Parent Resources
Five Ways to Stop Cyberbullying
By Steve Cross
A man named Bill Belsey is generally credited with coining the term “Cyberbullying.” Here’s how he defines it on his web site (www.cyberbullying.org): “Cyberbullying involves the use of information and communication technologies such as e-mail, cell phone and page text messages, instant messaging, defamatory personal web sites, and defamatory online personal polling web sites, to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others.”
Typically, a cyberbully uses threats, abuse, and profanity to intimidate your child on the Internet, much as a schoolyard bully would do in person during the school day, but with greater impunity. And cyberbullies don’t hesitate to target the fairer sex. According to a National Public Radio report on March 3, 2006, 30% of all girls have been bullied.
Now that bullies have moved indoors, using the Internet and e-mail as their tools of attack, the profile of the bully has been expanded. Even some girls are bullying others—boys and girls alike! Any child can be a victim of Internet bullying. In extreme instances, it can be fatal. Yes, there are actually cases of children who became so despondent from relentless cyberbullying that they have taken their own lives.
Here are five ways you can help stop cyberbullying
- Talk with your kids. Let them know they are not alone; you are there to help. Make sure they know they did nothing wrong. Some people are just bullies.
- If your kids are being bullied, save all of the e-mails and text messages they have received. They will be useful for law enforcement and educators. ISPs and cell phone companies can use them to find and disconnect perpetrators.
- If one of your kids is being bullied, report it to the police. Be persistent. Show them copies of the offending emails and text messages you’ve collected.
- If you suspect cyberbullying, and your kids won’t talk with you about it, consider installing special software that will discretely monitor text, chat, IM, and e-mail correspondence, so you can look for signs of trouble.
- If you discover that your child is guilty of cyberbullying other children, suspend Internet privileges immediately and take whatever other disciplinary action you feel is warranted. Remember that, as a parent, you have liability here, both ethical and legal.