United front against digital bullying

Together they have developed a school campaign based on participation and dialog with teachers, students and their parents. The campaign is called “Bruk Hue”, which can be roughly translated to “Think!”. The campaign offers specific advice on how to diminish the problem of digital bullying.

Raise awareness of digital bullying

A 2013 survey* from Telenor shows that one out of two children have faced digital bullying among friends. The goal of “Bruk Hue” is to raise awareness on the issue of digital bullying; to spread knowledge about which situations that may lead to bullying and how to avoid these situations. The campaign also acknowledges the legal and psychological consequences of digital bullying.

Visiting 400 schools, 120,000 students and 22,000 parents

Since 2009 and to the end of spring 2013, the campaign will have visited 400 schools and directly involved nearly 120,000 students and 22,000 parents. The number of those who have felt the effect of the campaign is even greater.

“Digital and hidden bullying can hit hard, and a joke or a picture published online can quickly turn into a massive hate campaign. Every day thousands of Norwegian children and youths are bullied or teased on digital platforms, and the tendency is increasing in line with the increase in the use of smartphones and social media. That is why it is completely obvious to us that we must continue the fight against digital bullying,” Telenor Norge CEO, Berit Svendsen, says.

Learning to think about consequences

Telenor’s survey* from 2013 shows that six out of ten children who have taken part in the Use Your Head attitude campaign now have knowledge they need to be able to handle bullying online and on mobile phones. It also shows that sharing of knowledge is helping; eight out of ten children now know that it is illegal to publish pictures without permission from the person in the picture.

“It is very positive that Use Your Head results in that the participators get enough knowledge to be able to avoid digital bullying. Through this campaign we constantly see a correlation between an increase in knowledge and a reduction in the misuse of digital platforms. This shows that our advice is working,” Director of Norwegian Media Authority, Tom Thoresen says. 

Dialogue with parents is important

According to Telenor’s survey one out of ten children have considered switching their school class as a result of digital bullying. The survey also shows that eight out of ten children know there are adults they can talk to, yet more than half feel it is hard to tell someone if they have experienced digital bullying.

The survey indicates the importance of the dialogue between children and their parents. Even though nine out of ten parents believe new ways of communicating online and on mobile phones can contribute to making bullying more common, 37 % say they have little control of what their children are doing on their mobile phone or online.

“Children and youths use their mobiles and the internet considerably more after the rise of the smartphone. This makes it easier to hide the bullying from adults and makes it harder for parents to keep track of their children’s digital lives. That’s why the main focus of this campaign is the dialogue between adults and children,” Managing Director at Kids and Media, Merethe Clausen Moe, says.

Youths use bullying filter on their mobile phones

As part of the campaign against digital bullying, Telenor has developed a bullying filter aimed at blocking the bullies out from your mobile. The service is free. Experience shows many are in need of this service.

“We are aiming to contribute to establish a healthy set of norms and values among the users of digital services. In the long run we therefore hope the need of the bullying filter and similar services will disappear. So far, however, there is no doubt there is a need for it, and that many need extra protection. The bullying filter contributes in an important and concrete way,” Berit Svendsen says.

Strengthening the fight against digital bullying

The Norwegian Government has supported the Use Your Head tour ever since its launch in 2009

“Preventative work is extremely important for the safe use of digital media, especially when young people increasingly use new channels that trigger new forms of bullying. Use Your Head is a great example of how preventative dialogue and good tools give results. The government is also very much committed to this area through our 2011 Manifest Against Bullying. We are committed to work to ensure that all children and youths have a good childhood and learning environments with zero tolerance for bullying,” Culture Minister, Hadia Tajik, says.

*The 2013 survey is conducted by Norstat for Telenor.