3 in 10 teachers have experienced cyberbaiting

SINGAPORE - A new shocking example of cyberbullying is on the rise here, where students taunt their teachers until they crack, then post footage of it online to embarrass their teachers or their school.
The growing trend is called "cyberbaiting", and three in 10 Singaporean teachers have said they have either personally experienced it or know of a colleague who has fallen victim, the latest Norton Online Family Report revealed.

Possibly because of this, 60 per cent of the teachers interviewed said it is dangerous for them to befriend their students on social networks.
However, 75 per cent continued to "friend" their students. This is despite 68 per cent of the teachers reporting their school has a code of conduct for how teachers and students communicate with each other through social media.
The report also highlighted kids falling victims to bad behaviour online, with 71 per cent of Singaporean kids having had a negative experience while online.
This is higher than the global average of 62 per cent.
Nearly half said they had a serious negative experience online, such as receiving inappropriate pictures from strangers, being bullied or becoming the victim of cybercrime.
The report also showed that kids who are active on social networks are more likely to be exposed to difficult situations that they might not be able to handle.
The report also revealed a surprisingly high number of kids taking liberties with their parents' credit cards for shopping online, with nearly 50 per cent of parents saying that their child is guilty of it.
However, it's not all bad news: the report concluded by demonstrating that parents wield a huge influence in buffering their children from unpleasant online situations.
Parents can set and strictly implement clearly stated house rules for proper Internet behavior, the report said.
In the study, 87 per cent of Singapore parents said they implement Internet rules for their kids. Of these households, those with kids who follow the rules stay relatively safe with 63 per cent reporting a negative experience online. However, the percentage increased to 86 per cent among rule-breakers.
Kids are developing their online identity at an earlier age than ever before, and they need role models to guide them, said Vanessa Van Petten, youthologist and author of "Radical Parenting".
She further stressed that such online experiences can have repercussions in the real world, from bullying to falling victim to scams arising from giving strangers personal information.
The report also called for further education on the dangers of the Internet for kids.