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Cyberbullying and the Wild, Wild Web: What You Need to Know
J. A. Hitchcock began to have an interest in cyberstalking and cyberbullies in 1996 when she blew the whistle on a literary agency scam. They stole her identity and began posting messages online pretending to be her; and that was only the beginning of a barrage of threats. When she contacted local police they had never had an internet-related case and couldn’t help her, so she taught herself how to track down online criminals, how to handle the situation, and how to stay safer online. After 10 years of being a victim, her cyberstalkers were brought to justice. Unfortunately, not all internet crime stories end with a happy ending.
Really, anyone of any age can become the target of a cyberbully. And quite honestly, victims are getting younger and younger every year when it comes to being cyberbullied. Throughout Cyberbullying and the Wild, Wild Web, Hitchcock explains how someone can become victim to cyberbullying and how they can stay safer online. Offering victims, and parents, the chance to be able to relate to and truly understand the unfortunate reality of cyberbullying through real-life examples of what happened to someone who had been through a similar situation.
For much-needed practical advice, from an expert who truly understands the threat of cybercrime, this is a must-have resource to combat the ever-growing problem of internet crime in our society.
Really, anyone of any age can become the target of a cyberbully. And quite honestly, victims are getting younger and younger every year when it comes to being cyberbullied. Throughout Cyberbullying and the Wild, Wild Web, Hitchcock explains how someone can become victim to cyberbullying and how they can stay safer online. Offering victims, and parents, the chance to be able to relate to and truly understand the unfortunate reality of cyberbullying through real-life examples of what happened to someone who had been through a similar situation.
For much-needed practical advice, from an expert who truly understands the threat of cybercrime, this is a must-have resource to combat the ever-growing problem of internet crime in our society.
- GenresNonfictionParenting
140 pages, Hardcover
Published December 16, 2016
4 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 10, 2021
An overview of cyberbullying with some basic and helpful advice. It would've been much more helpful if it were more specific. For example, it advises talking to your child if they're a victim of cyberbullying, or the perpetrator of cyberbullying. The book could have included scripts or sample conversations. The book also recommends using filtering and monitoring software, and lists a few examples, but doesn't describe what features to look for, or how to effectively use the software, or talk to your child about it.
The book would have benefited from more positive stories, telling how kids survived cyberbullying (maybe with the help of their parents or others). Almost all the stories are negative, showcasing the emotional and physical damage cyberbullying can lead to. Because the book contains graphic stories (with sex and violence), it's for mature readers.
The book is repetitive; similar advice is given in different chapters.
The author is the founder of Working to Halt Online Abuse (WHO@), which runs the websites HaltAbuse.org and the kids/teens division, HaltAbuseKTD.org. She was cyberstalked in 1996, and dealt with the results for 10 years.
I read this to learn more about protecting kids online.
Notes
Forward
Almost half of teens have been cyberbullied in the past year. 2/3 of them think it's a serious problem. Only 1/6 of parents are aware of scope or intensity of cyberbullying.
Who Are Cyberbullies?
43% of students were cyberbullied by someone they knew, who was their age.
59% of cyberbullies are girls.
What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is technically cyberstalking (repeated online communications after harasser has been asked to stop). The media coined term "cyberbullying" to refer to cybertalking done by kids and teens.
Girls are more likely to spread rumors; boys are more likely to post hurtful pictures or videos.
What If Your Child is a Cyberbully?
Warning signs that your child is a cyberbully
• When you approach, child changes or closes what's on screen.
• Child turns off phone or places it upside down, so you can't see screen.
• Child uses computer or phone frequently and/or at all hours of the night.
• Child gets annoyed if they don't have access to computer or phone.
• Child avoids talking about what they do on computer or phone.
• Child laughs excessively when on computer or phone.
• Child has been involved in bullying incidents at school, or has been targeted by bullies in past.
If you learn your child has been cyberbullying
• Ask why they're doing it. Let them know you want to help.
