How to Recognize and Prevent Cyberbullying: Tips for Parents and Teachers
Cyberbullying Tactics
- Dissing: Creating and spreading untrue rumors or stories about a person online. Unfortunately, this is the most common tactic; few people check information for accuracy, especially in teen chat rooms and messengers. Information spreads instantly, and afterwards it may be very difficult to restore a victim's reputation.
- Trolling: Insulting messages, ridicule or threats to the victim via social media, email or messengers.
- Denunciations and Slander: Publishing comments or accusations against a person in a public space that are either untrue or damage the child's reputation in his or her environment.
- Fakes: Using someone else's identity to send or post information that could damage a child's reputation. Creating pages with another child's photo and acting under someone else's name.
- Outing: Distributing photos or videos that can be used to humiliate or blackmail. Often these photos and videos are made by the bullies themselves, and this type of cyberbullying is one of the most traumatic for children's psyches.
- Cyberstalking: Constant tracking and obsessive attention to a child's online life. This implies online harassment, when the child is unable to do anything online without, for example, receiving a negative comment.
- Social Exclusion: The act of collectively ignoring or excluding someone from an online community or group. In other words, boycotting, only now it has expanded to include children's chat rooms.
Examples
Along with other risk factors, bullying can increase the risk of suicidal behavior. Cyberbullying can also be relentless, increasing the likelihood of anxiety and depression. Some forms of cyberbullying are forms of harassment that progress from ridicule to psychological abuse.
With appropriate and timely intervention, cyberbullying can be successfully managed to reduce harm and potential negative consequences. However, if left unaddressed, cyberbullying can have long-term mental health consequences. As cyberbullying can manifest itself in many different ways, here are some examples based on real-life experiences.
Publishing Nude Photos
A teenage girl sent a nude photo to her boyfriend when they were dating. After they broke up, he shared the photo with other kids, who then abused her in texts and on social media.
Lies and False Accusations
A group of students accused one of the girls of telling teachers about drinking at a school party. Although the accusations were false, other students began insulting and threatening the girl on social media. The girl faced constant bullying, which severely affected her self-esteem and academic success.
Economic Hardship Bullying
Pupils posted mean, negative comments on another classmate's social media account, commenting on his clothes and trainers that were not the expensive brands worn by most of his classmates. The boys taunted him, calling him a "bum" and continued the bullying at school.
Fake Profile
A girl created a fake social network profile of one of her male classmates and started communicating with other girls on his behalf. Later she used the gathered information to bully and blackmail him.
Jealousy-Based Bullying
A teenage girl was harassed by her classmates because she was dating a very popular boy. The girls sent her abusive text messages and social media messages to force her to break up with the guy.
Online Gaming Bullying
A teenage boy posted comments on a public gaming forum expressing his dislike of certain game features and tactics. Another user disagreed with him on the forum, then searched for information about the boy online and posted his address, email and social media links in another comment.
Preventing Cyberbullying
Preventing cyberbullying requires a joint effort from parents, teachers and the community. Here are some tips for parents and teachers that can help prevent incidents of cyberbullying:
Tips for Parents:
- Teach your children not to give out their real names, addresses, phone numbers, passwords or other personal information on the Internet without your permission.
- Remind children that they should not talk to strangers on the Internet. Under no circumstances should they go out with anyone they have met on the Internet without being accompanied by an adult.
- Explain to children that what is posted on the Internet can stay there forever and affect their reputation. Help them understand that they need to be careful about what they post online.
- Stress the importance of polite and respectful communication online: they should never insult or threaten others.
- Teach children to think critically and not to believe everything they see online. Help them understand how to check information and identify reliable sources.
- Teach children to tell you or other adults about any strange or uncomfortable situations they encounter online. Emphasize that children should not hesitate to ask for help if they are worried or concerned about something.
- Pay particular attention to pictures and videos posting on the Internet. Help children understand which images may be inappropriate or dangerous to post. This is where examples of cyberbullying can be very helpful.
- Teach children how to create and use strong passwords for their online accounts. Emphasize that children must not share their passwords with anyone other than you.
Tips for Teachers:
- Include lessons on cybersecurity and online ethics in your curriculum. Discuss cyberbullying and its consequences with your students.
- Maintain an open dialogue with students about cyberbullying and other forms of violence.
- Include programs and activities in the school curriculum that are aimed at preventing and combating cyberbullying. This could include training in conflict behavior, anti-bullying circles, and support programs for victims of cyberbullying.
- Review your school's procedures and policies for responding to cyberbullying incidents. Train students to report incidents and ensure their support and protection.