Cyberbullying campaign at schools
Liam* looks spellbound at his mobile phone. Comment after comment pops up in the WhatsApp class chat. Nevin is mocked for «crawling up the teacher's arse». He tries to defend himself and asks whether he should no longer report to school.
Noah: «Oh come on, just lie down and help us all»
Leon: «he'd be doing himself and the world a favour»
Liam winces noticeably at both comments. It's not just because of the nasty words: the mobile phone gives him a harmless but noticeable electric shock with every hurtful comment. Because the mobile phone is not his mobile phone, it is part of the awareness campaign «When words hurt» by the Stiftung Elternsein foundation, which publishes the Swiss parents' magazine Fritz+Fränzi.
Liam is a pupil at a first secondary school in Embrach, Zurich, and today's programme includes a workshop on cyberbullying instead of lessons.
Fist in the face is easier without eye contact
The words that physically hurt Liam here actually did hurt once. The chat history is real, only the names have been changed. They are words that are often used in class chats. And in the worst-case scenario, lead to what Noah and Leon - recklessly - suggest to Nevin in the chat: that the victim commits suicide. The installation is well received: visibly impressed, Liam whispers to his colleague Matteo: «It's cool, mate!»
Before the prepared mobile phone was used, Liam and his 12 classmates were introduced to the topic by Mike Würmli, 23, and Lina Shaqiri, 25. They work for zischtig.ch, a non-profit organisation for media education and prevention, which runs the awareness-raising workshop for school classes on behalf of the Elternsein Foundation.
Würmli starts by asking: «Who all has a smartphone?» All hands go up. «Who has WhatsApp?» 12 out of 13 pupils raise their hands. «Who has Snapchat?» The same picture. And so it goes on with social media platforms and chat apps. The majority of hands only stay down when the instructors ask who has a TV in their room.
Welcome to the world of teenagers in 2019: most communication takes place in chat groups on smartphones.
This encourages dialogue, but has its pitfalls. Mike Würmli explains that a lot of things that help to categorise statements are lost in chat: Facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, speed of speech and, above all, eye contact. Würmli shows a poster: on one side of a wall, someone is typing something into their mobile phone. On the other, someone else gets a fist straight in the face from their mobile phone. The cyber offender does not have to look the victim in the eye and does not see what he is doing with his words. This increases the propensity for violence, explains Würmli.
However, the workshop leader also shows understanding: «It's not easy to spend your days with people you didn't choose.». However, school is a good training ground because, Würmli continues: «That will also be the case later in working life.» There are girls and boys in almost every class who are bossy, snitch and lie. Würmli: «If you have problems with someone, please sort it out in person - and not in the class chat.»
«If you are insulted: don't give it back!»
After the introduction, it's time for group work. Co-course leader Lina Shaqiri explains when it is appropriate to «reset» in a chat, i.e. to withdraw from a discussion. She asks Erzin if he is a fan of a football club. The 13-year-old doesn't have to think twice: «Besiktas Istanbul!». Lina Shaqiri knows all about it: «Besiktas fans don't get on well with Fenerbace fans, right? Imagine if I was a Fenerbace fan - we could argue forever and we still wouldn't agree. Right?» The 25-year-old speaks the language of young people. She advises the girls: «If someone calls you a bitch, don't give it back!»
The third station is very specific: the pupils are asked to write down their own experiences of bullying and their wishes in this regard without giving their names.
«Older children were set on me and I was often beaten and they told me to die, that nobody would miss me anyway.»
A pupil anonymously records his experiences of bullying
Later, another school class comes into the assembly hall. The completed sheets from the 30 or so pupils show that many of them have already experienced bullying: Many have already experienced bullying. One pupil wrote: «School has been difficult for me for nine years. I wish it would stop in class, at school and everywhere. More people should help.» Another pupil wants draconian punishments for the bullies: entries in the report card, «not school-related, but like when you steal something». Another pupil noted: «I was bullied myself for a year. Older children were set on me and I was often beaten and they told me to die, that nobody would miss me anyway. I was kicked out of the class chat and excluded.»
What is striking is that there is often a desire expressed for teachers to take bullying more seriously, address it at school and intervene earlier. At the same time, the students say that the topic is generally handled well at Sek Embrach.
Why a «Huh?!» can be problematic
Mylène Sunier, class teacher of the first secondary school class, says: «Although we have already organised project days on the topic, it is very important that the young people hear it again and again. Especially when someone comes from outside - they listen very differently to the class teacher.»
Mike Würmli confirms that the topic is not new to most of them. «However, the young people often lack concrete options for action.» He cites an example from the courses: «A non-malicious chat can be taken as provocation. It doesn't cause any misunderstandings.»
Lina Shaqiri is also convinced of the importance of the courses: «There are class rules for direct interaction with each other - they don't exist in the group chats.»
But it's not just the pupils who lack media skills, the 25-year-old continues: «There should also be courses for parents.» In general, adults are often poor role models. «They also often struggle to choose the right communication channel,» says the course instructor. «And if you read the online comments of adults on the internet, you shouldn't be surprised if the boys don't do any better.»
(*all student names changed by the editors)
Bullying awareness campaign in the Glatt shopping centre
If you would like to learn about cyberbullying with your children and try out our prepared mobile phone: Come to the Glatt shopping centre in Zurich during regular opening hours from 13 to 18 May 2019, where we have set up our information installation for you.
Read more about bullying
- «Children need to know what they can achieve with nasty words»: Digital media are particularly suitable for bullying, says bullying expert Christelle Schläpfer. In this interview, she explains how teachers, parents and children can deal with cyberbullying.
- How does bullying occur? What can you do about it? And who is actually to blame? Dive deep into the topic with reports, interviews and tips in our online dossier «Bullying»