Bullying Prevention Month Starts at Home
With it being Bullying Prevention Month, we thought it would be a great time to talk about cyberbullying as it often gets over looked. With a world of technology and people sitting behind screens, cyberbullying has risen; this has made it even more important to set rules and boundaries with electronics at home. Here are a few ideas to keep your home safe from online harm:
- Dock your phones, tablets, and laptops at night. Pick a location in your home where you and your family can leave your phones and devices at night. Set a time to dock or collect all devices before bed and model that behavior. This will prevent your kids from using their phones without supervision or late at night when they should be sleeping.
- Have a family “Delete Night”. Help your child eliminate inappropriate pictures or old posts that could start drama, bullying, and fuel a fight. Go through your own social media sites and do the same to role model a positive example. Make it a family night and “Spring Clean” your social media sites.
- COMMUNICATE. The most important strategy is to talk with your kids about online safety. I can’t emphasize that enough in my trainings. Find time to just listen and honestly talk. It can take time until your child comes around to the idea, but if you are present and listen, it makes such a difference.
- Provide constant reminders. Frequently talk to your kids about not posting their contact information on their social media pages. Help them adjust their privacy settings of smart phones and computers so their personal information is not shared openly.
We hope that these strategies can help you to create rules and set boundaries of electronic use within your home.
Love,