How to Prevent Cyberbullying in Kids: The Ultimate Guide
There is no doubt that cyberbullying has become a major issue in the modern world, as the rise of connected devices and the Internet of Things have made it more visible than it was even a decade ago. A growing number of children are now spending a significant amount of time online: 90 percent of them are online every day, and about one-quarter say that they are online constantly during the day.
In the real world, these numbers can sometimes add up to a devastating impact that can have consequences when they are added up. Teenagers who are part of the "hyper-networking" generation are more likely to be cyberbullied than those who are part of the previous generation as they share more personal information on their social media accounts. The number of children and teens who have been bullied on Facebook alone in the last year has risen to one million, and 80 percent of them have seen or experienced risky behavior online. Mental health problems, such as depression, drug abuse, and suicide, are also associated with cyberbullying in today's society.
As social media becomes increasingly popular, it can be used as a tool to provide a good model for healthy relationships and communication skills-both online and offline rather than a contraption that protects the young from all risks associated with online activity. Parents must supervise their children and set limits so that they are able to communicate effectively as well as share information with other members of their family so that their children can have a safe and rewarding experience with technology. Due to the fact that cyberbullying is a relatively new danger to society, it has a number of long-term consequences that are attached to it.
The Importance of Prevention
The act of cyberbullying is the intentional and repeated harm that people intentionally and repeatedly cause to others, whether it is by using electronic devices, games, or social media platforms. As well as this, it is also often the subject of online rumors and gossip as well as malicious social media posts, hate accounts, and mean comments posted while playing online games. This type of abuse usually involves embarrassment, threats, humiliation, intimidation, or abuse being inflicted upon the intended target.
A cyberbullying attack can have serious consequences for those who are targeted in terms of their emotional, physical, mental, and academic well-being. As a result of cyberbullying, which leads to significant stress for young people, their lives are further complicated. Cyberbullying can cause a range of emotional reactions in young people, including hurt, humiliation, and in some cases, fear.
Cyberbullying Management Methods
Despite the fact that there is no foolproof method to prevent your child from being cyberbullied, there are still some things you can do to reduce the likelihood that your child will be cyberbullied. A number of methods can be used in order to achieve this goal, two of which are the implementation of safety measures and continuous discussions about cyberbullying. A discussion should be held regarding the meaning of cyberbullying, its risks, as well as its potential for escalation in order to address it effectively. The consequences of bullying online are also something that parents need to discuss with teens and tweens in order to provide them with a safe environment when using social media.
Maintain account and device security
To prevent cyberbullying and other similar behaviors, such as catfishing, it is important that your child uses passwords on all of their electronic devices to ensure that they are protected against cyberbullying and other similar behaviors. A password is one of the most important things you can do to protect your accounts and devices.
Your child should always be reminded that their passwords should never be shared with anyone, and this includes their best friends. There is no guarantee that they will continue to be friends with that friend for the rest of their lives, even if the friend is someone they trust very strongly.
Set privacy settings and tools
Suppose your teen uses the Internet for any purpose at all. In that case, you will need to ensure that they understand the privacy settings and tools that an organization offers, regardless of what they are doing online. Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok are some of the most popular social media platforms where users can adjust their privacy settings.
Ensure your child goes through each account with you and that the privacy settings are set as securely as possible. Be sure to do this together while your child is present. As a result, tagging should not be permitted in this case, and photo sharing should require authorization before sharing photos with others.
Privacy is important
Email addresses, cell phone numbers, and addresses should never be shared online by children. A person should avoid sharing too much information about where he or she goes to school, especially if they have followers or friends they don't know.
It is essential that you remind them that not everyone who claims to be on the internet is who they say they are. There is no guarantee that the person behind an account who has a profile photo of a teenage girl is also a teenage girl behind the account. Posing as a young girl would allow one to gain information on other teens by posing as a young girl and collecting information from other teens.
Control location sharing
Certain smartphones allow the user to share the location of the smartphone with their friends via social media apps. Hence, if they share their location with other people, they will always know where they are as long as they let them know where they are. You should discuss with your child about who he or she can share his or her location with and whether or not they are allowed to share it, and what the consequences for sharing it are if they do so.
Educate them before posting
Think carefully before you post a habit you expect your tweens and teens to follow. As an example, they could create a post offline and decide when they want to post it after an hour, or they could post it immediately. So, they don't have to worry about posting anything they might regret later on, thanks to this advice. Your child might want to take the time to think before posting anything online, as cyberbullies may be able to use the information against them in some way if you encourage them to do so. In other words, if someone is trying to use something against you, the content of the thing will not necessarily matter if they are using it for their benefit.
Public devices should be logged out
In the event that your child is using a public computer at school or a library, make sure they log out of any accounts they are using as soon as they are finished using the computer or laptop. The user should log out of all web accounts that he or she may have opened, including any email, social media accounts, school accounts, Amazon accounts, and any other Web accounts that they may have opened. There is more to closing a tab than just closing it. During the brief period of time after your child has finished using the computer, someone may be able to get into your child's account. Once they have gained access to the account, they have the power to change the password in order to control it.
Conclusion
The most effective way to prevent cyberbullying is to implement strategies at all stages of your child's life in order to prevent them from becoming victim to cyberbullying at any time during their lives, whether they are exploring the online world or when they have already been victimized by it. College students and young adults can also benefit from the inclusion of extra safety measures that can enhance their safety.
The best way to ensure that your kids understand the importance of avoiding trolls and cyberbullies online is to ensure they understand how to use online tools safely. You should also teach your child whether or not it is a good idea to report such bullying to the proper authorities if another child is cyberbullying them.