Cyberbullying
Think Before You Click
While bullying remains prevalent within the school environment, advances in technology have allowed bullies to continue to torment their victims through the numerous outlets of social media and direct messaging. According to World Health Organization, physical bullying is on the decline, but cyberbullying is on the uptick. Life Of An Adolescent is aiming to not only mention the harmful results of cyberbullying but also bring an awareness to parental tips and warning signs that they can keep an eye out for when dealing with a cyber victimization problem.
Although bullying is prevalent among all groups of individuals, a recent research study looked into specific demographics along with how these individuals were being victimized. Their results showed that non-heterosexual individuals were bullied more not only in person but online as well. For the LGBTQ+ community, this could be a strong indicator that sexual orientation may be considered a risk factor for these attacks. Elipe, P., (2018) This significant research study is crucial to mention considering the continued lack of resources for the LGBTQ+ community within school's below the University level. These findings not only clearly indicate that this population is at greater risk to mental and physical harm but that they are also more likely to be surrounded with possible risk factors.
Cyberbullying is a topic that has been adapting throughout the years and will continue to adapt as long as there are more technological advances. Although it is tougher to spot than bullying that occurs in person, there are still warning signs to look out for.
Parental Tips & Warning Signs
Step In Before It's Too Late
For Parents:
Monitor privacy settings for your children's access to their phone, computer, or tablet.
Create social media accounts as well in order to monitor your child's posts and activity.
Attempt to keep an open flow of conversation with your child, especially regarding any new media outlets (i.e., Snapchat, Instagram, etc.)
Be aware if your child is presenting any signs of cyberbullying (i.e., unexplained injuries, sudden poor performance in school, avoiding friends or social situations, etc.)
Set a time limit your child is allowed to be allowed online in order to prevent any opportunity to experience victimization.
For Kids:
Consider keeping your social media privacy settings very secure and it only allow friends that you believe are your friends or family.
Although it may be difficult at first, try to keep your parents updated with your life. It will be easier to tell them information rather than keep any pain internally.
If you see another kid being bullied, try your best to intervene. This can be done in several ways (i.e., directly step in, tell a parent or teacher, or even talk to the bully and victim one on one.
Treat individuals with kindness and respect in order to avoid retaliation from a classmate.
If the bullying consists after reporting the incident to a parent or teacher, follow-up with the principal until there is intervention and consequences.