• Tell them it could lead to legal action, even arrest.
• Tell them they could get kicked out of school, lose their job, lose a scholarship, or lose a college admission.
• Consider going with your child to school counselor, child's teacher, and/or principal.
• Require that child use devices in a common room.
• Consider filtering and monitoring software.
• Consider limiting child's time on Internet.
• Have child delete cyberbullying posts, messages, etc.
• If necessary, tell parents of child's friends what's going on.
• Have child apologize to cyberbullying victims.
• Have a child read stories of cyberbullying victims, to understand the pain.
When Sexting Becomes Sextortion
FBI's advice
• Don't blindly trust that people are who they claim.
• Don't send pictures to strangers.
• Don't post pictures you wouldn't show your grandma.
Interpol's advice for cyberbullying victims
• Cease all contact with aggressor.
• Report to local police, ISP, website admin, and trusted adult.
• Don't pay for sextortion.
Social Media Websites and Apps
What to do when attacked anonymously online
1. Reply with "please stop contacting me."
2. Report bullying/harassment to site/app. If you can't find contact link under Privacy, Support, or Contact pages, try emailing abuse@domain.
3. Delete or block bully.
4. Lock down your privacy settings.
5. Delete anyone you don't know from your friend/follower list.
6. Delete personal info from your profile (phone numbers, addresses, birth date, email address, etc.).
7. Delete any online photos or videos you wouldn't want to have spread.
8. If bullying continues, save screenshots, messages, etc. If you received threats of physical harm, file police report. Tell a trusted adult what's happening.
Cell and Smartphone Know-how
What to do when cyberbullied on your phone
1. Take a screenshot of text message and sender's number.
2. Tell phone provider about texts.
3. Do online search of number that texted you. Put number in quotes. Find the phone service provider of that number and tell them about the text.
4. If text threatened physical harm, contact law enforcement.
5. Block number.
Phone security and safety
• Enable screen lock.
• Pay attention to permissions requested by apps.
• Keep Bluetooth off when not needed.
• Enable anti-theft features (block, find, wipe).
• Don't open suspicious links.
• Only enter sensitive data on HTTPS pages.
• Use cellular data rather than public Wi-Fi.
What Parents and Educators Need to Know
If your child is cyberbullied
1. Tell child to keep everything they receive, or is posted. Take screenshots.
2. Encourage child to tell trusted adult what's happening.
3. Have child message bully just once to say, "please stop contacting me." Keep copy of message.
4. Tell child not to respond to bully anymore, but keep gathering any new bullying material.
5. Send complaint to person's ISP.
6. If bully created website or account to bully your child, complain to host or service provider.
7. If bullying continues, contact haltabusektd.org.
If your child is cyberbullying others
• See if there's a reason child is acting out, such as home situation, parental divorce, parent away at work, struggling with school work, etc.
• Seek counseling if necessary.
• Examine your relationship with child.
• Examine the interpersonal behavior you're modeling; are you a good example?
Advice for parents
1. Get familiar with sites and apps child uses. Friend/follow child. Tell them it's to keep them safe, not to snoop.
2. Keep computers in rooms they can be observed, but don't keep looking over child's shoulder.
3. Set daily cutoff time for any mobile devices.
4. Limit who can contact your child, and vice versa.
5. Put filtering or monitoring software on any device child uses.
6. Monitor browsing history.
Have kids sign pledge, like safety pledge at haltabusektd.org (PDF).
Give child list of things they may share online.
Online Safety Tips, Resources, and Where to Go for Help
Cyber Street Smarts
• Don't trust everybody you meet online, even if they claim to be a mutual friend.
• Only approve friends you really know.
• Be careful what you post online—it can and will be used against you.
• Create a strong password, and don't share it.
• Use a generic username/email address. Never give your real name, age, address, workplace, or phone number online, without permission from parents.
• Lock down your privacy settings.
