Proposal for an Initiative for Cyber Aggression Prevention Program for Canadian Secondary Schools

Abstract

Cyber-bullying among secondary school aged children is a growing problem, and one that schools are increasingly required to address. This proposal for an Initiative for Cyber Aggression Prevention Program (i4C app), is incorporated in a larger Violence Prevention Program and builds on traditional cyber bullying initiatives yet is inclusive of aggressive acts that are neither repetitive nor have a perceived imbalance of power. The proposed Initiative for Cyber Aggression Prevention Program defines cyber aggression as any aggression on a continuum, where there may be intent to inflict harm and/or where the incident creates an impact on an individual(s) or bystander(s). In this initiative, interventions take into consideration context along with the psychosocial, somatic, and academic performance impact. Key elements in Initiative for Cyber Aggression Prevention Program are cohesive community involvement, established anti-aggression protocols and interventions, ongoing assessment, in conjunction with workshops and curriculum plans designed to increase behavioural awareness, relational skills training and empathy building. Anecdotal evidence from secondary students suggest that there may be future research warranted that focuses on cyber aggression that does not fall under the traditional definition of bullying to determine the full impact on secondary students.