The Internet has paved the way for the creation of social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik-Tok, and more. Ever since MySpace was introduced, people have been sharing their personal life to the general audience, and in time connecting to their online status more than the one they have in real life. Moreover, the Internet gave voice to different kinds of people. Even though it remains the ultimate way of spreading important and useful information, it has also become a place where people perform vicious and uncalled for attacks on other individuals.
Cyberbullying is a dangerous problem that has caused many individuals to depressions, feeling of constant fear, and even suicide. It is a problem that mainly affects children and teenagers, but it is also known to cause mental issues among adults. Young people are known to keep their personal issues private, so sharing online bullying with their guardians is seen as something embarrassing and unnecessary. Over time their personalities that are exposed to such violent behavior become fragile and very dependent on the opinion of the online community. Therefore, any offensive comment made via social networks could have a fatal effect on those individuals.
But there are ways to recognize cyberbullying on time, and if you notice some of these behaviors you should take immediate action to prevent it:
Someone Is Asking Personal Questions
When introducing the Internet to your children you should make sure that they are aware of every possible threat that may come their way. One of the things that cyberbullies do is detecting the weak points of their victims and the easiest way to do so is by asking a lot of personal questions. Therefore it is important that your child understands the danger of posting personal information online, like pictures, locations, or even their real name until they come of age.
It is also important to make them understand that it is fairly easy for a person to take someone else’s identity so they cannot be sure who they are communicating with unless it is someone they already know from real life.
Your Child Has Become Afraid of Going Online
If you notice that your child has become anxious or scared of using a computer, laptop, smartphone, or any other technological device that has a connection to the Internet, it can also be one of the signs of cyberbullying. In most cases, the perpetrators are known to the victim (from school, sports teams), and sometimes they can be organizations that harass the victim even outside of cyber space. The fear of technology can be a sign that someone is trying to contact them and they don’t want that to happen. It is very important to remember that if this is the case you should think about the best way to approach your child. Maybe they are afraid and unwilling to talk about the problem, so it is of crucial importance not to pressure them.
Being In The Centre Of Attention
Some cyber bullies will do despicable things in order to get more views, likes, or comments on their social media profiles. Having a conversation with your children about those kinds of people can be one of the possible solutions. Another is to monitor the happenings on their social media accounts, but also current trends like challenges that can be dangerous or have fatal results. When dealing with a cyber bully that seeks attention the best course of action is to deny that person any attention from your side.