withdrawn, their self-esteem suffers
and this may lead to any number of
more serious mental health issues.
There have even been cases of
cyberbullying-related suicide. The
lack of control victims feel over
how far the hurtful messages have
spread only adds to their torment.
Cases of cyberbullying are often not
detected for long periods as much
communication is hidden from an
adult’s supervision.
Keeping children safe
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy
for keeping your child safe from
cyberbullies, but what is clear is
that managing screen time and the
communication that goes with it needs
to be an ongoing conversation between
parent and child that develops as your
child matures.
Talk about online privacy, and
explain that online behaviour
– including sharing personal
information such as address, phone
number, photos of self and others –
should mirror behaviour in person.
Parents and children should agree
on specific site use and set up privacy
settings together. Parents should have
accounts, too. Ask your child if they
know where reporting functions are
and how to report inappropriate
behaviour, and how to block someone
and keep information private.
Another thing parents can do is
install parental controls and utilise
child-safe search engines, such as
Although
different devices and providers will
have their own processes for setting
up parental controls, a good starting
point for general advice is the US
website
or
the UK website
.
org.uk. Parents should regularly
check browsing history of computers
and consider keeping computers in
communal areas of the home.
Embarrassing as it may be, talk to
your children about the relationships
they have both online and offline, and
explain that once a picture or message
is sent, it is gone and there is no
retracting it. Ask your child whether
they would send this message to their
granny or granddad. If the answer is
no, don’t send it!
Yet with all the technological
knowledge at our fingertips, the most
important factor in protecting your
child is maintaining a safe and warm
relationship. If your child feels able to
tell you when something is disturbing
them online and the reasons why,
they will hopefully report it to you
or a trusted adult before the bullying
becomes a big issue. It is really
important to reassure your child that
they won’t be judged whatever their
part in the communication.
April 2016
59
