisions and intersectionality. Finally, there is significant variation in the definitions and concepts utilised in the research, which makes direct comparison problematic.

In this chapter, key studies from forty years of research are reviewed which have sought to define, categorise and understand bullying behaviour. Early studies of ‘mobbing’ conducted in Scandinavia in the 1970s are discussed, and the chapter considers the various definitions of bullying offered by subsequent researchers, discussing both their similarities and differences. Some of the methodological issues encountered over the years are explored and a commentary is offered on the ways in which those behaviours we now describe as ‘bullying’ have come about. This chapter considers whether there are perceptible sex differences in bullying, and also whether or not there has been a shift in pattern of that behaviour over time. Finally, a commentary on ‘cyberbullying’ is offered together with a discussion of the conceptual and methodological issues we face today in tackling this new form of aggressive behaviour.

In the last five years the topic of cyberbullying has gained tremendous public and research attention. With the massification of social media applications, the possibilities of personal publishing and networking have increased, but also the possibilities of improper usage such as online harassment. The data show that many perpetrators and victims of cyberbullying are not just in one or the other role; they sometimes engage in both activities. In this chapter, cyberbullies, cybervictims and cyberbully victims were compared with regard to age, gender, psychological difficulties, self-efficacy, sensation-seeking and ostracism. Logistic regressions indicate that incidents of offline bullying (as perpetrator and/or victim) are strong predictors of cyberbullying, followed by psychological difficulties.

On their own, photos and videos are not a reliable source of information about what is taking place in a school. It’s easy to react emotionally or with outrage to a video of a fight, a child being picked on, or some other display of abuse or wrongdoing. But everyone knows from highly publicized incidents posted on YouTube, Twitter, or other social media sites that photos and videos can be taken out of context. They tell a story, but they don’t tell the whole story. Even so, they can be used by administrators to discern whether the action shown in the photo or video is an isolated incident or could be a symptom of a larger problem. If an alarming photo or video taken at a school is receiving attention from the media, it’s better to talk about it with the school community as soon as possible than to pretend it didn’t happen. Situations like these create an opportunity to examine and share other sources of data about school safety, violence, and victimization. Too often, one incident can cause the public to draw conclusions about a school that are not accurate. That’s why a monitoring system is necessary— to put such an incident in context. Administrators who can refer to other sources of data regarding violence, drug use, or weapons can respond with more confidence when faced with criticism over one incident. As part of a monitoring system, photos, videos and other technology can be used for positive purposes. They allow students who might skip questions on a survey or don’t want to speak up during a focus group to express themselves in a different way. There are many examples of projects in which students are given cameras and microphones and encouraged to express themselves and present their experiences in school through this media. In addition to the individual students benefitting from such experiences, school leaders, staff members, and parents get the opportunity to see the school from the students’ perspectives.

The chapter analyses select U.S. federal and state policies that aim to regulate young people’s use of technology from the 1990s onward. There have been three waves of panics related to young people’s use of technology: porn, predators, and peers (specifically bullying and sexting). Each concern was fuelled by sensational media attention, and at times, fallacious research. Although policies are often a necessary aspect of regulation, the chapter demonstrates the ways policies often reflect privileged understandings of risk and overlook the unintended consequences of prohibitive regulation, particularly for marginalized populations. Additionally, it argues that other modes of regulation – such as the market and social norms – can be effective modes of balancing risks and opportunities.

Non-consensual image sharing is a 21st-century concern at the intersection of some of the most difficult challenges of our time: sexual trauma, victims’ rights, internet privacy, and free speech. Also known as non-consensual pornography, technology-facilitated violence, and revenge pornography, the phenomenon occurs when sexually explicit, nude or semi-nude photos are distributed without the consent of the individual pictured. This chapter explores non-consensual image sharing research and discusses trends as well as future questions that have yet to be answered about the pervasiveness of this problem. It is asserted that research on the impact of cyber sexual exploitation on victims is needed, as are initiatives that integrate victim resources, tools for law enforcement, and technical resources to identify and remove content.

This introduction chapter presents the historical, personal, and academic background that led to this book that examines a model of school violence in context. The chapter presents the book chapters: a revised model of school violence in evolving contexts; the definition of bullying and school violence; exploring similarities and differences between groups in base rates of victimization and in the structures of victimization types; the multiple ways of exposure to a range of weapons on school grounds, focusing on school-level analysis; sexual victimization and its association with cultural groups; suicide and its relations with bullying both on the individual and school levels; the victimization of teachers by students and of students by their teachers and their interrelationships on a student and school-level; multiple forms of cyberbullying and their relationships with “traditional” bullying; school climate, its definitions, and relationships with victimization and academic achievement over time; policy and intervention implications.