• Don't send sexy photos of yourself to others. They could go public. And, it's against the law.
• Only say online what did you would say to someone's face.
• If you're not comfortable with someone who contacts you, don't respond. Block or ignore unwanted users.
• If you're bothered online, don't defend yourself or seek revenge, which only escalates bullying.
Filtering and monitoring software
• ComputerTime: screen time software for Windows.
• Net Nanny: parental controls and Internet filtering.
• Norton Family Premier: parental controls and Internet filtering. (aff. link)
• My Mobile Watchdog: parental controls for Android, iOS.
• AT&T Wireless's parental controls
• Verizon Wireless's parental controls
• T-Mobile's parental controls
• Sprint parental controls
• iPhone parental controls
• Virgin Mobile parental controls
Organizations that help victims of cyberbullying, sextortion, etc.
• WHO@-KTD (WHO@ Kids/Teen Division)
• Stand Up to Bullying
• i-SAFE
• Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication
• Cyberbullying Research Center
• Interpol
• ThinkUKnow
• NetSmartz
• Stopbullying.gov
• CyberBullyHelp
• Delete Cyberbullying
The book would have benefited from more positive stories, telling how kids survived cyberbullying (maybe with the help of their parents or others). Almost all the stories are negative, showcasing the emotional and physical damage cyberbullying can lead to. Because the book contains graphic stories (with sex and violence), it's for mature readers.
The book is repetitive; similar advice is given in different chapters.
The author is the founder of Working to Halt Online Abuse (WHO@), which runs the websites HaltAbuse.org and the kids/teens division, HaltAbuseKTD.org. She was cyberstalked in 1996, and dealt with the results for 10 years.
I read this to learn more about protecting kids online.
Notes
Forward
Almost half of teens have been cyberbullied in the past year. 2/3 of them think it's a serious problem. Only 1/6 of parents are aware of scope or intensity of cyberbullying.
Who Are Cyberbullies?
43% of students were cyberbullied by someone they knew, who was their age.
59% of cyberbullies are girls.
What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is technically cyberstalking (repeated online communications after harasser has been asked to stop). The media coined term "cyberbullying" to refer to cybertalking done by kids and teens.
Girls are more likely to spread rumors; boys are more likely to post hurtful pictures or videos.
What If Your Child is a Cyberbully?
Warning signs that your child is a cyberbully
• When you approach, child changes or closes what's on screen.
• Child turns off phone or places it upside down, so you can't see screen.
• Child uses computer or phone frequently and/or at all hours of the night.
• Child gets annoyed if they don't have access to computer or phone.
• Child avoids talking about what they do on computer or phone.
• Child laughs excessively when on computer or phone.
• Child has been involved in bullying incidents at school, or has been targeted by bullies in past.
If you learn your child has been cyberbullying
• Ask why they're doing it. Let them know you want to help.
• Tell them it could lead to legal action, even arrest.
• Tell them they could get kicked out of school, lose their job, lose a scholarship, or lose a college admission.
• Consider going with your child to school counselor, child's teacher, and/or principal.
• Require that child use devices in a common room.
• Consider filtering and monitoring software.
• Consider limiting child's time on Internet.
• Have child delete cyberbullying posts, messages, etc.
• If necessary, tell parents of child's friends what's going on.
• Have child apologize to cyberbullying victims.
• Have a child read stories of cyberbullying victims, to understand the pain.
When Sexting Becomes Sextortion
FBI's advice
• Don't blindly trust that people are who they claim.
• Don't send pictures to strangers.
• Don't post pictures you wouldn't show your grandma.
Interpol's advice for cyberbullying victims
• Cease all contact with aggressor.
• Report to local police, ISP, website admin, and trusted adult.
• Don't pay for sextortion.
Social Media Websites and Apps
What to do when attacked anonymously online
1. Reply with "please stop contacting me."
2. Report bullying/harassment to site/app. If you can't find contact link under Privacy, Support, or Contact pages, try emailing abuse@domain.
