Continuing on with Bullying Prevention Month, this week we are talking about strategies to overcome cyberbullying. It is very important for parents and educators to understand both the social and virtual worlds of children. Knowing the following strategies can help save a child’s life.
Tips for Parents:
- Observe your kids for any changes in frequency of Internet or online usage, which could be an indication of inappropriate behavior online or signs of bullying.
- Make use of privacy controls and blocking software for things such as chats and social media pages.
- Keep evidence of bullying behavior. Save emails, email addresses and date and time threats were received. Take screenshots of cyberbullying occurring through social media outlets.
- Report cyberbullying with direct evidence and make sure to report immediately after the incident.
- Talk about safe and responsible use of social networking sites.
- Explain the risk of transmitting personal information on the Internet.
- Educate your kids to talk to their friends about what they might be seeing or experiencing online.
- Don’t friend everyone. Tell your kids that if their online friends are not their friends in the real world, they are probably not their friends in the virtual world.
- Google your kids frequently, and make sure the pictures or posts about them are appropriate.
We hope that these tips can help you as parents and educators navigate the social world of your children and overcome cyberbullying. What are you doing to be apart of Bullying Prevention Month? We are headed to the IBPA conference in November to meet with other professionals to end bullying.
Love,