We're here to help protect you and your family in everyday life — including when you're online and on your phones. With kids these days constantly on social media and using technology in unprecedented ways, it opens the door even wider for harassment. To help prevent a cyberbullying incident (when kids bully each other through electronic technology) and any related legal issues, here is some helpful information and seven tips about online safety and preventing cyberbullying.
The Different Forms — and Dangers of — Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying can take many forms, including sending mean messages or threats, spreading rumors, posting unflattering pictures or pretending to be someone else online. There are many factors at play that make cyberbullying more difficult for young people to deal with than face-to-face bullying. While cyberbullying usually starts as a face-to-face encounter with someone the victim knows, texts and social media can quickly escalate the situation to widespread harassment and public humiliation.
In a survey conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center, 34 percent of kids reported being a victim of cyberbullying at some time in their lives. Additionally, according to Cyberbullying.gov:
- Kids who are being cyberbullied are often bullied in person as well.
- Kids who are cyberbullied have a harder time getting away from the behavior.
- Cyberbullying can happen any time of the day or night, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone.
- Cyberbullying messages and images can be posted anonymously and distributed quickly to a very wide audience. It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the source.
- Deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts and pictures is extremely difficult after they have been posted or sent.
How Cyberbullying Can Impact Your Kids — and You
Young people need to understand the consequences of every message, picture or post they put online. Even something intended as a joke could reflect badly on them later when they apply for college or a job. And if remarks are intended to hurt or harass someone, the sender could lose a cell phone or online account. As laws in every state become stricter, cyberbullies — and their parents — are more frequently facing legal charges for harassment.
To better protect your children, talk to them and find out more about their school and online experiences with cyberbullying. Consider these tips to as a way to start the conversation and stay safer online.
- When your child gets a new phone or social media account, it's a good time to explain the consequences of what's posted. Set — and keep — boundaries that include the loss of their phone or computer privileges if damaging pictures or messages are posted or forwarded.
- Make sure teens know that what goes online, stays online. Any electronic message is, or can be, made public very easily. If you don't want everyone to know, don't send it online. Better yet, follow the old adage, if you'd be embarrassed if it was published on the front page of the newspaper, then don't write it.
- Encourage your children to tell an adult if they see cyberbullying happening to either themselves or others. Let them know they will not be punished if they are the victim and reassure them that being bullied is not their fault.
- If your child is harassed, keep all cyberbullying messages as proof. Depending on the severity of the message, parents may want to involve the school or the police. While going directly to the bully's parents might provide relief, it is not always practical or possible. In this case, letting the school, the cell phone carrier or internet service provider intervene may be an effective first step.
- If necessary, block the person who is sending harassing messages. You may also need to get a new phone number or email address and be cautious about who receives the new contact information.
- Make sure teens never share passwords with anyone except a parent. Don't write it down or place it where others could find it. This also helps curb incidents of identity theft.
- Parents may want to keep the computer in a shared space such as a family room and limit internet access in a teen's room. It's also important to have times when everyone simply turns off all the technology. It's tough when everyone is busy, but set boundaries at meal time or a certain point in the evening when everyone turns off cell phones, tablets and computers.
