Level: Grades 9 to 12

Duration: Two hours

Author: Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts

Overview

In this lesson, students learn about and discuss the legal aspects of cyberbullying. They review a variety of hypothetical scenarios and a case study, and they consider the seriousness of the situations, who is legally responsible, what action (if any) should be taken and by whom. To determine this, students will seek answers to the following questions: How does cyberbullying differ from offline bullying? What aspects of a cyberbullying case make it a cause for legal action? What determines whether it is a civil or a criminal matter? How should rights to freedom of expression, guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, be balanced against rights to security of person? When and how are schools responsible for cyberbullying cases?

Students will also be introduced to two main sources of information on criminal law: the online Criminal Code and the Canada Gazette. The latter publishes laws and regulations that are to be introduced or amended, allowing citizens to participate in the legislative system by commenting on the proposed laws or changes.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• analyze scenarios and case studies, and make judgments on them
• consider and discuss factors that affect whether online actions are, in fact, cyberbullying
• demonstrate knowledge of legal terms and definitions related to cyberbullying
• demonstrate knowledge of responsible citizenship and ethical behaviour online
• argue and support an opinion

This lesson and all associated documents (handouts, overheads, backgrounders) are available in an easy-print, pdf kit version.