Study: 26 percent of teachers cite cyberbullying by parents

By Caleb Garling August 16, 2011

Countless stories of bullying, from the sad to the ridiculous, have surfaced over the years as the online community has become more and more connected. Now a new study from Plymouth University in the UK shows that teachers are subject to an unusual amount of cyberbullying.

According to a survey of almost 400 teachers by professor Andy Phippen, 35 percent cited experience with some form of cyberbullying. Of that group, 72 percent of the abuse came from students or former students, but more surprisingly, 26 percent came from parents.

“Everyone acknowledges this is a problem and something needs to be done about it, but schools lack support. It is a sticky area as some of the things posted may not be considered illegal,” he told the Huffington Post UK.

“I heard of one case where a teacher told his employers about the bullying and not only did they tell other members to staff to ignore this teacher, they also suspended him. Their reasoning was ‘there is no smoke without fire’.”

The walls and protection of the Internet seem to be catalyzing the viciousness. Teachers reported Facebook groups, chat rooms, Twitter accounts and a variety of additional online forums set up to harangue and smear them. Facebook does supply tips to teachers and promises to respond to complaints of abuse within 24 hours.

Perhaps there is a healthy element to the online outlet of expressing displeasure; we have review forums for doctors, hairdressers and lawyers after all. But the cases of outright libel and mean-spirited slander go beyond the pale. Parents should be mature enough to go through the proper administrative channels if they have an issue with a teacher.

“It seems to a subset of the population the teacher is no longer viewed as someone who should be supported in developing their child’s education, but a person whom it is acceptable to abuse if they dislike what is happening in the classroom,” said Prof Phippen.

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Protect yourself from cyberbullying with Chubbs' Trolling Insurance

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We may not be able to catch all the trolls on the Internet, but now, we can get insured against them. In a move indicative of just how prevalent the Internet has become in our day-to-day lives, multinational insurance company Chubb is now offering British citizens the chance to protect themselves against cyberbullying. Known as "troll insurance," this 21st-century personal plan gives individuals the opportunity to claim up to £50,000 (about $76,000) to pay for expenses incurred as a result of cyberbullying and trolling, including counseling, time off from work, or even relocation.

"We see insurance as helping our clients get back to how they were before the incident occurred -- whether it's an incident that affects their home or as a person," said Tara Parchment, U.K. and Ireland private clients manager, in an interview with The Telegraph. You can bring a PR team aboard to help you restore your name if it's been smeared, and in cases of a wrongful arrest or a lost job, Chubb has you covered as well.

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SRI International wants machines to deal with cyberbullying so you don’t have to

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Keeping your Facebook, Twitter, and social media feeds free of disturbing, graphic, or otherwise inappropriate content is grueling work. While the physical strain of sitting at a computer for hours on end is exhausting in and of itself, the mental and emotional toll that poring over pornography, cruelty, and general filth is overwhelming. These content managers make up perhaps 50 percent of the total workforce of social media platforms, and it's important, yet sometimes devastating work. That's why SRI International is hoping that machines can do it for them, and alleviate the stress and trauma that comes from much of such a job.

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Cyberbullying is now a crime in New Zealand, punishable by jail time and fine

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Cyberbullying is now a crime in New Zealand after the country’s parliament passed the Harmful Digital Communications Bill. Under the new law, offenders face jail time and a hefty fine.

The bill, which passed by a 116-to-5 vote in the New Zealand Parliament, covers any form of electronic communication, including text messages, photos, recordings, and more. It also defines “harm” as “serious emotional distress,” and lays out a detailed description of “intimate visual recording.”