Cyber-Bullying:
Keeping Your Kids Safe
There have been well-publicized incidents of
inappropriate photographs of young people
being circulated by cell phone and Internet,
including here in Michigan. Less well-known, but likely
more pervasive, is a new twist on an old school yard
practice: cyber-bullying.
About one in three kids has been bullied by peers on the Internet. Cyber-bullying, like its old-fashioned counterpart, feeds anxiety and depression.
Today’s electronic bullying can mean sending cruel or threatening text or pictures via e-mail or instant messaging, or posting embarrassing information in chat rooms or on Web sites. A cyber-bully might pretend to be someone else to make a peer look bad.
What Makes Cyber-Bullying So Toxic
Cyber-bullying can be even crueler than the old-fashioned variety. Even bullies who may immaturely think they’re trying for humor can’t see their victim’s reactions to tell when they’ve crossed the line from teasing to torment. Cyber-bullying can occur anywhere and anytime, making targets feel vulnerable day and night.Harmful messages and pictures travel at heartbreaking speed. And they can spread anonymously. In one study of more than 3,500 middle-school students published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, almost half the targets didn’t even know who had been bullying them.
How to Cool Cyber-Bullying
It is virtually impossible to prevent cyber-bullies from targeting your kids. But there are things you can do to protect them or limit the damage. Kids who are bullied may hesitate to tell their parents because they’re afraid to lose their online privileges. To keep your youngsters from becoming cyber-targets or bullies:- Discuss appropriate cyber behavior with your kids and make sure they know you’ll help them if they become a target.
- Determine when and where your children can use the Internet and cell phones.
- Keep the computer in a room where you can monitor your kids’ use.
- If you can identify the bully, send any materials a cyber-bully has posted to his or her parents and school officials.
- Call the police if a cyber-bully threatens violence or persists in abusive cyber behavior.
It’s equally important to educate your kids so they don’t think this kind of behavior is acceptable or normal and fall into practicing it themselves. Discuss these rules with your kids:
- Don’t send messages online that you wouldn’t say in person.
- Don’t send messages you wouldn’t want to receive.
- Avoid responding to hurtful messages. Block the sender, remove friendship links, and tell a trusted adult.
- If your kids see someone being cyber-bullied, they should aid the target by encouraging him or her to inform an adult.
