CYBERBULLYING

HOW TO PREVENT

Prevention is always the best way. Maintaining digital hygiene can help keep you safe and have a meaningful & positive internet & social media presence.

5 main areas that can help us prevent & curb Cyber bullying & it’s effects

Cyber Etiquette’s – Maintaining digital hygiene & following certain simple rules in cyber space can safeguard us from lots of nuisance online.

  • Be Empathetic- Always remember that behind the screen there is real person reading your mail or posts or comments. A person with feelings that can be hurt.
  • Use Common Sense – Same standards of behavior & rules that you follow in real life apply online too.
  • Familiarise – Know where you are in cyberspace. Learn about all settings & controls.
  • Respect – Always respect other people’s time and bandwidth. Be polite.

Awareness Programs – Awareness is the only way to prevent cyberbullying. Attending cyber bullying awareness programs can help you understand all about bullying, its impact, and motives and also identify a bully or likely victim.

Cyber Safety Policies – It is important for the organisations, schools to have cyber safety policies laid out clearly so that the disruption caused by unmonitored mobile or internet use can be controlled. Policies need to state the digital behavioural guidelines & consequences very clearly.

Parental Guidance – Safety begins at home. Talking to your children & educating them about the various cybercrimes, things that can wrong etc can help them be more aware & cautious. As a parent you need to be aware of the privacy settings & vulnerabilities of the apps, games, platforms your children are using & accordingly guide & educate them.

Positive state of mind – Bullying breeds on pain of the victim. If you don’t take things personally it cannot affect you & hence the bully won’t get satisfaction of hurting you. Keeping a positive state of mind helps you stay indifferent to nasty comments.

Some quick tips for prevention

  • Be Polite
  • Don’t post personal things
  • Keep online communication limited
  • Do not meet online strangers in person
  • Secure Passwords
  • Always Logout
  • Do not spend much time on public platforms/groups
  • Block irritants
  • Make settings private
  • Think before you post. Be careful about your words and images
  • Do not use technology to vent your feelings
  • Be sure about your friends online identity

How to respond to cyberbullying

If you are bullied – Remember it is not your fault. Talk to someone you trust.

PARENTS ROLE

Parents are the first and most important pillar of support to their children. Especially to the child who is struggling with cyberbullying or any kind of emotional distress. It is indeed very important for parents to keep the line of communication open & friendly with their children.

Cyberspace is very new and rapidly growing space. Anyone of us can fall prey to cybercrimes. Children being more experimental in nature are more likely to invite trouble. As a parent you need to understand and accept that it is human to make mistakes.

You cannot be satellite parent or a watch dog ALL THE TIME for your children in cyberspace. It is not possible. But you can certainly lessen the risk by sharing likely risks with your children. In case the worst happens, be in a position to be able to identify the abuse or effects as quickly as possible. Early intervention is always very helpful to reduce the trauma & effects of incidents.

Also the way that you react and deal with your childs’ abuse, can have an enormous impact upon their recovery. It is important you be an empathetic listener and stay calm. Children look to their parents to know what to do, and if they see you scared, this is likely to increase their fear and uncertainty also. Every victim believes/feels it’s also somewhere their fault and goes through major guilt. This is the time they want a parent who understands and assures them “EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE. I AM WITH YOU”.

If you suspect – no matter how unsure you are – do not ignore. GET HELP! Don’t try to deal with this all by yourself or wrap it under the covers. Secrecy only exacerbates feelings of shame in your child. Of course, treat it with the sensitivity it deserves, but involve the expert’s right from the start.