Cyberbullying

Topic area

Cyberbullying
Target age group

Lesson duration

Lower Secondary
Lesson Overview
This lesson is aimed at establishing an understanding of cyberbullying behaviour and its impact on others.
The four activities provide practical strategies to assist young people to deal with cyberbullying behaviour
and where to seek support.
This lesson includes four short activities. Teachers can select a single activity or multiple activities to
make up the recommended 45 minutes, depending on what they feel is appropriate to their class.
Lesson outcomes

Define and describe cyberbullying behaviour

Assess the impacts of negative online behaviour
Identify ways to manage and prevent cyberbullying behaviour
Create a plan to act with resilience and self-awareness when online

Australian Curriculum
This lesson plan module supports a number of learning areas in the Australian Curriculum, including
Health and Physical Education, Civics and Citizenship and Technologies.

Activity 1

Page

Subject focus

Discussion/
Visual Activity

Identify positive
online behaviour and
act against
cyberbullying
behaviour

Activity 2

Page

Subject focus

Multiple choice
activity

Identifying
cyberbullying
behaviour, roles and
responsibilities.

Activity 3

Page

Subject focus

Visual
Activity/Writing
Activity

Demonstrating
negative and positive
behaviour online

Activity 4

Page

Subject focus

Visual Activity/
Discussion
Activity

Identifying
cyberbullying roles

Duration

Resources required
Internet access to view Cyberslap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=xTLBQBYX2MQ
Duration

Resources required
Worksheet 1

Duration

Resources required
Worksheet 2 or projection equipment,
pen

Duration

Resources required
Worksheet 3

enquiries@esafety.gov.au

Cyberbullying

External links included in lesson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTLBQBYX2MQ
Technology and Terminology referred to in this lesson
Cyberbullying, bullying behaviour, bystander, target, online, post, text, email, message, social networking,
block, report, trusted adult, harm.

Visit https://esafety.gov.au/education-resources/classroom-resources for other lesson plans

dealing with cyberbullying behaviour.

Cyberbullying

This work is based on materials that constitute copyright of the Commonwealth of Australia and is
licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 2.5 Australia Licence.
See https://esafety.gov.au/about-the-office/privacy-and-legal for more information.

Cyberbullying
Background
Cyberbullying is the use of online technology, such as computers and mobile phones, to bully a
person or group. Bullying is repeated behaviour by an individual or group with the intent to harm
another person or group.
Young people can cyberbully each other in many ways. Sending hurtful texts or abusive emails,
excluding individuals from online conversations, imitating someone online, posting inappropriate
images and trolling are some of the ways people can cyberbully each other.
Cyberbullying can happen to anyone and typically involves a person who perpetrates the bullying
behaviour against a target the person being bullied. In some instances there may also be
bystanders involved people who witness someone being cyberbullied. A positive bystander is
someone who offers support to the target and does not ignore or participate in the bullying
behaviour, such as forwarding on humiliating images.
Cyberbullying is serious because it can be relentless and occur 24 hours a day, extending well
beyond school grounds and into safe spaces, such as in homes. Its effects can be damaging,
making a person feel isolated, friendless, miserable and insecure.
It is important to empower younger internet users with the knowledge of how to act responsibly
and with resilience online, and equip them with the tools to know how to deal with cyberbullying
behaviour. It is also crucial to demonstrate how others can be affected by their interactions online
and what language and actions are considered appropriate in the online environment.

enquiries@esafety.gov.au

Cyberbullying

Activity 1: Bullying behaviour

Activity 1

Page

Subject focus

Discussion
/Visual Activity

Identify negative
online behaviour and
decide on acceptable
behaviour

Duration

Resources required
Internet access to view Cyberslap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=xTLBQBYX2MQ

Teachers Tip: This activity should provide a great opportunity to introduce new high
school students to the schools policies surrounding cyberbullying, bullying and ICT use.
Talk to your students about the kind of behaviour expected from now that they have made
the transition to high school.

Instructions
1. As a class, view the minute-long video Cyberslap.
2. Have students break away into small groups or run this as a class activity using the board.
3. Using the sentence You dont need a black eye to be bullied, have the group/s establish a
set of rules about acceptable and unacceptable behaviour online.
4. Ask students to compile a list of strong, positive verbs to use, such as trust, consider, respect,
assist, prevent, provide etc. for acceptable behaviour.
5. Ask the students to compile a list of negative verbs and adjectives to use such as insulting,
harm, upsetting, cruel, cowardly, demeaning, hurt etc. for unacceptable behaviour.
6. Write up the final key points from the class and display them prominently.

Cyberbullying

Activity 2: Cyberbullying multiple choice

Activity 2

Page

Subject focus

Multiple choice
activity

Identifying
cyberbullying
behaviours, roles
and responsibilities.

Duration

Resources required
Worksheet 1

Answer key for teachers:

Number Question

Answers

Cyberbullying is:

d.

The types of people who are cyberbullied

are:

d.

Cyberbullying is considered to be:

b.

If I am being bullied on a social

networking site I can:

c.

A cyberbully is usually:

d.

Ways to prevent cyberbullying include:

d.

Talking to a trusted adult about

cyberbullying is:

a.

In a cyberbullying situation, a positive

bystander is a person who:

d..

