By 
Cyberbullying has been such an epidemic across the US that First Lady Melanie Trump has made healthy social media use a pillar of her Be Best campaign.
Cyberbullying is a difficult issue to tackle due to the issues with anonymity on the internet, lack of parental control of their child’s internet use, and the lack of knowledge surrounding how to deal with issues of Cyberbullying when they arise.
Despite these challenges, stopping Cyberbullying can be done and here’s how.
- Know the warning signs that reveal if your child is being cyberbullied.
a. The child appears to withdraw, especially from activities they once enjoyed
b. They hide their phones or tablets from you
c. They elicit unusually intense emotions (laughter, sadness, crying) when looking at their phones or computer
d. They’re evasive about what they’re doing online
e. They create new social media accounts
- Monitor your child’s device usage.
a. Parents have the responsibility to know what they’re children are doing online
b. If the child is young, use parental controls to limit what they can do online
c. Keep their computer usage to common rooms, don’t let them use a laptop in private
- Cyberbullying is occurring and you want to do something about it?
a. Your child has changed and has become more moody or withdrawn and you believe it’s due to possible Cyberbullying.
b. Talk to your child and ask them questions about what is going on.
c. Document the Cyberbullying on the social media platforms for evidence.
d. Is speaking to the child doing the bullying or the parents possible? Guidance counselors or third party therapists may offer a good support option to work out issues.
e. Depending on the level of the bullying or attack report the matter to the social media site, the school, or the police.
f. If the school is trying to silence you, take it further and speak to the school board or police.
Every child deserves respect, for more information about how to deal with issues of Cyberbullying, send us a message.
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