Cyberbullying – the term refers to the use of digital devices to intimidate, upset, provoke or harm someone. It includes all apps & social media sites which can be used to share negative or harmful content about someone on purpose. In this article we will discuss about Cyberbullying and how you can teach your students to have a safe online behaviour.

What is Cyberbullying?

In simple terms it is the bullying that takes place using digital media platforms. It means that the person is not meeting in person but using social media, rude texts, tweets, posts or messages (including photos & videos)to hurt or embarrass someone else.

According to cyberbullying.org, it is “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.” According to a study, about 37% of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have been bullied online. 30% have had it happen more than once.

The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:

• Social Media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok
• Text messaging and messaging apps on mobile or tablet devices
• Instant messaging, direct messaging, and online chatting over the internet like WhatsApp, Telegram etc.
• Online forums, chat rooms, and message boards, such as Reddit
• Email
• Online gaming communities

What Should I Teach My Child About Safe Online Behavior?

As soon as your children start using digital devices, its important to make them understand the safe online behaviour. Under your guidance you can help them avoid cyberbullying and other inappropriate content. You can follow:

• Communicate with respect – Children need to understand their audience and then communicate with care. A message to teacher is not the same as to classmate.
• Agree to disagree – Most teenager’s often feel offended if someone else is not agreeing to their opinion. This may lead up to start of bullying the others who might have other opinion. The children need to be courteous and practice disagreeing politely.
• Keep private things private – No compromise. Children must be made aware about keeping private things private without any compromise. This includes any private photos or videos, password, date of birth, finance details, address etc.
• Be an Upstander – In case any student become aware about his classmate or any other student being bullied, he shall offer the support to speak up against the wrongdoer.
• Report misbehavior – There may be times when the children might commit a mistake and later on realize the affects. You should encourage them to report any misbehavior as soon as possible.
• Follow your family’ rules – As a teacher you can guide them in school but when they are in their homes, they need to follow their own family’s rules. If children parents have restricted some websites or apps, they shall respect that decision.
• Think before you press SEND – It is not easy to take back the words which you have send in a fit of emotions. So it is always better to think before sending anything. Consider how you and other’s might feel with the same text received.