Cyber Bullying
Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying. Click the image above for details on this highly rated book. (click for best Amazon price)
Cyber bullying, or Internet bullying, as it is also known, is accomplished in many different ways through the use of modern technology. Although most times it is done over the Internet, it can also be accomplished by using a cell phone. Cyber bullies hide behind the technology that was designed to make our lives easier and more manageable. The irony is that this same technology can sometimes make them very easy to find once the authorities get involved. If you or a loved one is a victim of cyber bullying, document EVERYTHING and contact your local police. If they are unable to help you for some reason, they should be able to direct you to the people you need to contact. If the bullying is in the form of messages being sent either over the Internet or on a cell phone, the police or other authorities may want access to these records in order to be able to help resolve the issue.
There are times when you may need help dealing with bullies. Don’t hesitate to contact the authorities if you are a victim of any type of cyber bullying. This is a growing problem and it should not be ignored.
Harassment of both children and adults over the Internet is something that is occurring far too often today, and sadly, sometimes the results are fatal. Some cyber bullying victims choose to commit suicide rather than endure the abuse they suffer on a daily basis. These fatalities are well documented on the news, but the problem continues to grow.
In order to stop cyber bullying you first have to become familiar with some of the cyber bullying facts.
Some examples of cyber bullying that your child might encounter include:
Cyber stalking: This is where messages are transmitted that either threaten or intimidate an individual to the point that they are concerned about their own well-being and personal safety. Bullies may also threaten the safety of the people the victim cares about. This is an extremely serious form of bullying that should not be taken lightly. If you experience this kind of harassment, contact the police immediately. If possible, save any messages that were sent and document everything possible about when the message(s) was received.
A look at ways to get the issue of Cyber bullying under control. (click for best Amazon price)
Degradation: This is where gossip and rumors are used in an attempt to dissolve friendships that an individual may have with others or to tarnish the reputation of an individual. Although this may sound like “normal” behavior among teens, this method of bullying can grow into a serious problem because the messages can be distributed to large numbers of people in an instant.
General Harassment: In this instance, there is a constant sending of harassing and rude messages delivered either via the Internet or cell phone to an individual. Contacting the authorities can also sometimes help in this situation. Cell phone companies are often reluctant to share information with individuals who call about harassing messages, but the police can be a bit more influential if they find there are grounds to obtain a search warrant.
Impersonation: This is where someone pretends to be another individual and uses that victim’s identity to damage their reputation or get them into trouble.
Text messaging: Although very popular with children and teens today, this is one of the main avenues of approach for cyber bullies, and the harassment is often either in the form of vulgar messages sent to the victim or overloading the individual’s phone with thousands of text messages that could eventually get them in trouble with their phone carrier or their parents. Other forms of cyber bullying that are used include password theft, attacking an individuals PC, and sending disturbing images and photos.
Some ways to help prevent cyber bullying include having someone nearby when your child uses the computer and advising your children to never use their real names or photos on the Internet. Teach children to never give out any private information over the Internet. Tell them to delete suspicious e-mails without ever opening them, and show them how to block posts from individuals that they find to be suspicious when on a posting forum. Finally stress to them the importance of immediately informing you of any type of cyber bullying incident that may have occurred, no matter how small it may seem.
Internet bullying can and has caused serious damage to the safety of our children. The good news is that there are laws being put in place today that are making cyber bullying a crime. If your child knows of someone who was a victim of Internet bullying, they should not hesitate to tell a school official, parents or local law enforcement representatives. In order to protect our children fully from this type of bullying, parents must be proactive. They should take an active role in overseeing or limiting their children’s participation in high risk activities such as using social sites on the Internet or texting with cell phones. Be aware of what your child is doing. You would not drop them off in the middle of a city filled with strangers to run around on their own. Remember that they are still just children and require supervision and guidance. The Internet can be a fabulous resource, but it is not a place to leave children unsupervised.
If you would like to read more about cyber bullying, these books go in to more depth on the topic, and have received exceptionally good reviews from readers on Amazon.
Category: Bullying Help, Stop Bullying
Cyber bullying is such a huge problem now, it’s terrible that kids can now face the same stress in the playground, as outside of school. Our son was a victim of cyber bullying and it was near impossible to identify the perpetrators, in the end we had to appeal to the school to lay on a guilt trip to resolve the situation. We also found that there are a lot of useful resources (like yours) on bullying.