Don’t Be A Victim - Stop Cyberbullying

Developments in technology have made significant improvements in support for learning and in the working practices of teachers and other members of the school workforce.

The NASUWT is concerned, however, by the growing evidence that the abuse of technology, particularly mobile phones, e-mails and Internet sites, is not only contributing to increasing workload but is also providing a vehicle for the prejudice-related bullying and harassment of staff and for false allegations to be made against them.

Cyberbullying is having a devastating effect on teachers’ health, wellbeing, confidence, self-esteem and in some cases their career progression as a result of employers trawling the sites for information.

The NASUWT is campaigning for:

• a review of regulatory and legislative provisions to prevent allegations being made about named teachers on Internet sites and to secure more accessible avenues of redress for those who are exposed to public ridicule and false allegations;
• more effective school policies which promote zero tolerance of cyber-bullying;
• mobile phones to be treated as potentially offensive weapons and pupils’ access to them restricted during school sessions;
• school policies which encourage or require teachers to provide individual mobile phone or e-mail contact details to pupils to be outlawed;
• heightened awareness of the need to be cautious when using social networking sites as the contents are being scanned by employers and hijacked by pupils;
• the inclusion of reference to the use and abuse of technology in the Health and Safety Executive’s health and safety good practice guidance and in all workplace health and safety audits, including risk assessments.

Social networking sites

The Union presented evidence to Ministers of the trauma and distress being caused to teachers and headteachers by pupils using websites such as BeBo, Youtube and Ratemyteacher.

In a recent survey, almost 100 teachers took the opportunity to report incidents which had happened to them and their colleagues.

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:

"The Union has been raising with Ministers for some time our deep concerns about these websites.

"The evidence we have provided demonstrates that they are causing teachers untold distress and trauma.

"They not only extend the opportunities for pupils to humiliate teachers by providing the facility for them to post insulting comments and jibes, they actively encourage such abuse of school staff.

"The pupils who do this are afforded anonymity. The teachers are named, exposed to ridicule and subjected to false and malicious allegations.

"Teachers' self-esteem and sometimes their health is seriously affected.

"Publicly available, derogatory remarks about a teacher's practice can damage career progression if those advertising jobs decide to trawl these sites.

"Many aspects of technology and the Internet are extremely useful and bring benefits.  However, these sites serve no useful purpose.

"Regulation of the Internet is virtually impossible and therefore the Government must press for improved access to redress for victims."