When cyber bullying makes the internet a very unfriendly place for young people with SEND (SEN and/or disability) – better education and research needed
Martha Evans discusses the issues children with special educational needs and / or disabilities (SEND) face when it comes to getting online.
Last month, the Anti-Bullying Alliance embarked on the first ever consultation to discover what children and young people with special educational needs and / or disabilities (SEND) think about cyber-bullying and using the internet. What emerged was that children and young people with SEND are not using the internet as much as those who don't have any SEND, due in part to cyber-bullying and experiences of discriminatory behaviour.
Where young people with SEND did use the internet, many had firsthand experience of an often discriminatory and hostile environment, with some participants having personally experienced cyber-bullying. In many instances this was an extension of the face-to-face bullying they already experienced at school, and meant that rather than escaping the issue at home, it became a twenty-four hour problem which infiltrated even 'safe' environments. In addition, many young people said they were often not believed when they told someone about instances of cyber-bullying, or had experienced a lack of support and appropriate responses from adults; who often suggested 'avoiding the internet' as the best strategy for combating cyber-bullying.
Perhaps more worrying, is the finding that many young people with SEND are deliberately not using the internet for fear of potential cyber-bullying, or are being actively discouraged by adults, therefore losing out on the boundless positive aspects the cyber-world has to offer.
One of the most talked about experiences was using the often anonymous nature of the internet to hide a disability online, deliberately concealing this aspect of their identity.
A lack of education about internet safety was also described; this meant the young people were unaware of how to stay safe online, what to do about cyber-bullying, or how to understand when bullying behaviour was occurring.
It is clear from our findings that more in-depth research is needed into these issues, but ultimately, the solution lies in better education: not only in the classroom, via formats which ensure the information is accessible by all children and young people, but also better training for teachers and support for parents.
From Martha Evans, Senior Programme Lead - SEND & Inclusion at the Anti-Bullying Alliance http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/send-programme.aspx
To read more about the ABA SEND Programme of work go to: http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/send-programme.aspx
To download the free guidance for teachers and professionals go to http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/media/7441/cyberbullying-and-send-module-final.pdf
For a more in-depth look at the young people's responses go to: http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/media/7443/disabled-young-peoples-views-on-cyberbullying-report.pdf
