Nearly a fifth of teachers are victims of "cyberbaiting" by pupils who deliberately taunt their teachers, film their reaction and then post it on the web, according to research.
Vengeful pupils are targeting their teachers through the internet, sparking new concerns over codes of conduct regarding online interaction between students and their educators. The survey, carried out by Norton, found cyberbullying is no longer just a peer-to-peer problem but is now emerging as a pupil-to-teacher issue.
Developed with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the research discovered 17% of UK teachers have personally experienced or know a colleague who has been a victim of cyberbaiting. Pupils apparently provoke their teacher by disrupting the class and record the reaction on their mobile.
Moments later, the video is distributed online.
The alarming trend was dubbed "cruel" by the president of the ATL, Alice Robertson.
"It exposes the victim to widespread public humiliation. It can be hugely damaging to self-esteem, confidence and reputation – and even break careers.
"It is not a trivial matter and needs to be taken as seriously as all other forms of bullying."
The association urged teachers to take steps to protect themselves and "demanded" all schools and colleges have "robust policies to deal with cyberbaiting and to enforce these rigorously".
While 77% of the 800 teachers surveyed said their school had a code of conduct regarding online interaction, 16% did not and 7% did not know of one. Sixth form or college teachers are nearly three times more likely to not have online policies than primary school teachers, despite their pupils spending more time online.
General secretary of the National Union of Teachers Christine Blower said the survey highlighted the "continued need" for pupils to be educated on how to use social technologies responsibly.
"Cyberbullying damages lives, be it a pupil's or a member of staff, but early intervention can go some way to preventing this", she added.
The survey also revealed:
- 30% of kids have been victims of cybercrime and 52% have experienced a negative online situation – far more than parents realise (12% and 25% respectively)
- 38% of kids say they sometimes stop what they are doing online if they know their parents are watching.
- Four in 10 parents have house rules about how much time their kids can spend online
- But only 38% have set parental controls on the family computer.
Deborah Preston, Norton’s online safety expert added: "The digital age has opened up a whole new platform for classroom conflict.
"Much more needs to be done to align children, parents and teachers on safe internet use."