CASC Conference 2018: Think Before You Click: Jordan’s Law & Cyberbullying Education

The professional development growth opportunity I’d like to focus on is a session I attended at the CASC Conference on Thursday, October 18, 2018, called Think Before You Click: Jordan’s Law & Cyberbullying Education. This session was led by Ila Laguercia, a School Counselor at Simi Valley High School, and Ed Peisner, the founder of The Organization for Social Media Safety. Ed created this organization after his son was assaulted, and the attack was recorded by multiple bystanders and uploaded to social media by a friend of the attacker.

Having previously worked in social media marketing, I am very aware of how manipulative various online platforms can be and the negative effect they can have on users. Though my work was more focused on paid marketing through Facebook and Instagram, during my time researching best practices and strategies for effectively marketing, I often stumbled upon articles linking social media to depression and anxiety. My understanding of the effect that social media can have on people was compounded by my experience at my practicum site last year, where several students were bullied through an Instagram account in which students submitted gossip and secrets through private messages, all to be shared publicly through posts and stories. I realized that if kids were already experiencing this in sixth grade, it was worse than I even thought, and this presentation confirmed that.

Here are some key stats from the presentation:

• 90% of people 18 to 29 years old have at least one social media account
• 88% of social media-using teens have witnessed other people being mean or cruel on social media
• 34% of the students report experiencing cyberbullying during their lifetime
• Teens using social media more than 5 hours a day are 70% more likely to have suicidal thoughts or actions than those who report 1 hour of daily use
• Teens using social media every day are 14% more likely to be depressed than those who used social media less frequently
• 20% of kids cyberbullied think about suicide, and 10% attempt it

In addition to sharing his experiences, Ed also told us a bit about Jordan’s Law, which was inspired by his son. Jordan’s Law, California AB 1542, makes it so that anyone who conspires with an attacker to film a violent crime will be considered an accomplice and subject to an enhanced sentence.

There are a few different things that we, as school counselors, can do to help when it comes to cyberbullying. First, it’s important that we keep staff informed about the various laws and school policies around cyberbullying. Education Code 48900, for example, states that schools can suspend or expel students for participating in an act of bullying, which includes cyberbullying. We should also be communicating this information with parents, so they’re aware of the way in which adolescents and teens are using social media, how they can play in an important role in the prevention of cyberbullying, and the laws and policies around this behavior.

Finally, we need to inform our students of the data and laws surrounding cyberbullying, as that can help them understand its severity. In addition, some general tips for our students include:

• Not joining in on the bullying
• Supporting the victim by showing kindness and concern
• “If you see something, say something”
• Tell a trusted adult
• Report inappropriate posts or cyberbullying on social media
• Block (or hide) the bully on social media
• Be an upstander, as opposed to a bystander

Whether we choose to present this information ourselves or bring in an outside organization, it’s important that we share the detrimental effect that social media and cyberbullying can have on our students.

All of these strategies can be implemented and tracked in various settings, and effectiveness can be measured by monitoring CHKS data, pre- and post-surveys, and referrals/disciplinary actions as a result of cyberbullying. I plan to incorporate my newfound knowledge from this presentation into my work as a school counselor, as this is becoming a significant issue that’s only increasing with time. I’d like to also look at our existing CHKS data to see how much this is currently affecting high school students in my district, and then go from there to determine next steps. Overall, this was an incredibly insightful professional development growth opportunity that I plan to carry through this year and beyond.