Cyberbullying in Social Media within Educational Institutions

Featuring Student, Employee, and Parent Information

By (author) Merle Horowitz, Dorothy M. Bollinger

Publication date:

16 October 2014

Length of book:

212 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781475800098

Cyberbullying in social media is one of the most important concerns in educational institutions at the K-12 and higher education levels today. Cyberbullying is complicated because it involves children, parents, and other family members as well as society at-large. It hurts the victim, the cyberbully, their families, their friends, others at and beyond the school, and our American society in countless direct and indirect ways — educationally, emotionally, mentally, physically, socially, and in some cases it takes the victim’s life away. Sometimes the results of cyberbullying are intentional, other times the results are unintended.

This book presents the information from the collaborative efforts and perspectives of a current school district superintendent who has researched and worked day-to-day with the issues, and an attorney currently dealing with the legal issues relevant to cyberbullying. This book is helpful to students, parents, educators, mental and medical health professionals, and attorneys who work with the misery, fears, terror and other consequences of cyberbullying in social media.
With the proliferation of social media and its integration into the daily lives of children and adolescents, cyberbullying has become a critical issue in basic school safety. Horowitz (a school district superintendent) and Bollinger (an attorney) offer a curated discussion examining the complexity of cyberbullying as a phenomenon and its effects on safety and quality of life for its victims. The text guides the reader through a foundational examination of cyberbullying interactions and the potential detrimental effects on a person's educational, emotional, and physical well-being. In addition, the authors review current legal aspects of cyberbullying across various states and the effects of cyberbullying on educational practices. While the text is not intended to serve as definitive legal advice, the discussion offers a high-quality, jargon-free examination of this complex topic. The text is highly recommended for current and future educators as well as associated professionals—including mental and medical health professionals—working in all levels of education. Additionally, the text is recommended for general readers interested in the topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; general readers.