The role of supporters in facilitating the use of technologies by adolescents and adults with learning disabilities: a place for positive risk-taking?

The role of supporters in facilitating access to and use of technology by people (adolescents and adults) with learning disabilities has not been the primary focus of much of the research that has been undertaken to date. The review of literature presented in this paper suggests, however, that issues of support, risk and safety are emerging as factors that have a significant influence on the quality of technology access and use that adults with learning disabilities experience. There is a need for more research into how the relationship between supporters, technologies, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities is mediated by risk, and this paper offers an original perspective on how positive risk-taking might be a useful conceptual framework to aid in the exploration of this relationship

Virtual technologies as tools of maltreatment: safeguarding in digital spaces

Digital technologies have become an essential component in the navigation of everyday tasks and activities. In the midst of a technological zeitgeist, our ‘real’ lives have become intimately entangled with new media and ‘virtual’ environments. Virtual platforms and technologies have proven to be valuable to athletes, coaches and fans, but with increased connection comes the potential for misuse and abuse within these spaces. The chapter demonstrates how virtual settings can create potentially perilous spaces which can easily lead to the abuse of athletes and other key stakeholders in sport. This is particularly due to the largely unregulated nature of these spaces which allow for varied forms of maltreatment to take place. The chapter considers some of the dangers of negative behaviours within online environments and reinforces the importance of safeguarding individuals in such spaces

How does risk mediate the ability of adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live a normal life by using the Internet?

The focus of this position paper is Internet use by adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Drawing on existing literature in the field we will identify problems with and gaps in the current research. Our review is framed by three main questions: What constitutes a ‘normal’ life for adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities? What constitutes ‘normal’ use of the Internet for adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities? How does risk mediate the ability of adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live a normal life by using the Internet? The key focus of this review is the complex relationship between adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and those providing support; how they negotiate access to and use of the Internet and how perceptions regarding risk and normalcy mediate this negotiation. As a result of this review will argue that identified gaps and problems in the research field need to be addressed by expanding both methodological and conceptual approaches. In particular we will propose the need for more in-depth qualitative research that is inclusive in nature. We will also propose that an adapted positive risk-taking framework might be useful in framing the design, implementation and analysis of future research

Safeguarding Play in Virtual Worlds: Designs and Perspectives on Tween Player Participation in Community Management

Managing problematic interactions in online communities has been a challenge since the days of early text-based, multi-user environments. Research in this area has mostly focused on adults and older teens. In this article, we examine the interactions and commentaries of tween players in Whyville.net, a virtual world with (at the time of the study) more than 1.5 million registered players ages 8–16. To understand how tween players define problematic behavior and what they observe in their own community, we draw from an archive of online postings to Whyville’s newspaper. The postings cover the period from 2000 to 2009 and consist almost entirely of player-generated content. Complementing these tween writings are observations of an after school gaming club in which, over a period of three months, about 20 youth players ages 9–12 met almost daily to play for an hour on Whyville.net. We highlight one particular incident observed in the gaming club because it illustrates how club members dealt with problematic behavior experienced online. Finally, we address the challenges and opportunities that tween player participation in community management presents for managing online behavior and player safety

“I h 8 u”: Findings from a five-year study of text and e-mail bullying

Copyright @ 2010 British Educational Research Association. The final version of this article is available at the link below.This study charts reports of nasty or threatening text and e-mail messages received by students in academic years 7 and 8 (11-13 years of age) attending 13 secondary schools in the North of England between 2002-2006. Annual surveys were undertaken on behalf of the local education authority (LEA) to monitor bullying. Results indicated that, over five years, the number of pupils receiving one or more nasty or threatening text messages or e-mails increased significantly, particularly among girls. However, receipt of frequent nasty or threatening text and e-mail messages remained relatively stable. For boys, being a victim of direct-physical bullying was associated with receiving nasty or threatening text and e-mail messages; for girls it was being unpopular among peers. Boys received more hate-related messages and girls were primarily the victims of name-calling, Findings are discussed with respect to theoretical and policy developments, and recommendations for future research are offered

A Cyberbullying Needs Assessment in a Middle School Population: Identifying a Direction for Nurses

Cyberbullying is a fairly new phenomenon that most adolescents will experience or be exposed to during their lifetime. It produces devastating outcomes on those who are victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying. There is a limited amount of research regarding the prevention of cyberbullying. The evidence that is available is mostly exploratory in nature. Currently, the literature recommends conducting a needs assessment to validate the problem, raise awareness, and identify potential solutions that are specific to a population and/or setting. Therefore, the purpose of this scholarly project was to administer a cyberbullying needs assessment at a local west Michigan middle school. Two conceptual frameworks were used to guide this project: the model for evidence-based practice change and the social cognitive theory. The sample included 296 seventh and eighth grade students from a local west Michigan middle school. The Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Instrument created by Hinduja and Patchin (2014) was used. Three qualitative questions were asked. These pertained to how teachers, peers and parents could prevent cyberbullying. Descriptive statistics were used to report the data and categories were identified from the qualitative data. Findings included that most students at this middle school have been exposed to cyberbullying. Differences were observed in cyberbullying methods between the seventh and eighth grade students. Differences were also observed in cyberbullying frequency between male and female students. Based on the findings, recommendations related to future prevention efforts are made for this west Michigan middle school

