Could My Child Be a Cyberbully?
Cyberbullying
Every parent dreads the thought of their child being bullied online. But very few parents also think about the fact that their child could easily become a cyberbully. Being the parent of a child on the aggressive end of cyberbullying is something that must be taken seriously. Here are some signs that indicate that your child may be doing this to others, with tips on what to do.
Children in today’s world grow up very knowledgeable about electronics. Often, children are more aware of what is happening online than their parents. It's vital to remain alert about the latest and greatest things in your child’s life if you want to come across as relevant to them, and keep them and those they interact with safe.
Monitor Your Child’s Electronic Activities Closely
Don’t allow your child unlimited freedom when it comes to online activities. Communicate to your child that you will be reading their texts, checking their online accounts and watching them occasionally as they participate in online games and forums.
Be cautious about allowing your child to have internet access in their room, and study how your child interacts with others online. If it seems that your child is aggressive in their communications with others, is using foul language directed at others, or mocking them, you need to bring up the conversation with your child about their tendencies to behave like a bully.
If you come across evidence that your child is bullying someone, take it seriously and deal with it immediately.
Install Parental Control Tools on All Electronic Devices
There are parental control tools that allow you to keep a close watch on your child when they are online. Instead of doing this secretly, make it known to your family that all online activities are subject to being viewed by parents at any time. This will prevent an erosion of trust between you and your child, and will help them to monitor themselves.
Some of these parental controls will even monitor conversations between your child and those they are interacting with, and will pick up on abusive dialogue which will then be reported to you.
Keep an Open Dialogue with Your Child
Hopefully from the time your child was very young, you have been keeping an open dialogue with them about all areas of their lives. As they get older, this includes online activities. Talk about cyberbullying and its dangers. Ask them if they have ever been a victim of it, or if they have felt they were ever bullying someone. If you can maintain your composure while you engage in this conversation, your child may feel more able to open up to you about it.
Cyberbullying is a huge issue today. There is great freedom of the internet and many ways in which a person can use their electronic devices. This gives the opportunity for bullies to escape consequences for their actions, and causes dangerous growth in the epidemic of cyberbullying.
It is not easy to find out if your child is a cyberbully or to handle the information once you have acquired it, but it is necessary to work together to put a stop to it. By being a vigilant parent and making yourself aware of any cyberbullying your child may be engaging in, you are making the world a better and safer place for all.
Signs That Your Child Is Being Bullied Online
Cyberbullying is dangerous, and can be at least as harmful as bullying that happens in the schoolyard or the child’s community. Cyberbullying can lead to many problems ranging from depression, to anger, to a lack of self-esteem. Cyberbullying can even lead a child to the point of suicide - a parent's worst nightmare.
Before cyberbullying becomes an issue for your child, learn how to detect it and stop it in its tracks.
Depression
Does your child seem depressed for no reason that you can pinpoint? It is possible that they are being bullied online. Keep an open dialogue with your child about their feelings and about everything that is going on in his or her life. This way, if cyberbullying is happening to them, it will feel natural for them to talk about it.
Anger After Internet Use
Don’t jump too quickly to punish and shut down your child’s unexplained anger. It is far more helpful to find out the root cause of it. Let your child know they can confide in you, and stay calm during conversations to prove that you are a safe person for your child to talk to. If your child’s anger seems to flare up after being on the internet, it is a sign that they may be a victim of cyberbullying.
Mentioning the Bullying
If your child mentions any cyberbullying, don’t take it lightly. Remain calm so that your child continues to see you as their advocate, but jump to action immediately. Do what you can to resolve the bullying, and if things cannot be stopped then you may have to make the difficult choice to insist that your child take a break from the activity until things change, for their protection.
If your child has mentioned the bullying, be thankful, because the majority of cyberbullying victims don’t let their parents know about it.
Being Secretive about Online Activities
As mentioned, although a few children will talk about online bullying, most keep it a secret from their parents. If your child doesn’t seem to want to talk about their online experiences, make note of it. If your child quickly shuts down the computer when you enter the room, or refuses to respond to your questions about their online activities, dig deeper.
Withdrawing from “Real Life” Friends and Family
Cyberbullying affects every area of a child’s life. One sign it may be happening to your child is if they are withdrawing from their family and friends. When a child’s self-esteem is harmed through cyberbullying, their “real life” relationships will suffer as well. This is a clear sign that you need to find out what may be happening online.
Cyberbullying can be difficult to handle because many online users misuse the anonymity as a shield to be able to do or say anything without consequence. If you can expose and therefore stop an online bully, do it. If you cannot make it stop, you may have to remove your child from online activities.
With the help of these tips, you will be able to figure out if your child is the victim of online bullying and put an end to it so that they can get back to a healthy, safe, and happy life.