3. Delete or block bully.
4. Lock down your privacy settings.
5. Delete anyone you don't know from your friend/follower list.
6. Delete personal info from your profile (phone numbers, addresses, birth date, email address, etc.).
7. Delete any online photos or videos you wouldn't want to have spread.
8. If bullying continues, save screenshots, messages, etc. If you received threats of physical harm, file police report. Tell a trusted adult what's happening.
Cell and Smartphone Know-how
What to do when cyberbullied on your phone
1. Take a screenshot of text message and sender's number.
2. Tell phone provider about texts.
3. Do online search of number that texted you. Put number in quotes. Find the phone service provider of that number and tell them about the text.
4. If text threatened physical harm, contact law enforcement.
5. Block number.
Phone security and safety
• Enable screen lock.
• Pay attention to permissions requested by apps.
• Keep Bluetooth off when not needed.
• Enable anti-theft features (block, find, wipe).
• Don't open suspicious links.
• Only enter sensitive data on HTTPS pages.
• Use cellular data rather than public Wi-Fi.
What Parents and Educators Need to Know
If your child is cyberbullied
1. Tell child to keep everything they receive, or is posted. Take screenshots.
2. Encourage child to tell trusted adult what's happening.
3. Have child message bully just once to say, "please stop contacting me." Keep copy of message.
4. Tell child not to respond to bully anymore, but keep gathering any new bullying material.
5. Send complaint to person's ISP.
6. If bully created website or account to bully your child, complain to host or service provider.
7. If bullying continues, contact haltabusektd.org.
If your child is cyberbullying others
• See if there's a reason child is acting out, such as home situation, parental divorce, parent away at work, struggling with school work, etc.
• Seek counseling if necessary.
• Examine your relationship with child.
• Examine the interpersonal behavior you're modeling; are you a good example?
Advice for parents
1. Get familiar with sites and apps child uses. Friend/follow child. Tell them it's to keep them safe, not to snoop.
2. Keep computers in rooms they can be observed, but don't keep looking over child's shoulder.
3. Set daily cutoff time for any mobile devices.
4. Limit who can contact your child, and vice versa.
5. Put filtering or monitoring software on any device child uses.
6. Monitor browsing history.
Have kids sign pledge, like safety pledge at haltabusektd.org (PDF).
Give child list of things they may share online.
Online Safety Tips, Resources, and Where to Go for Help
Cyber Street Smarts
• Don't trust everybody you meet online, even if they claim to be a mutual friend.
• Only approve friends you really know.
• Be careful what you post online—it can and will be used against you.
• Create a strong password, and don't share it.
• Use a generic username/email address. Never give your real name, age, address, workplace, or phone number online, without permission from parents.
• Lock down your privacy settings.
• Don't send sexy photos of yourself to others. They could go public. And, it's against the law.
• Only say online what did you would say to someone's face.
• If you're not comfortable with someone who contacts you, don't respond. Block or ignore unwanted users.
• If you're bothered online, don't defend yourself or seek revenge, which only escalates bullying.
Filtering and monitoring software
• ComputerTime: screen time software for Windows.
• Net Nanny: parental controls and Internet filtering.
• Norton Family Premier: parental controls and Internet filtering. (aff. link)
• My Mobile Watchdog: parental controls for Android, iOS.
• AT&T Wireless's parental controls
• Verizon Wireless's parental controls
• T-Mobile's parental controls
• Sprint parental controls
• iPhone parental controls
• Virgin Mobile parental controls
Organizations that help victims of cyberbullying, sextortion, etc.
