kids cyber bullying – what it is and how to prevent it

Cyber bullying is the modern way of bullying. It involves the use of technologies such as mobile devices to show hostile behavior against individuals and groups.  Cyber bullying mostly refers to harms to kids, while cyber harassment is used for adults. As a wise parent, you need to be fully aware of all the aspects of kids cyber bullying .

Why you need to be aware of kids cyber bullying

cyber bullying is one of the most mentally damaging issues that kids and teenagers face nowadays. It is hard to escape from and its impacts are so widespread that a wise parent must not ignore them. For most of the kids and teenagers, their whole world revolves around their social media persona. When this persona is harmed by words or any sort of threat, the psychological damages to kids are severe and sometimes everlasting. So family safety on the internet is really crucial and kids cyber bullying is a critical issue.

As the number of social media applications is growing continuously, it is getting harder and harder to prevent cyber bullying. Kids now use different social apps such as, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Instagram with no supervision. These apps create access to any sort of data as well as the ability to contact and even share media files with total strangers. More than ever, we need be aware of and employ strategies to prevent cyber bullying.

Prevent cyber bullying – know what your kids are doing online

• Talk to your kids about cyber bullying and create chances for them to open up to you
• Know which websites your kids visit more often. Know the type of applications that they use on their mobile devices. Get to know their friends and who they are dealing with
• Use internet restrictions and install parental control applications on their devices. Such tools are a great help to keep an eye on their online activities. It is important to use these restriction methods without them knowing.
• Teach your kids to think before they post anything online. Remind them that the internet is public and anything that they post cannot be erased.
• Teach them to keep personal stuff personal. Passwords are set for a reason and there is no justification for sharing personal information online

Conclusion

The bottom line is that kids cyber bullying can happen 24 hours a day 7 days a week. It can happen when your kids are alone or sitting right next to you. So, it is really important to educate them about all the aspects of cyber bullying. Establish rules for their internet usage and be supportive in case they become a victim of cyber bullying. Know that cyber bullying is now a crime in most of the countries and you can take action against it by contacting the police if the bullying involves threats and harms.