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Schools responsibility – Cyberbullying can be considered a criminal offence

Cyberbullying has been one of the key concerns for all educators in 2016. What do you need to know? 

Cyberbullying impacts everyone and can be considered a criminal offence. The offence is considered cyberbullying when it involves:

* Using the Internet or a phone in a harassing, threatening, or offensive manner: If these devices are used to spread messages or posts which have the potential to be viewed as offensive and can cause anger, outrage, disgust or humiliation, the penalty can be up to 3 years in jail.

*  Threats or intimidation: Trying to intentionally frighten someone by using any mobile devices, emails, or online posts is considered a criminal offence. The penalty for threatening to kill someone can be up to 10 years in jail. If the threat is based on an individual’s race, transgender identity or sexual orientation, the bully may be penalised for up to six months in jail.

quotatoin-marks-01The proliferation of social media as a tool by which bullies strike their
victims
has become a significant problem
for school leaders.
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Where Cyberbullying takes place in a school environment, the target or victim may seek compensation against both the perpetrator(s) and the School on the ground that the School failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the actions. Negligence actions can be brought when against school authorities for an alleged failure to prevent the cyberbullying.

Read the full article here.

 

CyberHound can assist your Student Welfare Team and School Leaders to protect students online and promote responsible internet use. Find out more below – 

Find out more info