Cyberbullying and child safety on the Internet

Cyberbullying is a source of pain and danger, one touch of a finger – and personal, frank, obscene, cruel messages are read by the whole world. In this article, we will talk about such a phenomenon as cyberbullying or online bullying, ways on how to deal with it and steps that can be taken to prevent its occurrence.

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of digital technologies. It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones. It is repeated behavior, aimed at scaring, angering, or shaming those who are targeted. Countering an Internet attack is not easy. Information is easily distributed on the network, so the attack on a person is watched by crowds of onlookers, which causes additional suffering. If the material was published on the network, it is not always possible to completely remove it, and the victim is reminded of her misfortunes for a long time.

Types of cyberbullying

Cyberbullying brutally invades personal space. If the aggressor is anonymous, it is difficult to trace the source and stop the bullying. The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:  Social networks, text messages, online forums, emails, chat rooms, and message boards, and online gaming communities.

• The person receives hurtful, humiliating and threatening messages.
• In order to humiliate the victim, compromising photos, offensive posts are distributed.
• Fake person profiles are created.
• Unwanted attention can morph into sexual harassment or stalking.
• The social network profile can be hijacked if the victim’s account is hacked.
• Intimate or defamatory information about a person is spread.

How to recognize cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is repeated attacks on a specific victim for the purpose of intimidation.  It is a broad term that encompasses different forms of online harassment, such as trolling, stalking, and outing.

1. Trolling is a form of social provocation on the Web. It can be compared to inciting, bullying or inciting quarrels offline. It may seem that this is an attack on a person personally, but in fact the goal is to annoy as many people as possible and get them to express their irritation. The best way to deal with a troll is to deny him the attention he seeks.
2.  Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet to stalk a person. Cyberstalker collects information about the victim, tracks her down and tries to meet in reality. It is critical that you get expert help as quickly as possible. Speak to someone close to you about the stalking and contact a specialist.
3.  Outing is the publication of personal information about the victim or a threat to make it public. The bully is typically known to the victim and the impact of the private information being shared can be severe. If the information was shared on a social media site, then you can contact the company and ask them to remove the content. Every social media site has a built-in reporting process you can follow. You can get help reporting to the platform and engaging with the platform from Report Harmful Content.

Signs of cyberbullying. Reminder for parents

Cyberbullying, unlike offline bullying, is very difficult to stop. And its consequences are the same as those of real bullying – depressive states, suicidal moods. Signs of cyberbullying can include:

• changes in how the child/teenager uses devices, such as suddenly stopping using them, using them in secret, or being unable to log off;
• changes in the child’s /teenager’s behavior: depressed mood, withdrawing into oneself, unjustified aggression, lack of desire to do what one usually likes to do;
• physical symptoms: headache, indigestion or loss of appetite;
• the child refuses to talk about what he does online, with whom he communicates there.

How to protect children

If someone is cyberbullying your child, you must:

• Encourage him to tell everything as it is, convincing him that he is not to blame for anything.
• Ask to record dates, describe what happened, keep screenshots as evidence.
• It is important not to react to attacks: the aggressor craves attention, and if there is no reaction, he may lose interest.
• Contact your ISP and report cyberbullying in their network. Some sites have special panic buttons for informing about the facts of threats.
• You can block on social networks anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable.
• Tap into expert support. Even when you’ve let go of control, it’s important to occasionally look at your child’s page and see what they’re posting. If there are warning signs – repeated posts with images of wounds and self-harm, dark pictures with a suicidal context, jokes about death, these can be signs of a vulnerable state of the child or even depression. Do not be afraid to turn to a psychologist and a psychiatrist to get the help and support you need. They treat children very carefully and use the most modern methods, there is no question of any terrible punitive psychiatry. 

Health care providers can play an important role in providing and supporting education about bullying. The integration of bullying into continuing medical education at the hospital, regional, and national levels is critical to ensure that HCPs are up to date on trends and improved clinical approaches. Visit CEU Outlet to learn more about Cyberbullying and Electronic Aggression and the strategies in addressing this issue.

How to prevent cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is fairly common among children and teens, but there are ways to reduce the risk and limit exposure. Careful attitude to passwords and personal information is generally useful, as is discretion in relation to your posts (images, texts). In any social network, you need to constantly check the security settings and privacy settings.

1.       Online security

Children and adults should take steps to protect their page, personal data and images on the Internet. Internet filters can help, but the best way to stay safe is to work together.

The rules for staying safe on the Internet are similar to the basics of safety in the real world. A child needs to develop online behavior skills in order to independently maintain their own safety online. Effective communication with parents can help with this.

• Ask your child about his activities on the network: about his favorite sites, about whose posts he likes to read, whether someone supports him on the Internet.

• Discuss potential hazards, explore together how you can reduce the risk. Such a conversation should be appropriate for the age of the child.

• Network security should be discussed constantly, do not relax.

• If you need to block inappropriate content using internet filters, it’s best to talk openly with your child/teen first. In addition, filters cannot be fully relied upon.

2.       Practicing Caution

Not all materials can be published online. When using the Internet, children must follow two basic rules:

• Do not share personal information. Never give personal data to unknown persons on the network: first and last name, phone number, mail, home address, school number, bank details.
• Be careful with photos. Do not rush to share photos and videos. If someone asks a child to post photos or videos of them, they should say no, stop communication, and inform adults.

Final Thoughts:

It is better to prevent a threat than to deal with its consequences.  Before releasing a child on the Web, adults themselves should study the safety rules. To protect your child from cyberbullying, you need to discuss with him that the best way to deal with aggression on the Internet is not to react to it and distance yourself. Do not feed the trolls, block unpleasant users, leave chats. It is very important that the child feels that his parents support him: even if he is faced with aggression online or offline, there is a space at home where he will feel safe.