• WHO@-KTD (WHO@ Kids/Teen Division)
• Stand Up to Bullying
• i-SAFE
• Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication
• Cyberbullying Research Center
• Interpol
• ThinkUKnow
• NetSmartz
• Stopbullying.gov
• CyberBullyHelp
• Delete Cyberbullying
November 3, 2017
The world has changed drastically over the past decade. The Internet has had a huge part in that, as it has made the world more accessible to anyone of any age, race, or gender. Used for entertainment, education, shopping, dating and more, the internet has provided a whole new virtual world for everyone to enjoy. But with the good also comes the bad--and for kids and teens these days, the bad has becomes a constant threat from cyberbullies and cyberstalking. J. A. Hitchcock began to have an interest in cyberstalking and cyberbullies in 1996 when she blew the whistle on a literary agency scam. They stole her identity and began posting messages online pretending to be her; and that was only the beginning of a barrage of threats. When she contacted local police they had never had an internet-related case and couldn't help her, so she taught herself how to track down online criminals, how to handle the situation, and how to stay safer online. After 10 years of being a victim, her cyberstalkers were brought to justice. Unfortunately, not all internet crime stories end with a happy ending. Really, anyone of any age can become the target of a cyberbully. And quite honestly, victims are getting younger and younger every year when it comes to being cyberbullied. Throughout Cyberbullying and the Wild, Wild Web, Hitchcock explains how someone can become victim to cyberbullying and how they can stay safer online. Offering victims, and parents, the chance to be able to relate to and truly understand the unfortunate reality of cyberbullying through real-life examples of what happened to someone who had been through a similar situation. For much-needed practical advice, from an expert who truly understands the threat of cybercrime, this is a must-have resource to combat the ever-growing problem of internet crime in our society.
June 9, 2017
I love learning and reading anything about anti cyberbullying. It is something am very passionate about. I was very excited to see this one when I walked into the library. Overall I would encourage others to read it! Since I have researched on it previously it was very repetitive information. I felt like a few chapters were fillers and didn't have a ton to do with cyberbullying specifically (swatting- to me was a whole different thing). It was also interesting that almost every example given ended in "hanging themselves." I wonder if/what the correlation is. The other problem with this book is that the second it was published it was already behind just because of the nature of technology. I am very happy that there is a resource out there for parents. I say at least skim it if you have kids!!!
March 8, 2018
Really eye opening. A great source of information for parents concerned about this issue.
October 18, 2021
Interesting book and a very quick book. Learned about swatting.
July 18, 2017
"Хүн бүрийн мэдэж ойлгосон байх ёстой" ангилалд багтах, уншсан байх ёстой ном. Ерөнхийлөгчийн сонгуультай холбоотой цахим ертөнцөд биенээ гүтгэх, нөгөөгөө давж гарахын тулд хэн нэгэн гэнэн, ямар ч буруугүй нэгний амьдралыг золиослон, зорилгодоо ашиглах үйлдлүүд урьд өмнө байгаагүйгээр хүний оюун санааг түрэмгийлэн бараг л энгийн байдаг л зүйл мэт ойлгогдох болж. Үр дүн нь бүтэн улсын нийгмийн оюун санааг, буруу хандлага руу чиглүүлэх, энгийн иргэдийн үзэл бодлыг залж хооронд нь яс хагалах, үндэсний үзэл, цусны үзлээр үзэн ядуулах увайгүй аргуудыг медиагаар тасралтгүй бөмбөгдөж, хүний нэр хүндийг шүлс мэт үзэх хандлага... Цахим ертөнцийн ар талын бараан амьдрал хувь хүн, нийгэмд буруугаар нөлөөлж байгааг ойлгоход, түүнтэй хэрхэн тэмцэж зогсооход ЭНЭ НОМ туслах болов уу! Мөн хүүхдүүдээ цахим ертөнцөд хянах, түүнийг зөв зохистой ашиглах, гэр бүл найз нөхдөө зохисгүй үйлдэл гаргахаас сэргийлэх зөвлөмжүүд аргууд, төр засгийн хэмжээнд үүнтэй холбоотой хэрэгжүүлж болох хууль тогтоомж заалтуудад туслах хуулийн зөвлөмжүүд хүртэл багтсан байна.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews