Cyberbullying Is Very Real And Serious!

The same fundamental principle has been sung in songs, been told in speeches by presidents and emphasized on television shows across the world. The factor remains that children are our future and the future of the world rests in their hands. It is our job as adults to set examples for them and to make them feel safe and secure. It is also our job as adults to make sure that they are protected at all costs and that no harm comes their way. Although there are wonderful educational benefits that children can gain from the internet that can enhance their self esteem, children can lose that same self esteem in a matter of moments due to cyber bullying. According to Wikipedia: "Cyber-bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others."       

What exactly is cyber bullying? Cyber bullying involves the usage of communication, information and technology to engage in intentional, repeated and hostile behavior by a group or alternatively an individual that is intended to harm others. Examples of cyber bullying can include but are not limited to teasing and being laughed at, spreading rumors online, spreading harmful unwanted messages and deformation. Cyberbullying can range from nasty or hurtful rumors to full blown stalking and harassment.

It may be worse. It is devastating to know that the victims of cyberbullying experience many similar effects as children who are bullied in person, although cyber bullying is more extreme to victims due to various factors:

• People say things online that they may not say in real life. The element of being behind a computer screen may give bullies a sense of power and this may make them go to verbal extremes.
• The damage is far reaching. Children can send emails saying nasty things about someone else and send it to their entire class, or alternatively post it on a website for the entire world to view.
• It occurs in the child's actual home. Due to the aspect that the internet is universal, being bullied online means that children can be bullied in their own homes. This could cause children to feel unsafe where ever there is a computer, with the inclusion of their own homes.
• Anonymity is another issue. Cyberbullies tends to sometimes hide behind email addresses and nick names that don't identify who they are.

The question asked is how are you able to protect yourself or safeguard your children from cyber bullies? It is vital for children to be cautious when they are posting personal information online and to avoid revealing too much about themselves. It will also be extremely beneficial to keep records of the interaction between you and the cyberbully. It is important to make sure that you do not forget to save all documentations and information with regard to the cyber bully that you may have. It is also highly crucial for you to report cyberbullying to the appropriate authorities. Due to the vast nature of the internet it will not seem uncommon to report cybercrimes to your local police station so don't hesitate to do so. 

Cyber bullying is an extremely cruel way of hurting a child. Children also have rights and one of those rights is the right to be treated fairly. It is in every parent's best interest to educate their children about cyber bullying and cyberbullies. This is a very serious problem and is causing major harm to children. It can thus be said in conclusion: "That sticks and Stones won't break my bones but words will always harm me"

Resources:

Dr Phil on cyber bullies.
A site dedicated to cyberbullying.
Wikipedia and cyber bullies.
Nelson Mandela's children foundation.