Being a parent in the digital age is hard work.  Whether your child is in elementary school, middle school, or high school, bullying is a big concern.  Often unseen and rarely reported, bullying in the physical world is hard to detect.  Now, imagine how hard it is to identify if your child is a victim of Cyberbullying.  The digital age parent has to maintain vigilance in both the physical world and the digital world.  To help with this task we’ve compiled a list of helpful hints.

 

Cyberbullying comes in many forms.  Here are a few examples:

• Threatening or harassing e-mails.
• Inappropriate text messages.
• Repeated unwanted contact through cell phone.
• A website set up to mock somebody.
• On-line polling websites.
• Forwarding a message or photo which was meant to be private.
• Using someone’s password to sabotage somebody’s email account, social media account or other personal account.

 

Tips to share with your child

• Don’t react.  Bullies often look for a reaction from the victim.  If you don’t react, it will be less appealing for the bully to tease you.
• Don’t respond to insults.  Responding to a bully won’t change their opinion of you, it will only encourage them to continue their taunting.
• Be civil and don’t retaliate.  This will only reinforce the bully’s behavior and could even escalate the situation.
• Don’t be a bully too.  Remember, everything you say can be recorded and forwarded to other people.
• Save the evidence.  Save the evidence and share it with someone who can help.  Even minor situations can escalate.
• Use on-line reporting tools.  Most social networking and chat sites have moderators and reporting procedures.  Reporting an incident doesn’t make you a tattle tale, in some cases it’s the only way to make the bullying stop.
• Know when to ask for help.  Whether it’s from your parents, teacher, or the police, some problems are too big to handle yourself.