When were you last bullied? Maybe you were lucky and have never been bullied. Chances are that for today’s kids bullying can be a constant threat and when a kid leaves the school gates bullying doesn’t just stop there. Bullying comes in many forms and is no longer just a verbal or physical act. Bullying has, with the rest of the world, made the switch to online, in the form of cyber-bullying, a word which has even found its way into the Oxford English Dictionary. The advancement of smartphone and tablet technology gives children more ways to connect, socialise, and create than ever before. Unfortunately, some children abuse this using email, instant messaging, pictures, and text messages to embarrass or bully other kids.
This week is Anti-Bullying Week (19th – 23rd November) and it also marks BeatBullying’s 10th Birthday! BeatBullying is the UK’s leading bullying prevention charity, which strives to empower people to stand up and say ‘NO’ to bullies. Their mission is simple: to create a world where bullying, violence and harassment is unacceptable. The charity offers families, schools and communities the tools to understand, tackle and beat the problem, which sadly affects one in three young people.
Since BeatBullying began in 2002, the charity has helped over 1.6million young people and has assisted in reducing ‘incidents of concern’ by 73% in partner schools. A part of this has been helped by the charity’s CyberMentors scheme, which is all about kids helping and supporting other kids online. The scheme has been a huge success with 95.8% of teachers rating the CyberMentors programme as an effective intervention. To celebrate BeatBullying’s 10th Birthday, parties are being held at schools all over the country to help raise money for the charity. BeatBullying aims to raise the £279,000 necessary to support a further 100,000 children, giving them the chance to also be a part of the online peer-to-peer mentoring scheme. Marian Merritt - Norton’s Internet Safety Advocate reveals that “your child may not know “cyber-bullying” by name but he or she knows what it looks and feels like.” Cyber-bullying is unacceptable and is something we must work hard to get rid of.
Here are some of Marian’s top tips on what to do if you, your child, or someone you know is being cyber-bullied:
- Make your child of friend aware that cyber-bullying is incredibly common and if they haven’t seen any yet, it’s just a matter of time until they do. Make sure they know how to react when it does occur (they should not respond to any email or message that contains the cyber-bullying; they should try to save or print it so they can show someone; they should block it if they know how; and most important ALWAYS report it to Mum, Dad or another trusted adult.)
- Make sure your children know they must guard even the most casual text message and watch their own written words. They should never be cyber-bullies, and they should always tell you if and when they are being cyber-bullied.
- Experiencing something bad is almost inevitable when active on the Internet. Make sure your child or friend knows they can come to you for help and you won’t overreact.
- If you or your child is being cyber-bullied: don’t respond. A response gives the bully or bullies the reaction they seek. Silence will confuse them. If your child gets asked “did you see that post or message?” teach them to say they didn’t, or even say, “My mum was working on my computer last night. Maybe she saw it.”
- Wherever we have an online bully and a target, we have silent observers who witness the harassment and give it more power by providing an audience. Make sure to never engage in cyber-bullying even if all you are asked to do is visit a site, open an email, pass along a cruel message, or add their comments to a nasty social networking page. Give your child the training to respond to a target/victim with kindness, support, and friendship.