2.6 How are digital technologies used to bully and harass victims?

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A young male athlete is sitting on the track with a javelin alongside him. He looks very unhappy and sad. His mobile phone is also on the ground. The phone depicts aggressive messages and comments coming out of it.

The digital world can make bullying easier and make the experiences of victims even harder. Let’s look at an example that demonstrates this.

Ryan (aged 16) was targeted and bullied online

Listen to this account from Ryan and try to list all the different ways that using digital technologies made it easier for David to bully Ryan.

As you listen, also think about how you might tackle this kind of bullying in your organisation.

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A young male tennis player standing in an action pose with his racquet in both hands.

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Transcript

‘I received a late selection to the under-17s trials. I didn’t know many of the other players, and the atmosphere was very competitive because everyone hoped to get a place in the national team.
One of the other players was David, and it was clear that he didn’t like me. He was popular with the other players and started making comments about my height and joking about my fitness level. All the players were part of an online group. David posted negative comments about me – when I asked him to stop, he said they were only jokes and I needed to get a sense of humour.
The comments continued – other players started to repeat them, and I could tell they were laughing at me behind my back. Asking David to stop was a mistake – because he said that I’d threatened him. This turned even more people against me.
I spent all my spare time checking online to see what had been posted – even at night. I couldn’t get away from it. I didn’t know what to do.’
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Comment

Bullying of any sort is distressing and damaging, but aspects of online bullying can make it even worse. Online posts are sometimes shared in a group or made publicly available – encouraging further harassment. Digital technologies allow a continual intrusion into every part of the victim’s life – happening at home, in school, and in sport.

Tackling online bullying is an important part of your organisation’s overall approach. Just because something happens in the virtual world and not during a sporting activity, doesn’t make it any less of an organisation’s responsibility, or any less harmful.

In the case of Ryan, the online bullying was only addressed when the Safeguarding Lead heard about it from a coach and took action with those involved.

2.5 Bullying: what about the actions of other athletes?

2.7 Are some people more vulnerable to abuse?