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By Kelly Santos
Learn how to recognize cyberbullying warning signs and how to shut it down, all while strengthening your relationship with your child. Here are the most-asked questions we get from parents new to the world of cyberbullying:
Cyberbullying happens when someone (of any age) uses technology to harass, embarrass, intimidate or stalk someone else. Cyberbully tools include emails, instant messages, text messages, social media, photos, videos or even chat on online gaming sites. Cyberbullying leaves its victims feeling scared, isolated, intimidated and humiliated. It’s not a joke, a phase, or a “kids will be kids” part of growing up.
Cyberbullying is limited only by the bully’s imagination and brazenness. It might be a Facebook account the bully sets up in the victim’s name to make embarrassing fake posts. Or maybe it’s pictures of the skinny kid in gym class shared on cell phones with a degrading caption. It might be unsettling or stalker-like emails like, “I know where you live, and I’m watching you.” Or maybe it’s a sore loser on an online gaming network who badmouths an opponent and encourages other players to ban him from their games. Sometimes bullies make fake harassment reports against victims so they eventually lose their Internet Service Provider (ISP) or instant messenger accounts.
Maybe. Many cyberbullies are also bullies in the physical world. Or, they may be victims of bullying themselves who have found a way to feel powerful by tormenting others behind the safety of a screen. Cyberbullies often know their victims and may be “frenemies,” seeming at times to be friendly and fun, only to attack later. That’s why cyberbullying is so emotionally hurtful. Because the Internet gives bullies anonymity, they’re less empathetic. They can’t see the cues (tears, expression, tone of voice) that might otherwise cause their physical-world counterparts to back off a bit. When they can’t see the person being hurt, other kids find it easier to pile on.
You can show them how to become less-attractive targets (and even prevent them from becoming bullies themselves):
SocialScout can be set up by parents to alert them to suspicious situations, requests from adults and many other scenarios. But your gut can tell you plenty, too. A bullied child often shows signs that shouldn’t be dismissed as ordinary preteen or teenage moodiness:
To learn more, check out more resources at StopCyberbullying.org.
This article was originally published on Identity Theft 911 Blog.
Image: Lars Plougmann, via Flickr
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