GSABA CYBER BULLYING & SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
GSABA Cyber Bullying & Social Media Policy Statement
Every person in sport, in every role, has the right to participate in an environment that is fun, safe and healthy, and to be treated with respect, dignity and fairness.
Bullying is any behaviour that is offensive, abusive, belittling, intimidating or threatening - whether this is face to face, indirectly, or via communication technologies such as mobile phone and computers.
Cyber bullying is a form of bullying, which is carried out through an internet service such as a email, a chat room, discussion group, instant messaging or web pages. It can also include bullying through mobile phone technologies such as SMS.
Examples of cyber bullying behaviour are:
Teasing and being made fun of
Spreading rumours online
Sending unwanted messages
GSABA is concerned at the increasing number of complaints being made about the inappropriated use of text messaging, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networking sites by people involved in basketball.
These sites have been used to bully other basketballers, to criticise referees and to criticise GSABA Management.
This behaviour is totally unacceptable in our sport and will not be tolerated.
Basketball SA's, SACBC's and GSABA's Codes of Conduct and Member Protection Policy addresses bullying behaviour as well as a range inappropriate behaviours including discrimination, harassment and abuse and provide a complaints process dealing with incidents.
The Member Protection By-Laws refer specifically to inappropriate use of technology for that purpose. Under Basketball SA's Tribunal By-Laws and Member Protection By-Laws, behaviour which is unacceptable can be brought to the Tribunal, even if it didn't occur on the basketball court.
As long as the incident is basketball related, the tribunal is able to deal with it.
GSABA will have no hesitation in reporting to the Tribunal and penalising, inappropraite, basketball related behaviour which misuses mobile phones, internet networking sites or other technology.
Basketball SA will not allow or tolerate cyber bullying or bullying in general.
This policy statement and the information below is provided to members to assist them in identifying and dealing with cyber bullying within basketball and to provide a process for reporting such behaviour should it occur in our sport.
GSABA Information Sheet - Cyber Bullying
What is Cyber Bullying?
Cyber Bullying is a form of bullying, which is carried out through an internet service such as email, a chat room. discussion group, instant messaging or web pages. It can also include bullying through mobile phone technologies such as SMS.
Anyone can be bullied online and the bully can act anonymously if he or she desires.
What is Cyber Stalking?
Cyber Stalking describes when a person is stalked or harassed by another person using a service of the internet such as email, instant messages or via a posting in a discussion group. Stalking behaviours can include threats, cryptic messages, and sexual innuendo that occur in a frequent and intrusive manner. The usual goal for stalking is to create a sense of fear in the recipient and the motivation is based on control and intimidation.
What activities can i report?
Under the circumstances (such as harassment and making threats) cyber bullying is a criminal activity and illegal. If you feel your immediate safety is at risk, contact '000' in an emergency situation or your local police. Police around Australia work together to reduce this type of crime and there are serious consequences if people participate in such activities.
You can report to the authorities any personal threat that you consider stalking. Personal threats are considered as an assault, even when no physical contact has been made.
How can you protect yourself against cyber stalking?
- Find out what is already published about you on the internet. type your name into one of the Google services (web, images, groups, directory or news) and see if anything is already online.
- Stay anonymous. Only use your ISP email for communication and create other email accounts, for example when you enter an online competition.
- Choose a name that you wish to use online which is different to your real name and not specifically a male or female name.
- Refrain from submittting any personal information others will be able to see online (e.g. when signing up for an online service such as chat or instant messaging)
- Be careful where you display any real life photos. It is easy for others to save photos and display them on other parts of the internet.
- Be aware of the online services that people can contact you and take any precautions necessary to protect yourself and your machine from any attacks when using these services. Only add 'friends' who you know are real people and actually exist.
How do you stop cyber bullies?
- Keep a record including time and date. This may help you, or the police, to find out who is sending the messages.
- Tell someone. Talk to someone you trust, a parent, friend, school counsellor or teacher.
- Contact your telephone or Internet service provider and report what is happening. They can help you block messages or calls from certain senders.
- If messages are threatening or serious get in touch with the police. Cyber-bullying, if it's threatening, is illegal.
- Don't reply to bullying messages - it'll only get worse if you do. By replying the bully gets what he of she wants. Often if you don't reply the bully will leave you alone.
- Change your contact details. Get a new user name for the Internet, a new email account, a new mobile phone number and only give them out to your closest friends.
- Keep your username and passwords secret. Keep your personal information private so it does'nt fall into hands of someone who'll mise-use it.
If you're a parent, what can you do about Cyber Bullying?
- Discuss the incident with your child, assure them that you can help even if you know less about mobiles than they do.
- Help your child implement stategies to minimize harassment.
- Make your child's school or club aware of the problem. most schools have a policy on the use of mobile phones.
- Share your experiences with other parents, and raise concerns through your child's school, sporting club or other community groups in which they're involved.
- Remember the law is on your side and it is a criminal offence to use a mobile phone to menace or harass another person.
Adult Members which includes GSABA Management Committee Members, Coaches, Umpires, Team Managers should not make minors face book friends.
If electronic communication is required with a minor by an Adult, it is recommended to be done through the Parents email, Parents telephone in conversation or as a text to the parents and communication should be limited to basketball related conversations.