We must arm ourselves with information and resources to protect children from cyberbullying and the negative consequences it has on our children. As parents, teachers, and community members, it is key for us all.
Cyberbullying, which involves using electronic communication to mistreat or intimidate others, can have serious effects on its victims’ mental health as well as their emotional and physical being.
This post seeks to offer an in-depth understanding of cyberbullying: what constitutes it; how it affects children; and most importantly what parents can do to protect their kids against online harassment.
What Is Cyberbullying?
The term “cyberbullying” stands for using digital communication tools like mobile phones and the internet to harass, threaten, or intimidate someone. This is usually done through social media sites, instant messaging apps, online forums, or other platforms where people can freely interact on the web.
It may include acts such as sending abusive messages; spreading false rumors about somebody online; pretending to be someone else to ruin their reputation; or sharing humiliating content without permission among other forms.
A 2019 study by The Cyberbullying Research Center found that of 5,000 American students from grades 6 through 12 surveyed, approximately 36.5% claimed they had been cyberbullied at least once.
Likewise, in that same survey, it was revealed that about 14.8% admitted having bullied others through electronic means before.
Another research conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2018 showed that around 59% of American teenagers have personally experienced some type of online harassment with offensive name-calling ranking first at 42%.
Victims of cyberbullying often suffer severe mental health issues like anxiety and depression which frequently lead them into contemplating self-harm. This is all the more reason to learn as parents how to protect children from cyberbullying.
This has become one major worry for most parents today particularly those whose children are heavily involved with social media sites since they can easily fall prey to such attacks.
Read More: 5 Damaging Impact of Social Media on Children
What Are The Impacts of Cyberbullying on Kids?
Cyberbullying has severe and long-term effects on the mental health and physical fitness of children.
Below are some of the impacts of cyberbullying and why there is a need to protect children from cyberbullying:
1. Emotional Pain:
Children experience deep emotional suffering when they are cyberbullied. They may feel unhappy, worried, furious, or powerless among other negative emotions. The non-stop torment that comes with online harassment can aggravate these feelings thereby making them have an all-time fear or depression.
Kids may not know how to manage incessant hateful texts so they might end up feeling secluded from others who they think do not share their pain.
With time, repetitive encounters with this type of bullying wear away at one’s dignity leaving nothing behind but an inability to enjoy anything positive happening around them in life.
2. Diminished Self-Worth:
One of the negative impacts of cyberbullying is that it lowers a child’s self-esteem; thus affecting their judgment of themselves vis-à-vis what they think about meanness directed towards them through social media platforms like Facebook etc. where people hide behind computer screens.
As such individuals take into heart every offensive word or critique aimed at them online; their belief in themselves plummets.
They begin doubting their skills, looks, or even worthiness as human beings which creates a feeling of being inadequate everywhere hence leading to low morale throughout various aspects such as educational achievement and relationship-building abilities among others while negatively impacting general health too
3. Outcome in school:
A child’s education can be greatly affected by cyberbullying; it reduces their ability to concentrate, learn, and succeed at school.
Constant stress and anxiety produced by online harassment can disrupt their attention which makes it hard for them to finish tasks or join in class activities.
Consequently, they may perform poorly academically thereby getting lower grades, missing deadlines, or even avoiding school entirely. In extreme cases, cyberbullying may derail a child’s educational dreams thus putting their prospects and career opportunities at risk.
So if you want to protect your child’s academics and their career, it’s high time that you invest in yourself to learn how to protect children from cyberbullying.
4. Zero social life:
Children who are bullied online might fear more abuse and embarrassment hence opting out of any social contact on the internet as well as offline.
They may completely lose interest in mingling with friends or taking part in hobbies that used to excite them because they dread being judged or laughed at by others.
This will only make them lonelier than ever before since they start feeling cut off from peers and support systems while sinking further into isolation which eventually leads to deep hopelessness.
5. Physical health problems:
The physical health of children can be affected by stress and anxiety which are the results of cyberbullying, this can show up in them having headaches, stomach aches, and disturbed sleep.
They could also get tired easily or not have enough energy due to being in a constant state of hyperarousal caused by online harassment interfering with their normal sleep patterns and leaving them fatigued. Moreover, when severe long-term stress from bullying weakens kids’ immune systems making them likely to fall ill more often than usual.
These signs are usually overlooked but they only make things worse as far as emotional well-being is concerned among victims because emotional damage tends to be more significant than physical damage already present during such cases.
