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Minding Minors Wandering the Web: Regulating Online Child Safety pp 245–262Cite as

Addressing Cyberbullying Using a Multi-Stakeholder Approach: The Flemish Case

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Part of the book series: Information Technology and Law Series ((ITLS,volume 24))

Abstract

Because cyberbullying is often connected to traditional (school) bullying, many scholars plea for an integrative anti-bulllying approach. In this chapter, we argue that to address cyberbullying effectively, it is necessary to take into account its specific characteristics. First of all, these specific characteristics have consequences for the different actors that should be involved. Because cyberbullying is mostly initiated at home, is only directly observable online, and often done by a perpetrator who takes advantage of the relative anonymity provided by ICT, school staff is probably less aware of this type of bullying and less able to react immediately. Therefore, other types of actors—i.e. parents, Internet Service Providers and the (cyber) police—should (also) be engaged. Second, addressing cyberbullying requires adjustments in the contents of anti-bullying programmes. To prevent, to detect and to solve cyberbullying, all parties should be aware of what cyberbullying actually is, what causes cyberbullying and what can be done to prevent or solve it.

Heidi Vandebosch is Associate Professor at the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Antwerp (Belgium). She is a member of the Research Group MIOS (Media and ICT in Organisations and Society).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Kowalski and Limber 2007; Tokunaga 2010.

  2. 2.

    Juvonen and Gross 2008; Li 2007; Vandebosch and Van Cleemput 2009.

  3. 3.

    Agatson et al. 2007; Mason 2008.

  4. 4.

    Patchin and Hinduja 2006; Heirman and Walrave 2008; Dooley et al. 2009.

  5. 5.

    Vandebosch and Van Cleemput 2008; Menesini and Nocentini 2009; Menesini et al. 2011; Langos 2012.

  6. 6.

    Vandebosch and Van Cleemput 2009.

  7. 7.

    Heirman and Walrave 2008.

  8. 8.

    Salmivalli and Pöyhönen 2010.

  9. 9.

    Vandebosch and Van Cleemput 2009.

  10. 10.

    Campbell 2005.

  11. 11.

    See for instance, Kowalski et al. 2008; Tokunaga 2010.

  12. 12.

    Wegge et al. 2013.

  13. 13.

    Kowalski and Limber 2007.

  14. 14.

    Livingstone et al. 2011.

  15. 15.

    Dehue et al. 2008; Li 2007; Raskauskas and Stoltz 2007; Smith et al. 2008.

  16. 16.

    Vandebosch and Van Cleemput 2009.

  17. 17.

    Ybarra and Mitchell 2004.

  18. 18.

    Patchin and Hinduja 2006; Wegge et al. 2013.

  19. 19.

    Slonje and Smith 2008; Williams and Guerra 2007.

  20. 20.

    Mishna et al. 2010.

  21. 21.

    Raskauskas and Stoltz 2007.

  22. 22.

    Varjas et al. 2010.

  23. 23.

    Hinduja and Patchin 2009.

  24. 24.

    Raskauskas and Stoltz 2007.

  25. 25.

    Varjas et al. 2010.

  26. 26.

    Dehue et al. 2008; Juvonen and Gross 2008; Li 2007; Vandebosch and Van Cleemput 2009.

  27. 27.

    Ybarra 2004; Juvonen and Gross 2008.

  28. 28.

    For an overview see Tokunaga 2010.

  29. 29.

    For an overview see Tokunaga 2010.

  30. 30.

    Smith et al. 2008.

  31. 31.

    Price and Dalgleish 2010.

  32. 32.

    Price and Dalgleish 2010; Machmutow et al. 2012.

  33. 33.

    Juvonen and Gross 2008; Smith et al. 2008; Mishna et al. 2010; Erentaite et al. 2012; Wegge et al. 2013.

  34. 34.

    Beran and Li 2007; Marsh et al. 2010.

  35. 35.

    Agatston et al. 2007; Diamanduros et al. 2008.

  36. 36.

    Lane 2011.

  37. 37.

    Samara and Smith 2008.

  38. 38.

    Vandebosch and Poels 2012.

  39. 39.

    Samara and Smith 2008.

  40. 40.

    Aoyama and Talbert 2010.

  41. 41.

    Sharples et al. 2009.

  42. 42.

    Vandebosch et al. 2011.

  43. 43.

    Livingstone and Helsper 2008.

  44. 44.

    Livingstone et al. 2011.

  45. 45.

    Vandebosch and Van Cleemput 2009.

  46. 46.

    Mesch 2009.

  47. 47.

    Li 2006.

  48. 48.

    Dehue et al. 2008.

  49. 49.

    www.internet-observatory.be/internet_observatory/pdf/faq_cards/parents/Cyberharcelement_parents_web_nl.pdf.

  50. 50.

    For more information on the legal qualification of different types of cyberbullying in different countries, see Walrave et al. 2009; Kowalski et al. 2008; Stefkovich et al. 2010; Shariff 2008; Campbell et al. 2008.

  51. 51.

    For an extensive overview, see Vandebosch et al. 2012.

  52. 52.

    See Ahlert et al. 2004; Lievens et al. 2006.

  53. 53.

    Walrave et al. 2009; Durrant 2010.

  54. 54.

    Child Focus 2011.

  55. 55.

    Haddon and Stald 2009; Mascheroni et al. 2010.

  56. 56.

    Vermeulen and Vandebosch 2012.

  57. 57.

    Lynn 2010.

  58. 58.

    Thom et al. 2011.

  59. 59.

    Haddon and Stald 2009, pp. 379–380.

  60. 60.

    De Craemer 2010, p. 7.

  61. 61.

    Vlaams Parlement 2009a.

  62. 62.

    Vlaams Parlement 2009b.

  63. 63.

    Ybarra 2004.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    Heidi Vandebosch

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  1. Heidi Vandebosch
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Correspondence to Heidi Vandebosch .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. eLaw – Center for law in the information society, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Simone van der Hof

  2. eLaw – Center for law in the information, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Bibi van den Berg

  3. Faculty of Law eLaw – Centre for Law in the Information, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Bart Schermer

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Vandebosch, H. (2014). Addressing Cyberbullying Using a Multi-Stakeholder Approach: The Flemish Case. In: van der Hof, S., van den Berg, B., Schermer, B. (eds) Minding Minors Wandering the Web: Regulating Online Child Safety. Information Technology and Law Series, vol 24. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-005-3_14

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