Abstract

“I'd die without my Blackberry” – one young person's comment sums up a generation of young people who are increasingly living their daily lives through their phones and the internet. Cyberbullying is rife, affecting one in five 10–19 year olds. It causes anxiety, unhappiness and mental health problems; in extreme cases even leading to suicide.

This book provides a compelling and up to date account of the constantly evolving problem of cyberbullying: the different forms it can take, how the impact differs on boys and girls of different ages, and which children are most vulnerable. Drawing on the findings of the author's survey of over 9,000 children and teenagers, Cyberbullying and E-safety provides a revealing account of the direct experiences and views of children. It describes how a new world where emerging technologies such as smartphones have transformed online social behaviour requires a new, more relevant approach to e-safety and the problem of cyberbullying. The author provides this in the form of a youth-led, age- and gender-appropriate model for cyber-education in the modern world; a 3-tier model comprising universal e-safety education accompanied by targeted and intensive support and advice for children at most risk. She also outlines a school-wide model for preventing and responding to cyberbullying in children, young people and teachers, and provides a wealth of guidance and tools for individuals and schools including templates and lesson plans.

Cyberbullying and E-safety is required reading for teachers, counsellors, youth workers, social workers, and other professionals working with children and young people.

A well-balanced and accessible text which provides a comprehensive overview of current research and policy in the field. This text provides excellent guidance and useful practical strategies on how to tackle cyberbullying and improve e-safety for children, young people and professionals in schools and the wider community. It is an extremely valuable addition to the field of cyberbullying and e-safety.
Nathalie Noret, Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Director of the Unit for Child and Youth Studies Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, York St John University, UK
Adrienne's Cyberbullying and E-safety is a must read for those policy makers, practitioners and educators who are really committed to listening to and supporting our most vulnerable children for whom this is a growing issue.
Lorna Jackson, Professional Advisor for Suffolk County Council on Safeguarding Learning and Quality Assurance, UK
This is a comprehensive and priceless resource for all those who share the passion and dedication of the author to prevent and tackle cyberbullying and educate our youngsters with regards to e-safety. It provides insight into the virtual world of our young people and the realities of the impact that cyberbullying can have on their lives.
Graham Tilby, Head of Safeguarding, Dudley Safeguarding Children Board, UK

At last a really good, practical, down to earth book about the menace of cyberbullying. Written by an expert in the field, this is an innovative guide for teachers and educators in a time when technology has moved from 'share the computer' and 'get off the phone' to a time when young people have the world at their fingertips - both the good and the bad. Talking to young people about their experiences, how they want to use their electronic devices, how they can enjoy and use them with confidence and purpose and how they can avoid being both the bully (sending unkind messages to schoolmates and others) and the victim (the receiver of an unkind messages) is as much an educative process as teaching a child their times tables. The difference is that while the times tables remain constant, what we taught them last year/month/week about the smart phone may well be out of date already.

This book contains good advice for teachers and educators to help young people think about the power they have at the push of a button. I am sure that this book will be a seminal work on cyberbullying.

Carrie Herbert, MBE., Chief Executive, Red Balloon Learner Centre Group, UK
Adrienne Katz is Director, Youthworks Consulting Ltd, Surrey, UK and Director of the Bullying Intervention Group which offers the BIG Award, the first national anti-bullying award for excellence. She was previously a Regional Adviser for the Anti-Bullying Alliance, and helped to develop guidance on bullying of pupils with special educational needs for the UK Government. She is currently directing the Cybersurvey, which has gathered responses from over 9,000 young people.

The 250 pages are an excellent resource that will be of considerable benefit to social workers, teachers, youth workers, and all those working with young people who are concerned about the terrible, and oft-times lethal impact of bullying in general, and, in particular, the pernicious and pervasive risks of cyberbullying.

The author's prodigious research draws on a survey of over 9,000 children and teenagers. The perceptions and experiences are described of those young people who are adjusting to a world where new and powerful technologies require radically different and relevant responses to e-safety and cyberbullying.

Nurturing Potential, Potential Unleashed
(...) a comprehensive, bang-up-to-date compendium about how the British teenagers' addiction to smartphone use has changed our society for ever... It is currently the essential guide to the sheer awfulness of some children's experiences of cyber-bullying, and the current best practice in both putting a stop to it and preventing it from happening in the first place.
Church Times

Based on extensive practice and research, this book provides you with easy to follow approaches to engaging young people with effective e-safety education and to successfully tackle bullying issues in the school community. The author skilfully engages young people to advise on how we can 'nudge' them to adopt safer behaviours when using communication technologies. Young people's voices and case studies give us insight into experiences faced by youth in today's technological age.

Bullying through the use of new technologies is a phenomenon impacting on young people 24/7. Using Cyber Surveys to find the 'digital self' of teenagers, the author describes the trend in the use of mobile communication devices to hurt and humiliate, with young people de-sensitised to shocking messages on-line. This insightful and practical guide explores what cyberbullying is, how it affects young people and what to do to prevent it, as well as how to respond if it happens to you (or someone close to you)!

Mohammed Bham, Chair of the National Association of Principal Educational Psychologists, and Anti Bullying Lead at Solihull Council, UK

This book focuses the author's wealth of experience and expertise upon the single biggest issue currently facing those passionate and determined to challenge bullying in the 21st century. Amid a swiftly evolving lexicon of put downs and bullying insults, Katz's book will quickly establish itself as a 'must have' tool in our kit to help adults guide children safely along our ever expanding digital highways.

We must now add 'digital literacy' to the skills young people require to navigate safely the 21st century.

Jonathan Charlesworth M.Ed. Executive Director, EACH (Educational Action Challenging Homophobia), UK
This is a well-researched book provides ideas, models, guidance and plans that should help you prevent cyberbullying. It will help you understand the experiences and needs of those suffering. It doesn't provide just evidence, but also offers good ideas on how to respond.
The Teacher

Adrienne Katz has gone beyond her already impressive research into and experience in the field of cyberbullying and the effects it has on children and young people with this new book. She looks here at what advice we can give to young people, as professionals, that will really work, and that young people can understand and use to protect themselves against cyberbullying. The book gives an insight into what young people really feel about this type of bullying, what they want us as professionals to do about it, and what is the most effective way of protecting them against it. They want to be more involved in the strategies to reduce cyberbullying, and to be consulted during the process.

This book answers the important question, how can we give young people the freedom to enjoy technical communication, whilst keeping themselves safe? It is a compelling read and a must for every school's bookshelf.

Val McFarlane, Director, Bullying Intervention Group, UK
This is an extremely useful book for teachers and other professionals working with young people, It provides a review of the current evidence together with thorough guidance for dealing with the problem of cyberbullying... This is not just a description of a problem but a handbook for action... an invaluable guide for any school that wants its staff and pupils to move in a safer and happier cyberworld.
Special Children