Understanding Cyberbullying

This is the first part of a three part series on Cyberbullying. Understanding Cyberbullying comes first as we need to understand what it is and how it presents before we can understand how to respond to it. Next week’s post is all about Cyberbullying and the following week  how to respond to cyberbulyling.

Today I read another news article about a 14 year old girl who took her life following bullying. It breaks my heart everytime I read something like that and think of the pain that person must have been suffering. To think of her parents left behind with all their conflicting emotions overwhelms me. How could it have been stopped, what could I do if that was my child? These are unfortunately things that we have to think about, something we have to confront and have a plan for. 

I would love to take credit for this resource but it is not mine. I was sent two very informative articles from Kid Guard a year ago and in working through those, I was able to put break up the information in a way that I would understand. It is from those articles that these three  posts are born.

The information and the advice comes from Carrie Goldman, an award winning author who has written on the subject. Her book Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear (Harper Collins, 2013) has been internationally recognized and she now travels America raising awareness and educating people on these issues.  

I will share links to her book, the original Kidguard article and helpful links at the end of this post.

Understanding Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is an issue that affects us all: grown men and women, teenagers, tweens, and even children. It can eat up a shocking number of mental and physical hours each day, especially given the amount of time we spend with screens.

No one is immune. Whether you are a female gamer, a celebrity, or just a kid trying to navigate the social scene on Instagram, you can encounter unparalleled levels of viciousness online.

Screen Time

The average 8- to 10-year-old spends nearly 8 hours a day with different media, and older children and teens spend more than 11 hours per day.  About 75 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds own cell phones, and nearly all teenagers use text messaging.

American Academy of Paediatrics

As a result, kids and adults can access social media at any time of day or night.   In speaking recently with a group of young teens, they told me how thoughts of social media often consume their time. Anxious curiosity compels the students to seek out what others are saying about them.

The bully is now online

Cyberbullying is a major danger that teens face.

Long gone are the days when a bully stood in front of another child, took their lunch money and said threatening words to their face.

Today’s bullies are online and often anonymous. That said, they are often people who your child knows. How can a bully be anonymous and someone your child knows at the same time? The Internet is the perfect place for bullies to hide, making themselves and their cruel comments behind fake profiles.

More than 1.7 million children between the ages of 12 and 18 reported being cyberbullied in that one school year alone.

2013 report from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

What Forms Does Cyberbullying Take?

Cyberbullying can be much more than threatening another child online.

Rumours get started, unwanted sexual advances are made, revealing or compromising pictures are posted and forwarded, cruel comments are posted, and people group together and attack one victim.

• Sending hurtful or threatening messages about another person
• Posting sensitive, private information about a person for the purpose of hurting or embarrassing that person
• Pretending to be someone else in order to make that person look bad and/or to intentionally exclude someone from an online group
• Making cruel websites about a person
• Spreading rumors online or through texting

More Resources

Click HERE to be sent to a link of the helpline numbers from around the world.

See more articles: Parent’s online safety guide

Origin Article: https://www.kidguard.com/cell-phone-monitoring-and-gps-tracking/signs-cyberbullying-teen-depression/

About KidGuard Education

KidGuard Education strives to help parents protect children online. Some of our initiatives include annual scholarships and non-profit grants to raise awareness and support children around the world. We also actively conduct research and publish guides to help parents better understand the digital atmosphere and its potential dangers.