Parents can protect their children from cyberbullies

By JENDRIX WEKESA

Cyberbullying refers to the use of the internet or mobile technology to harass, intimidate or cause harm to another person.

It includes sending, posting or sharing negative, harmful, false or mean content about someone else.

Though it has been around for a while, people have just recently began realising that the problem needs to be addressed.

Cyberbullying is hard to be identified since the conversation usually does not take place in a public space. Therefore, no guardian can intervene; it is up to the individual to deal with it.

Some of the factors that contribute to cyberbullying are constant use of technology among many people that borders on addiction for some.

Many people, especially the youth, are hooked on texting, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This exposes them to threats that are based on the very information that they post on their home page.

Bullies will make assumptions about the person and use this to bully their target.

Some people use the internet to escape reality, manage stress or depression. They may end up exposing too much about themselves to strangers they meet on the Net.

People need to value their privacy. Exposing one’s private life to all and sundry is meaningless as they would care less if one is homeless, ate lunch or is ill.

Furthermore, it is dangerous. It’s important to log out of any active account, especially if the computer you were using is not yours.

Also, one should not just accept any friend request as there are many fake accounts people use to fulfil their ulterior motives.

Secondly, cyberbullying is often a self-perpetuating cycle. The victims are more likely to cyberbully others.

Bullies find it easier to drop their frustrations on other people rather than face their problems head-on.

Cyberbullying is significantly more likely to come from former friends or dating partners. While anonymous strangers do it, the bullies are more likely to be people the victim knows.

Parents need to educate their children about digital responsibility and cybersecurity so that they don’t grow to be cyberbullied or cyberbullies.

One can also block people using the ‘Block’ button. These buttons are there to prevent such cases — at least here, one has control of whom you talk to and who views whatever it is that you post.

Another risk factor is unsupervised access to technology, particularly the internet.

Unsupervised and long access to technology allows children and teenagers more opportunities to bully. Some children with feelings of neglect may even use this to ‘get even’ — as a coping mechanism, by taking the feelings out on others.

There are tools to help you to manage the sites your child visits. For instance, Google Family Link, which helps you to stay in the loop as the child explores an Android device, also lets you set the ground rules for your family.