Parents must learn how to protect children from cyberbullying as this can help them to protect their child’s mental well-being as well as prevent further mental health complications.
Read More: 10 Effective Mental Health-Boosting Activities For Children
How To Protect Your Kids From Cyberbullying?
Guarding children against cyberbullying involves preventive steps, communication, and reacting well.
The following are some ways on how to protect children from cyberbullying:
1. Learning and Sensitization
Spend some time learning about cyberbullying; what it is, how it happens, and the effects it has. Equip yourself with knowledge on how to detect if your child is being bullied online or not; let them know that such things are not their fault but help can be sought.
2. Encouraging Openness in Communication
Nurture a relationship of trust with your kids so that they may feel free to share with you anything concerning their internet usage. Let there be an open talk about all aspects of their digital life including social media interaction, games, or even messaging apps. Assure them support whenever faced with challenges while surfing the net.
3. Defining Boundaries Clearly
Create rules that clearly state what should be done or avoided when children use internet services at home.
This involves putting restrictions like limited hours for screen time, supervising whom they chat with on the web among other things; also ensuring that privacy settings are activated both for devices and social media accounts used by them so far.
They need to know that these limits are meant to keep them safe.
4. Imparting Responsible Conduct Online
Teach the young ones about being good citizens of the digital space too; treat others as one would expect to be treated online. Let kids understand this concept by encouraging critical thought over shared content while promoting kindness towards others.
5. Use Parental Controls:
Make full use of software or tools for parental controls to keep an eye on your children’s online actions. Such means can be used to censor inappropriate materials, block selected websites or apps, and supervise the duration they spend on gadgets. These parameters should be checked regularly to ensure their continued efficacy.
6. Encourage Positive Friendships:
Highlight the significance of forming positive relationships that are supportive in both offline and online platforms. Teach kids to choose friends who bring out the best in them while treating them with respect also discourage any interaction with those who may show bullying tendencies or negativity altogether.
7. Empower Them to Respond Safely:
Educate your young ones about safe ways through which they could respond whenever faced with cyberbullying situations.
They should know when it is necessary to block or unfriend people who bully, save evidence concerning such mistreatment, and report them either to trusted adults or authorities concerned. Reassure them of the value of seeking help from friends, family members, or counselors if need be.
8. Promote Resilience and Self-Esteem:
Nurture resilience as well as self-confidence among children by recognizing their achievements alongside strengths.
Encourage the creation of coping mechanisms that enable one to deal with challenges whether encountered on social media platforms or elsewhere.
Instead, let them concentrate on what makes them happy in life so that they may develop a sense of worthiness and belief which can shield against cyberbullying effects negatively impacting on personal growth.
9. Follow Suit:
Serve as a positive example to your children by showing them how to be polite and responsible online.
Demonstrate ways of dealing with conflict and difficulty in the digital world that are healthy, show integrity while navigating through the web, and kindness too. In short, what you do is louder than words; it can greatly influence their outlooks about internet usage.
10. Find Help and Resources:
Don’t wait for cyberbullying problems to find you; look for them early enough. You can talk to the school where your child studies or community centers around you or even mental health experts on what advice they have concerning this matter.
Ensure there’s more knowledge created locally about cyberbullying, advocate for its education within communities then work together in prevention methods as well as intervening when necessary.
By being proactive like this, one can make sure kids are safe online which will enable them to explore different aspects of life through technology without fear or anxiety.
Read More: Technology on Childhood Development: Exploring the Pros and Cons
A Word From Mind Family
In this day and age where technology has revolutionized the way we live, making sure our kids do not fall victim to cyberbullying is of utmost importance. It is not enough to simply put up parental controls or set limitations.
Rather, it involves establishing open channels of communication with them, instilling good digital citizenship values while at the same time teaching them how to be self-reliant in exploring the internet.
Here at Mind Family, we strongly believe that awareness coupled with education can help combat cyberbullying. By arming ourselves as well as our children with the information and skills needed to identify and deal with such incidents when they occur online, we will be able to foster an environment that is friendly for all users.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to harass, intimidate, or bully others, often through social media, texting, or online forums.
2. What are the impacts of cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying can lead to emotional distress, low self-esteem, academic consequences, social isolation, and physical health issues in children.
3. How to protect children from cyberbullying?
Protect children from cyberbullying by educating them, fostering open communication, setting clear boundaries, promoting responsible online behavior, using parental controls, encouraging positive friendships, empowering them to respond safely, promoting resilience, leading by example, and seeking support and resources.
