Disabled children and those with special educational needs (SEN) are more likely to experience online bullying, less likely to be able to use the internet and less likely to have support to use the internet.
At the ABA, we have collaborated with disabled young people to identify the challenges of online bullying and explore effective solutions. In doing so, we have developed several resources to support tackling online bullying of young people with SEND.
Cyberbullying and children and young people with SEN and disabilities: the views of young people.
Cyberbullying leaflet for young people.
These resources are designed primarily for schools but can also be applied in other settings for children and young people. They are based on evidence from research literature and insights gathered through consultations with disabled young people. The resources highlight key issues that schools, teachers, and other professionals should be aware of regarding online bullying in this group. They also provide clear actions that educators and professionals can take to prevent and respond to online bullying of disabled young people and those with SEN.
Online bullying focus groups key findings:
Of the disabled young people and those with SEN we spoke to, many:
Positives
- spoke of using the internet positively and were doing so with awareness about how to stay safe online.
- felt that the positive aspects of the internet and social media are often overshadowed by talk of the internet being unsafe or of online bullying. They felt there should be a balanced view, with support to learn how to stay safe online and how to respond to online bullying if it happens, rather than being discouraged to use it.
Concerns
- had experienced online bullying. This was often an extension of the face-to-face bullying they experienced, often went unchallenged, or they were not supported to respond to this.
- were not using the internet, despite being able to do so. For some this was because they were not given the support to do so. For others it was because they had been discouraged from using the internet or were afraid to do so for fear of online bullying. This means young people are also missing out on the many positive aspects of the internet.
- said that online bullying can enhance existing social pressures.
Education
- had not been supported to learn about online bullying or internet safety. This meant they were not aware of how to stay safe online, what to do about online bullying, or made it difficult for them to know if some of the things happening online were online bullying or not.
- said they were often not believed when they told someone about online bullying or were told the best strategy to deal with online bullying is to avoid the internet, which they felt wasn’t realistic.
- talked of no one knowing they has a disability online and that the internet was a good way of concealing this aspect of the identity. This should cause us to question the negative impact of bullying on young people’s identity as disabled people.