Koethen/MZ – Bullying among children and young people no longer only takes place in the schoolyard. Because like so many areas of life, exclusion, harassment and other forms of psychological violence have also taken the step into the digital sphere. Around 51 percent of 14- to 17-year-olds in Germany have already experienced cyberbullying – this was shown by a recent study by the Sinus Institute on behalf of Barmer Krankenkasse.
Instagram, Tik Tok, Snapchat: Children mainly use social media on the Internet
“In fact, it has become part of everyday life. They’ve been living with something like this for years,” says Jannik Liebl. The 22-year-old student conducted a workshop with Lilly Härtig, Linus Walter and Laura Westhoff from the “Umthought” association at the “Völkerfreunde” secondary school in Köthen with the aim of sensitizing young people and teachers to digital violence and showing ways of defending oneself can. This was financed by the “Live Democracy!” initiative from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
“What is the Internet for children?” Liebl reports that this was the question that came up at the beginning of the work with the students in Köthen. It has become clear that children mainly use social networks on the Internet, first and foremost Instagram, Tik Tok and Snapchat.
Many students in Köthen have already had to experience digital violence
Together they would then have identified potential sources of danger on the Internet. A distinction can be made between technical dangers – for example through malware -, structural dangers – such as fraud and pedophilia – and interpersonal dangers. What is meant by the latter is one thing above all: bullying.
In the course of the workshop, it became apparent that many of the students had already had experience with digital violence, reports Jannik Liebl. The range of stories he heard from the young people ranged from nude photos sent to them to identity theft and extortion. “For me personally, that also showed the relevance of this topic,” says Liebl.
Against cyberbullying in Köthen: joint class agreement with rules drawn up
An important part of the work with the students then consisted, he goes on, in thinking up bullying situations and acting them out in front of the class. “Kids are mean,” says Liebl; In some of these role-playing games, “insults were dropped that we would never dream of”, including racist and sexist hostilities.
The groups then devoted themselves to the analysis, reports the 22-year-old: who was the victim, who was the perpetrator, who was a follower or an observer? And above all: What could you do differently? “We then worked out class agreements with rules,” reports Liebl – rules that should enable respectful interaction on the Internet.
No people will be filmed, photographed, or live streamed in this class without their permission.
Class agreement of the 6b at the secondary school Völkerfreunde in Köthen
An example: “In this class, no people will be filmed, photographed or shown in a live stream without their permission” – this is how class 6b has decreed.
And if these rules fail? Jannik Liebl has a clear recommendation for this situation: “Most importantly: talk to people. Friends, parents, teachers, school social workers, right through to the police.” He advises parents similarly: “Talk to your children about what they do online.” Parents should also “talk openly and honestly about their own experiences,” he says. because: “Parents were once children, too.”
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