This chapter explores the emerging issues surrounding cyberbullying. It discusses the role of the school regarding cyberbullying victimization (even when it does not take place on school grounds) and the shift toward schools taking more responsibility over these behaviors. The chapter examines critically multiple definitions of cyberbullying and their implications for research and policy. It identifies specific types and manifestations of cyberbullying (e.g., social and sexual victimization). The chapter reviews some of the findings on prevalence, correlates, and consequences of cyberbullying and discusses interventions, policies, and legal frameworks that address these issues. The chapter presents a case study of a large national sample of Israeli students that examines the prevalence of cyberbullying, traditional bullying, and their interrelationships in the context of school climate, both on the student and the school level.

Chapter 10 explores the ways culture shapes how we behave in the presence of others, aggression, violence, and war. It discusses obedience, Milgram’s experiment, obedience and culture, and cross-cultural comparisons on obedience. It addresses conformity, culture and conformity, conformity and disease, peer pressure, and culture-specific and cross-cultural studies on peer pressure. It also discusses aggression, explanations of aggression, cultural factors that shape aggression, and the connection between parenting practices and aggression. Finally, it discusses violence against individuals, child maltreatment, cross-cultural studies on child abuse, bullying, cyberbullying, violence against women, war, ethnic genocide, and child soldiers. This chapter includes a case study, Culture Across Disciplines box, chapter summary, key terms, a What Do Other Disciplines Do? section, thought-provoking questions, and class and experiential activities.

This chapter serves as an introduction to the book and it starts with a very brief overview of several online bullying cases that resulted in suicides (which are elaborated on later in the book) and that garnered significant attention from the media internationally. The chapter explains the dynamic between the relevant stakeholders (regulators, industry, parents/caregivers, media, educators) that emerge in such cases, focusing briefly on the pressures that the companies where these incidents took place can face under such circumstances, which leads to the development of their self-regulatory mechanisms (cyberbullying policies, intervention and prevention mechanisms). This chapter also details the scope of the book and the questions it raises.

This chapter provides a more elaborate review and a critical examination of research findings about digital bullying, drawing from an interdisciplinary literature. In light of these findings, it critically analyzes media coverage of e-safety, online risks and harms, which digital bullying is an example of, as well as moral and technopanics –exaggerated concerns over youth use of technology and the consequences that emerge under such circumstances for various stakeholders. This chapter also builds the case for considering protection from digital bullying in the context of children’s rights. Wider social and cultural problems that remain less discussed in public discourse on digital bullying are given special attention to, building the case as to why it is important to address the culture of humiliation, focusing attention on dignity, rather than engaging in simplistic binaries of finger-pointing that are so often witnessed in the aftermaths of digital bullying cases.

This chapter provides an analysis of five digital bullying cases that resulted in suicides (the so-called “high profile cases”). The chapter documents the pressures that companies face when such circumstances arise; the nature of the public discussion and media coverage, reactions from relevant stakeholders and how such circumstances may result in government regulation that does not necessarily address the problem in a manner that benefits children. The consequences of similar legislation that developed in the aftermath of tragic incidents in other parts of the world are also examined, ushering the discussion on liability protections for intermediaries and self-regulatory systems that are taken up in the next chapter.

Unlike kinetic weapons, cyberweapons purport to target facilities (rather than individuals) and, to date, have caused no immediate injuries. While some theorists focus upon the direct nature of a cyberattack, the chapter focuses on the harm a cyberattack causes. Although many believe that cyberattacks do not cause sufficient harm to violate noncombatant immunity, we dispute this. The chapter examines the effects of long-term destruction brought about in the course of regular warfare to draw conclusions about the probable knock-on effects of cyberterrorism. To evaluate the psychological effects of cyberterrorism the chapter draws on existing studies of cyberbullying and identity theft. Additionally, the chapter offers our own data drawn from simulated cyberattacks that include invasion of privacy, unauthorized dissemination of personal information, stolen data, and threats. The chapter's analysis suggests that cyberterrorism causes significant anxiety and substantially influences rational political thinking, so much so that cyberterrorism violates the principle of noncombatant immunity even when it does not cause physical harm.

This chapter explains how the use of computer-mediated communication has dramatically altered written and spoken language, entertainment and socialization as well as general learning and formal education for students. This chapter explores types of computer-mediated communication and discusses potential consequences of digital communication. The chapter closes with strategies that practitioners can use to include computer-mediated communication within the auditory (re)habilitation context.

Film programming is a vital element for libraries today, and there are key features of effective programs that create social and interactive experiences. Although it can be difficult to design film programs that create community, given library constraints of time and talent, partnering with community organizations can help create library film programs relevant to the communities they serve. As with author visits, filmmaker appearances, whether live or virtual, can provide audiences insight into motivation, imagination, and the creative process. Media influence our attitudes and behaviors in complicated ways not fully understood. Overuse of video games and the rise of consumerism, cyberbullying, sexting, and online pornography are real concerns. Digital citizenship is about access as it relates to the normative behaviors and knowledge that are needed for responsible participation in digital culture. To counter the paradigm of risk and harm of media use and youth, some librarians are assessing the real needs of people in their communities and using intentional and appropriate use of new media for young children, teens, and at-risk populations. Because film and media engage the head, heart, and spirit, they can stimulate complex discussion about social, political, moral, and ethical issues.