Addressing the cyber safety challenge: from risk to resilience

Addressing the cyber safety challenge: from risk to resilience describes the cyber safety issues emerging from a range of technology trends, how different populations are using technologies and the risks they face, and how we can effectively respond to each group’s unique cyber safety needs. Written by the University of Western Sydney for Telstra Corporation Ltd, the report advocates for continuing to move cyber safety from a ‘risk and protection’ framework to one that focuses on building digital resilience, as well as fostering trust and confidence in the online environment. To do this we need to: Address the needs of populations often neglected by current policies and programs – including adults, seniors, parents, and small to medium enterprises Continue to build the digital literacy skills of all populations, because digital literacy strongly influences users’ ability to engage safely online – this is best achieved by a hands-on learning approach Keep risk in perspective – the risks and benefits of digital participation go hand in hand Broaden the focus from awareness-raising to long-term behaviour change. As digital technologies become further integrated into the everyday lives of Australians, users are potentially exposed to greater risks. However, the risks and benefits of digital participation go hand in hand. The challenge, therefore, is to support users to minimise the risks without limiting their digital participation and their capacity to derive the full benefits of connectivity. If Australians are to benefit as either consumers or providers of online services and products in the e-commerce environment, consumer safety and trust need to be improved. Cyber safety needs to be considered against a transforming backdrop of technology trends, products and practices. While the rise of social media has tended to dominate recent debate and developments in cyber safety, particularly in relation to young people, a range of other trends is also shaping how users engage online, the risks they potentially face in the new media landscape, and the strategies used to address them. These trends include the rise of user generated content and content sharing platforms; the uptake of mobile technologies and, in particular, the adoption of smartphones; cloud computing; platform integration and single sign-on mechanisms; and the rise of GPS and location based services

Understanding individual experiences of cyberbullying encountered through work

Little research has explored individual experiences of cyberbullying in working contexts. To start bridging the gap in our current understanding, we used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore individuals’ shared experiences of cyberbullying encountered through work. In-depth interviews, conducted with five cyberbullied workers from the pharmaceutical, charity and university sectors, resulted in five superordinate themes: attributions of causality; crossing of boundaries; influence of communication media richness on relationship development; influence of communication explicitness and openness; and strategies for coping. Overall, some similarities emerged between cyberbullying experiences and traditional bullying research, yet the complexities associated with managing relationships, both virtually and physically, were central to individuals’ subjective experiences. Practical implications in developing effective leadership and business policies to support virtual groups and manage behaviours are discussed

Cyberbullying on World of Warcraft:experiences of Finnish gamers

Abstract. We use Internet and play games over the Internet connection more than ever. Many researchers have noticed that cyberbullying on the Internet is increasing and it is a significant problem between young people, also on online games. In this thesis, I focus on a Finnish gamers of Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) named World of Warcraft (WoW), and examine 1) what kind of cyberbullying they have encountered or witnessed, 2) What kind of experiences they have concerning dealing with cyberbullying, and 3) what are their experiences of the support developers, service providers, or other parties are offering to cope and prevent cyberbullying. The research was carried out in two parts: First, a literature review was carried out in order to identify what kind of research is ongoing concerning cyberbullying in games, as well as support available to gamers experiencing cyberbullying. Then, empirical research was carried out through four semi-structured interviews with Finnish gamers. The data from the interviews was analysed using theory-guided content analysis. This thesis provides the reader up-to-date information about current situation of cyberbullying on MMOGs in Finland. The results of the thesis suggest that cyberbullying in WoW is very common issue between Finnish gamers. The results of the interviews showed that cyberbullying is a noteworthy issue and should be increasingly taken into account by both players and game providers to reduce it. The thesis also identifies new ways to cyberbully that were not discussed in earlier literature or were not found during the literature review process: steam sniping, racism and swatting. Racism is a comprehensive concept of cyberbullying act in games but one female participant said that someone called her as gay while another participant talked about racism in games in general level just like it might happen in real life. Stream sniping is way to do cyberbullying where player itself streams his/hers gaming over the Internet in real-time and other people are able to watch it live. On the aspect of WoW, stream sniping can be used as harass meanings. Streamer itself shows private game information to other people (e.g. game server and location in-game) so other players are able to use that private information of the streamer and then kill him/her for example. Swatting is part of live streaming as well where someone calls to the emergency service and does a false reporting of a serious law enforcement emergency about someone, on this case, a streamer and this is called as a criminal harassment tactic. So, because of this false report FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) or equivalent direction raids the streamer’s home while the stream is on. These phenomena warrant future research