Helping Children Respond To Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is rising as social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter become more popular among young people. There may be even more incidents that go unnoticed. As a result, parents must be prepared to deal with incidences of cyberbullying. In this article, learn what you can do in helping your children respond to cyberbullying properly.

To deal with cyberbullying and, more significantly, to set your child on a path to overcome the bullying, it helps to know some general rules.

Tips for Dealing with Online Bullies

When your kid is the victim of cyberbullying, these are some of the most important things you and your child should do to help.

1. The Only Thing You Should Do Is Not Respond

Instruct your child that the best approach to cope with cyberbullying is to ignore the posts, comments, text messages, and phone calls that they receive. Even if it’s difficult to resist the need to respond, it’s advisable to report the occurrence to a parent or other responsible adult. Regardless of how hurtful the statements may be, your children should not respond to them.

The goal of cyberbullying is to elicit an emotional response from the victim. So don’t give them that. If the target does not respond, the problem is more likely to go away. Remember that reacting to a problem only serves to aggravate it.

2. Document Every Cyberbullying Incident That Occurred

As evidence, keep all conversations, comments, and posts you’ve ever made. In addition to emails and blog postings, this covers social media posts, tweets, and text messages. Although your child may be tempted to erase everything, remind them that you have no proof of cyberbullying without evidence. You should be able to delete comments after gathering evidence and speaking with the school and the police.

To be clear, if the posts are sexually explicit, they should be removed from the site. Possession of child pornography, whether in the form of photographs or printed materials, could lead to legal action against you and your child. Allow the police to keep the evidence and report the occurrence as soon as possible. Sexual posts should not be archived.

3. It’s Your Child’s School’s Business

If the cyberbullying occurs on school property, it is extremely crucial to report it.

Parents should be aware that they have the right to file a complaint about bullying that occurs outside of the school setting. Because cyberbullying and other forms of bullying will permeate the school building at some point, some jurisdictions enable schools to intervene.

Students will certainly talk about cyberbullying at school even if it occurred off-campus. When submitting a report of cyberbullying to the school, it is important to attach a copy of the tweets, text messages, posts, or other contact. Keep a duplicate for your own records. The police may be able to intervene if your school system is unwilling or unable to do so.

4. Notify Your Internet Service Provider And Social Media Sites About The Problem.

Your internet service provider should be notified if your child experiences cyberbullying on their personal accounts or at home (ISP). Also, notify the site’s administrators if the cyberbullying took place there. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter will look into allegations of cyberbullying if the victim is a juvenile, which is the case in many cases.

Cyberbullying should be reported regardless of whether it’s anonymous or taking place behind a false identity. Most of the time, the ISP and the police are able to determine who is posting or sending the communications.

5. Inquire with the Police Concerning Any Possible Threats

Death threats, physical assault threats, stalking indicators, and even suicide recommendations should be reported right away. To report any harassment that goes on for a long period and any correspondence that contains race, religion, or disability-based harassment should also be reported. These incidents will be taken care of by the police department.

6. Disconnect All Lines Of Communication

Set up new social media accounts and close old ones. Change your child’s cell phone number and get an unlisted number if the cyberbullying is taking place via cell phone.

Next, prevent the cyberbully from accessing your child’s new social networking accounts, email, instant messaging, and mobile phone. Keeping your child from being contacted by a cyberbully is the most important step.

7. Be Aware of Cyberbullying’s Consequences

Cyberbullying has a wide range of consequences on children, from feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable to feeling depressed and suicidal, depending on the severity.

Please be aware of and do not be scared to get the help that victims of cyberbullying need. Consistently monitor your child’s behavior and communicate with them. Keeping your child away from social media is also vital. Have some fun with your youngster or help them discover a new interest or pastime they like. The trick is to get them to focus on you instead of what you’re doing or saying.

8. Inquire about Counseling and Support

Taking on the issue of cyberbullying on your own is a risky move that should be avoided at all costs. Make sure your youngster is surrounded by people who care about them. Remind yourself that talking to someone about what’s going on can be helpful.

A professional counselor could be a good option for you and your child. If you detect changes in your child’s mood, sleeping patterns, or eating habits, you should seek the advice of a healthcare expert. Even college students who have been subjected to cyberbullying should seek professional assistance for their situation.

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