Bullying 2.0

No longer is a bully just the biggest kid in the school who can physically control others because of their size, with anonymity being at its highest anyone can be a bully.  Also, because the internet depersonalizes the human on the other side of the computer screen, it is very easy to say something and not feel bad because they do not see the reactions of the victim.

According to dosomething.org 43% of kids have admitted to being bullied online, and 25% of these kids admit to being bullied more than once!  With bullied children contemplating suicide up to 9 times more than non-bullied children, the trend of cyberbullying must be stopped as soon as possible.

First we must define what is and what is not cyberbullying. Stop Bullying defines cyberbullying as “Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology.” then goes on to say that some examples include sending mean messages via text, email, or on social media, but they also include lesser known ways such creating fake profiles and posting embarrassing information and pictures.  How do we determine if it is bullying or just teasing, because often with my friend group we will put things on twitter to embarrass each other.  While there is no definite answer, it mainly goes back to how the person being attacked views the post.  If they believe its playful and good natured, than that’s usually how it will be viewed, but if they view it as bullying, than there is trouble.

Going back to the dosomething.org post, 58% of children admit to bullying someone online, while 90% said they saw cyberbullying and did nothing about it.  The bystanders are allowing cyberbullying to continue. If half of the bystanders stepped up and told the bully to knock it off, or help console the victim, bullying would be drastically diminished.  Luckily, 84% of children said they have seen others tell the bully to stop, so there are good people out there, and often once one or two step up and say something others will soon follow due to the fact that we live in a pack driven society today. 

How can we stop cyberbullying as a parent?  According to the dosomething.org post only 1 out of 10 bully victims tell their parents or a grown up, so we must find a way to get the children to open up more often.  Many sites say to demand the child’s passwords to all of their accounts, and while this is effective, it should be used as a last resort tactic, because the more freedoms that you restrict from your child, the less likely they will open up.  My best advice is try being a friend, listen to them and do not try to make everything a lesson.  Have a time every day or every week where the entire family sits down and shares their day or week with the rest of the family, the earlier this is installed into the child’s life the more likely they will open up on a consistent basis.