Cyber bullying

Cyber Bullying is a version of playground bullying.

In November 2009, the National Centre for Social Research found Cyber Bullying was the most common type of bullying encountered by young people.

Cyber Bully can be carried out in many ways:

Through mobile phone calls and text messages
Via a computer using instant messaging or email
On a games console with voice chat or webcam
On the pages of social networks such as Facebook and Bebo

Common examples include:

Threats
Spreading false rumours
Blackmail
Revealing intimate details told to a friend in confidence
Posting offensive pictures or sexual harassment

Today’s technology often allows bullies to thrive by making them anonymous.

To help you and your children understand the dangers of Cyber Bullying and how they can tackle it, here are five useful tips for spotting the signs and dealing with them.

SEE THE SIGNALS: Children who are affected by Cyber Bullying may often be withdrawn, or possibly react with anger or distress when they receive a message on their mobile phone or through the computer.

Talk to your children and explain to them from a young age that if they suffer in silence from bullying, the bullies will win.

Reassure them that if they are ever affected by it, they can turn to you for support, or another responsible adult.

SOCIAL NETWORKS: This is a common place for Cyber Bullying to take place, as these arenas are where young people discuss the most intimate details of their lives.

Remind youngsters never to tell friends the password to their social network account.

If they fall out with each other for even the silliest of reasons, it only takes a moment for another child to log in and post something offensive on your child’s profile page. This will then be displayed to everyone they know.

Help your child set privacy settings to stop them being contacted by people they do not know in the real world. Educate them not to add people to their social network account who they do not know.

As soon as you discover Cyber Bullying, report it to the social network.

MOBILE PHONES: From silent calls to abusive texts, one in seven young people has been threatened or harassed by mobile phone, according to www.bullying.co.uk

But remember, your child could also be the Cyber Bully rather than the person being bullied.

Be mindful of changes in their phone use.

Are they sending more texts than usual?
Is their credit running out faster than before?
Do they appear distressed, sad or angry after taking a call or receiving a text?

Monitoring everything they do with their mobile is not the answer. But talking to them about the issue is, and will encourage them to talk to you if they become a victim.

SEXTING: A relatively new but increasing phenomenon, Sexting is where young people send each other suggestive messages or intimate and provocative photographs of themselves using a mobile phone.

But in the wrong hands, these images can be used to taunt and Cyber Bully.

They can spread around a school playground, from phone to phone, in an instant and cause a child huge distress.

Ensure your children know that sending such images is not only risky and could put them in danger, it could also be illegal if those pictured are under 18 and in a sexual pose.

Find out more about Sexting in our separate help article.

KEEP RECORDS: As soon as you are alerted to your child suffering from Cyber Bullying, keep records.

Note down when it happens, what form it takes and what is said.

Take screengrabs of anything posted on the internet in chatrooms, social networks, instant messaging or forums, before you delete it.

Do not delete text messages or emails, save them to show the authorities.

Hanging on to this material may be distressing, as your natural instinct will be to get rid of it, but it could help prove who is responsible and bring a swifter end to things.

Cyber bullying

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Cyber bullying

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