Cyberbullying

Activity 2: Shifting Perspectives

Activity 3

Page

Subject focus

Visual
Activity/Writing
Activity

Demonstrating
negative and positive
behaviour online

Duration

Resources required
Worksheet 2 or projection equipment,
pen

Instructions
1. Divide students into pairs or small groups.
2. Distribute or project the image provided in Worksheet 2.
3. Ask students to write five negative comments about the image before writing five positive
comments.
4. Ask each group what was easier to come up with the negative or positive comments?
5. Now distribute or display the entire image, which shows the whole story.
6. As a whole class discussion, ask students if this changes their perspective and how they feel
about the comments they made.
7. Finally ask the class if they think this constitutes cyberbullying behaviour.
Teachers Tip: As well as prompting discussion about assumptions, incorrect conclusions
and hurt arising from negative comments left on social networking sites, this exercise can
be used to illustrate the benefits of thinking twice before posting images.

Cyberbullying

Activity 4: Bullies, bystanders and defenders

Activity 4

Page

Subject focus

Visual Activity/
Discussion
Activity

Identifying
cyberbullying roles

Duration

Resources required
Worksheet 3

Sometimes, cyberbullying behaviour can take place in public forums like social networking and
video hosting sites.
Ask students to assess the screenshots on Worksheet 3 to identify the people doing the bullying
behaviour, the bystanders and the defenders in each scenario.
After these are identified, discuss what the intention might be from the content of a comment or
post. As a group, discuss what motivates put-downs and abuse is it to appear clever, funny or
cool? Does it actually have that result?

Model answers for worksheet 3

Workshop together and use it to discuss passive-aggressive language, motivations, and different
kinds of abusive language.
Have the class recognise that cyberbullying language can be much more subtle than direct
insults, but just as damaging. Also, discuss with the class the possibility that some students might
have made hurtful comments like these at times, and to interrogate their own motivations before
posting.

WORKSHEET 1: CYBERBULLYING MULTIPLE CHOICE

Name: ____________________________________________________

1. Cyberbullying is:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Using online technology to deliberately and repeatedly bully someone.

Using online technology to make someone feel insecure and miserable.
Using online technology to make someone feel isolated and friendless.
All of the above.

2. The types of people who are cyberbullied are:

a.
b.
c.
d.

Trouble makers.
Popular and outgoing.
Shy and sensitive.
Anyone can be cyberbullied.

3. Cyberbullying is considered to be:

a.
b.
c.
d.

Not that serious everyone gets bullied at school.

Very serious it makes people feel unsafe at home as well as at school.
Fairly serious but only because there is always evidence.
Who wants to be serious? I only go online for fun.

4. If I am being bullied on a social networking site I can:

a.
b.
c.
d.

Ask my friends to help me retaliate.

Try to forget its happening.
Use that sites report function.
Never go online again.

5. A cyberbully is usually:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Big, mean, and obviously a bully.

Sneaky, anonymous, and will never be found out.
A particular kind of extremely bad person.
Anyone, including my friends or I, if we arent careful about how we treat others online.

6. Ways to prevent cyberbullying include:

a. Not replying to hurtful messages or posts.
b. Using the block, report and privacy settings on the sites where cyberbullying behaviour is
occurring.
c. Collecting evidence of cyberbullying behaviour, such as nasty texts and reporting it to a
trusted adult, like a parent or teacher.
d. All of the above.
7. Talking to a trusted adult about cyberbullying is:
a.
b.
c.
d.

A good idea. Theres no reason to suffer alone.

Not worth it because it will make the person who is doing the bullying angrier.
Never a good idea, it can only make things worse.
A waste of time because they dont understand.

8. In a cyberbullying situation, a positive bystander is a person who:

a.
b.
c.
d.

Does not ignore what they see happening to someone else.

Asks the person who is the target of the bullying behaviour if they are OK.
Reports the behaviour to someone who can help, like a trusted adult.
All of the above.

WORKSHEET 2: SHIFTING PERSPECTIVES

Figure 1 - The image shows two young people arm in arm

What kinds of assumptions might we make about the situation in the picture above?
Negative

Positive

Figure 2 - The image shows the same two young people from the image on the previous
page, but now it is revealed that they are part of a larger group, five friends, all arm in arm.
Consider the assumptions made previously. How do they change once we have the full
picture?

How might this relate to assumptions we make about people online?

WORKSHEET 3: SOCIAL MEDIA ROLES

In the following examples, indicate who is exhibiting bullying behaviour. Who is a bystander?
Who is responding appropriately? For those who are communicating inappropriately, how could
they have contributed differently? Re-write those comments that could make a more positive
contribution.

Example 1 Social Networking Party

Figure 3 - This image shows an exchange on a social networking site. The original post
refers to a party, some comments suggest that not everyone should be invited, like the
'wannabes' and there is a request that photos of the party not be 'tagged' online.

Example 2 Social Networking Dress

Figure 4 - This image shows comments from a social networking site regarding a post
about a dress which someone is considering wearing to a formal event. Some comments
are supportive, while others are insulting.

Example 3 Video Site Fight

Figure 5 - This image shows an online video site and comments concerning a video titled
"Ethan v Jackson at Middle Park West". The image of the video shows two boys who
appear to be having a physical confrontation. Some comments are inflammatory, while
some suggest that the video should be removed, and that reputations may be damaged.