Cyber-bullying And How To Protect Your Child

Cyber-bullying. When I was young, I had kids pulling my hair, laughing at what t-shirts I wore, my dress sense (or lack thereof, whether or not I had the best trendy accessories, deliberately uninviting me from parties, making up silly songs about the fact that I liked a boy who didn’t like me back… you get where I’m going… I was bullied.

So were most of my friends. So were our parents, and their parents before them. My story is not unique; I’m sure many of you would have your own experiences to add to my list above.

Bullying is as old as the world itself. Perhaps we’re just more aware of it these days because of the number of reports on bullying we see in the news, hear on the radio, and read in newspapers. But, as parents, we are deeply aware of the fact that bullying is part of the human condition – the darker side of it – and we spend countless hours trying to protect our children from it. We do all we can to teach them not to dbullyothers, and how to respond when they are the ones being bullied.

What makes matters worse is that, unlike the days of our childhood when bullying was reserved for the playground at school, we live in an age where technology and cyberbullying have taken over. Social media has meant that our kids are vulnerable to bullying from hordes of strangers hiding behind screens from countries we’ve never even heard of – not just the handful of kids from the neighbourhood we grew up in. We need to encourage them to learn more about the online world they find themselves in.

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So what can we do?

How do we help our kids navigate the stormy waters of cyber-bullying in an ocean of social media and apps thatdidn’tt even exist when we were kids? Here are some practical steps to help prevent cyberbullying in our homes, schools, and social settings.

1. Build a relationship of trust with your children so that they are confident enough to know they can come to you at any time if they feel they are being bullied. Believe them when they tell you they are being bullied; stand up for them and have their back.

2. Talk openly and honestly about the online world, the pros and cons, and how they can keep themselves safe. Share examples of what they can implement on their social media accounts to keep their accounts safe.

3. Device-friendly area. When your children are on their devices, ensure they are always near you. Do not keep devices in the bedroom. Investigate apps wthatcan be connected to your cchild’sphone wand allow youto monitor their online mactivity

4. Educate yourself. Familiarise yourself (if you don’t already know) with all the social media platforms available. Be open enough with your child so they are happy to have you as a “friend”.

5. Believe your child. Never overreact or underreact to your child’s experience. Always validate their feelings and walk them through the process of dealing with the bullying.

6. Point of call. If there are signs of bullying, speak to your child’s principal immediately. If the bullying is coming from outside the school (a predator), take it to the police immediately.

7. Never reply. Teach your children never to reply to intimidating or threatening messages. They should take a screenshot as proof and immediately block the bully.

8. Implement a family digital value system which allows all family members to be on the same page when it comes to internet safety within the home.

9. Educate. Teach your child what is OK to post on social media and what should not be published. Always think first before hitting that “share” or “post” button.

10. Online acronyms every parent should know. According to the SAPS, these are a sample of acronyms used online. Parents should be aware of them.

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GNOC – Get Naked On Cam
TDTM – Talk Dirty To Me
NIFOC – Naked In Front Of Computer
PAW – Parents Are Watching
PIR – Parent In Room
POS – Parent Over Shoulder
CD9/Code 9 – Parent/Adult around
ASL(R P) – Age Sex Location (Race/Picture)
(L)MIRL – (Let us) meet in real life
MOS – Mom Over Shoulder
P911 – Parent emergency
PRON – Porn
S2R – Send To Receive (pictures)
FYEO – For Your Eyes Only