: How Parents can Prevent their Kids from being Cyberbullied

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(424 Words)
No parent wants their child to be cyberbullied, and yet it is happening across all ages, schools, and areas of the country. There are certain steps that a parent can take to avoid this happening to their child. The following ideas highlight just a few of these.
Tell them not to let themselves get engaged by a cyberbully
If a cyberbully taunts you online and you never ever respond or show that you hear them in any way, then they will probably decide to stop at one point or another. It isn’t much fun to be a cyberbully if you have absolutely no effect on your victim at all. You should teach your child that when someone says something across the Internet, that the best thing to do is often to just ignore it (as long as it is not a serious threat that needs to be told to someone like the school or authorities). When someone who is being cyberbullied gets upset and responds back then it will often turn into this heated back and forth exchange, which is just what the cyberbully wants.
Talk to your students about the importance of protecting his or her online information
A cyberbully cannot send your child threatening e-mails if he or she does not have the e-mail address. Of course sometimes they will get it through unscrupulous or unavoidable means such as from someone else, but as much as possible your child should keep this information safe.
Teach them how to block messages online
Even if a cyberbully knows you e-mail address/facebook name, etc. that doesn’t mean that you can give them free rein to contact you. There is usually a way to block them on most e-mail accounts. On a lot of social websites like Facebook you can set it up so that you need to approve someone before they are added as your friend. If the cyberbully’s messages don’t get through, they can’t bully you.
Take steps to address any current cyberbullying
Parents can take steps to avoid future cyberbullying if their children are already being cyberbullied. They can contact the bully’s parents if they know who they are. They can also talk to the school if it is a classmate. In extreme cases they can even call the police. There are many new laws against this, and the police might have some recourse.
It is important for parents to be aware of the issues of cyberbullying and to help prevent it with their children. The above steps can aid in this endeavor.
Updated On: 09/07/2010 Published On: 09/07/2010 Article ViewerClose
Helium 360 – Education Space 360
EDUCATION SPACE PROJECT 20100901 – 20100930
How Schools can Empower Kids who are Cyberbullied
by Suzanne Rose
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