Teacher says sort conflict face-to-face

Children need to talk face-to-face – not Facebook to Facebook – to help reduce cyber bullying, a Christchurch teacher says.

Speaking before today's symposium on cyber bullying in secondary schools, organised by the Peace Foundation, Andrew Cowie said the internet could be a devastating tool because it had no borders.

Traditional bullying would probably have been confined to the school ground.

However, with the internet or text messages, pupils could be subjected to bullying any time.

"Rumours and gossip spread like wildfire anyway and then, when you have the internet as a tool, it's just like throwing gasoline into it," Cowie said.

Children needed to be told that face-to-face was the best way to solve problems, he said.

People wrote things online they would never say face-to-face and they often showed less empathy when not talking directly, Cowie said.

He had dealt with a pupil who had learnt a classmate's user name and used it to send nasty emails to another pupil.

The pupil was typing things he would never say, and when asked to read what he had written to the victim, he was reluctant to do so, Cowie said.

"We cannot unplug these kids and put up big firewalls; they're going to find a way," Cowie said.

"They need to be made aware that what they're doing is not frivolous, and that it's traceable and that it has an effect."

Pupils needed to be aware their digital footprint could be traced and that they should be confident in showing teachers or parents the sites they had visited and what they were doing on the internet.

About 40 guidance counsellors, teachers and secondary students will attend the Christchurch symposium.

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