Is there a way to avoid bullying online?
As most kids are on the Internet at a very young age and communicating via social networks both in and out of school on a regular basis, a new problem known as cyberbullying has become a real issue. Consider their exposure to television channels alone that have an average of 285 channels according to Rasertech.com — add this to their exposure to the Internet and it’s impossible to control what your kids are exposed to.
This new problem of cyberbullying consists of kids being harassed by other school kids at all times, even when they’re home and trying to use the Internet to communicate with other people. It has resulted in school shootings and suicides among teenagers and has become such an issue that laws are being passed against it.
In Florida
The Florida State Senate passed a cyberbullying bill, giving schools authority to enforce bullying that takes place in the school itself. It has yet to be seen if more states will follow on this cyberbullying front, but it’s tough to imagine they won’t.
How to Stop Cyberbullying
As social lives affect teens a lot more than any other age group and so much of the digital landscape is created through social interaction, cyberbullying can really cause an already volatile teenager to become even more withdrawn. Or depressed. Or aggressive. Parents have trouble dealing with teens who have their hormones raging already — when harassment via a social network is added to the equation. So parents need to do specific things with their teenagers in general, or when they’re displaying personality problems, as some of this may be due to cyberbullying. The most important thing a parent can do is talk to their teenager and understand what they’re going through and help them to deal with the situation. It’s important to let them know that social media isn’t a right — it’s a privilege.
Get the info of the social media accounts that kids are using so that you can monitor who is going after them and harassing them, blocking those people and letting school officials know if the harassment continues. Parents must get involved with their kids so they can make sure they’re doing okay.
Will it Ever Stop
There should be someone monitoring what’s going on and singling out the people who are doing the bullying. There should also be good networks of parents, or perhaps people at the school, who can protect those who are being bullied and help them to understand that social networks have little bearing on their real lives. If children are given respect and care, they’re usually better at coping with harassment or learning how wrong cyberbullying is in the first place. But the adults and administrators have to take the time to do it.