How to Discuss Internet Safety with Your Younger Child
Parents in our modern times have many issues to think about that never crossed our own parents’ minds when we were being raised. With new inventions and technology come new safety concerns. It can be a challenge to know what to say to your children when you don’t have childhood memories of a talk with your own parents to draw on. Here are some ideas on how to discuss internet safety with your younger child.
Be Knowledgeable
Even very young children are generally extremely knowledgeable about the internet nowadays. If you want to be respected by your child when you talk about internet safety, you will need to stay up to date on the latest online trends and details.
If you appear unsure or seem to be making accusations that are untrue, your child will stop listening to what you really have to say. Do your research, and come to the conversation from a place of knowledge.
Stick to the Subject
Try not to randomly get caught up in other subjects when approaching your child. Keep your message simple, and stick to it. Help your child stay focused on your main message by not dwelling on it too long.
Teach Respect Rather Than Fear
It is easy to get caught up in fear, and to not want your child to even use the internet at all. Instead of going to this extreme, though, lay out some rules that can work for everyone. Let your child know that while he (or she) is still young, you are responsible to keep him safe, and that your life experience allows you to do this.
Tell him that when he uses the internet, you will always be in the room. Let him know that you will always have full access to any of his accounts and online activities. Teach him to ask your permission to use new websites before he accesses them.
Give your child a set of basic rules to follow, such as never putting his personal information online, never participating in online bullying, never chatting with strangers, and always letting you know if someone tries to privately contact him or makes an inappropriate comment.
Instead of making your child fearful of all the “what ifs”, teach him the satisfaction of using the internet responsibly.
Be Honest
Although you don’t want to put unnecessary fear into your child’s life, you do want to be honest about the risks. Use age-appropriate language to let your child know some of the things that can go wrong on the internet. Let your child know that unfortunately, there are some people with bad motives, and that the internet is a place where they can easily lie about themselves and fool even those who are aware and cautious.
Internet safety is an area that almost every parent in this lifetime will need to discuss with their young ones. Keep the conversation positive, and it will not fall on deaf ears. Talk with your child about these issues while still young, and it will lay a firm foundation for many future years of safe internet use.
Should Your Child Have Internet Access in Their Bedroom?
At some point, your child will ask to have internet access in their room. Whether it is for a computer or Wi-Fi to be used on a gaming device, this conversation will come up. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you navigate this discussion.
How Old Is Your Child?
Children of every age have different temptations when it comes to being online, but there are certain ages that can benefit from having easy internet access. If your child is in high school, it may be more convenient for them to have internet access from their bedroom so they can be comfortable while doing school reports, etc.
If you have a relatively young child, however, the benefits of easy internet access may not outweigh the risks, because their actual need for online time is quite small compared to what it will be later.
What Device Will Your Child Be Accessing the Internet From?
Will your child have their own personal computer or laptop in their room? Are they wanting online access simply to use certain apps? The purpose of their online use is important when choosing what decision to make.
If it's for a device that only uses Wi-Fi in order to work properly, it may not be a huge deal for your child to have easy online access. If it is a device that is not secured against unlimited searching, you may want to reconsider.
What Time Will Access End Each Night?
Will you allow your child to leave their computer on at all times, and leave your Wi-Fi on in the middle of the night? If you have children with electronic devices in their rooms, it is wise to turn off your Wi-Fi when you go to sleep. This way, your children will not be as tempted to use the internet when they should be sleeping. However, bear in mind that some devices can still access the internet without Wi-Fi being turned on.
Ask yourself about each of the children in your home. Will their sleep be affected by all-night internet? Will they be tempted to do searches that you would not approve of? Be open with yourself and think about this based on your family members, and your family dynamics.
A wise idea is for any portable electronic devices to be checked in each and every night to a place where you can keep them safely away from children who may find it difficult to resist checking their game or account “just one more time.”
How Will You Monitor Their Internet Use?
What steps will you take to make sure your child uses their internet time wisely? If they have use of the internet in their room, it can be hard to keep tabs on it. Be honest with yourself. If your child has internet access in their room, are you going to consistently request that the door stay open, or will you become tempted to let them slip into their room alone with the door closed because it offers you some easy free time?
If you are going to be consistently looking over their shoulder every now and then, shutting down Wi-Fi each night, and regularly check their browsing history… it might be ok. Otherwise, keep internet access to rooms that have more accountability built in.
The internet can be wonderful when used correctly. Remove your child’s temptation to misuse the internet by making rules that work for your family. A wise decision now will pay off for the remainder of your child’s life.
Parents The Information You Need!
FREE PDF On Personal Reflection Exercises.. As a Parent! >> DOWNLOAD HERE <<
CHILDS SAFETY IS VERY IMPORTANT! FREE Video On Child Safety. >> WATCH HERE <<
Gain Immediate Access To This Special Report!
Click For Home School Strategies
