Some moments ago, an article from The Republic made a mention about two bills that would be helpful in combating cyber bullying in Maine, United States. I am sure there will be many people in Maine applauding the idea of an anti-cyber bullying bill being placed to not only make surfing cyberspace a safe place for their children (including everyone) as well as making cyber bullying an offence in the eyes of the authorities (and hopefully the law as well). At the same time, it won’t be surprising to see people around the world wishing their countries and states have the same bill implemented.
In case you are wondering what is cyber bullying, it is a form of bullying done via the Internet, mobile phones and even on online social networking sites which is as severe as playground bullying and face-to-face bullying but minus the fists and kicking legs. When someone cyber bullies, he or she can do everything to break a victim down from text messaging/instant messaging harassment (including death threats) to even sending and forwarding a degrading picture or video of the victim via online and text. Don’t believe me? This website on cyber bullying says it all. The impact of cyber bullying on a victim is terrible and no child should experience it. Before I forget, victims of cyber bullying not only need support but also be encouraged to tell parents and teachers to put an end to cyber bullying rather than carry on suffering in silence and fear.
No parent or caregiver wants his or her child to go through the harrowing experience of being cyber bullied by his or her classmates (sad to say some kids can be very cruel). I can say the same that no parent or caregiver ever wants to find out that their kid is a vicious cyber bully (it is just as bad as finding out that the kid is a playground bully). However, having an anti-cyber bullying is just never enough to combat the issue of cyber bullying. As a blogger, I always believe kids need to be educated (especially from young) that using cyberspace always comes with responsibility. Like it or not, they need to understand that etiquette does apply on cyberspace and just because people are online and anonymous, it does not give them the right to bully someone.
What says you about the idea of having an anti-cyber bullying bill? Would you like it to be implemented in your country or state? Do you believe that it is our responsibility as adults to educate kids about cyber bullying and its impact on its victims? If you are parent, a caregiver or a teacher in a situation where you find out that a child (your own kid or student) is a cyber bully, what would you do? Opinions are welcomed.
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You can just see it coming, too slow. We need more trained and involved parents.
Thank you, Carl. You summed it well that parents do need to get involved and have some knowledge towards technology and cyberspace when it comes to teaching children about the issue of cyber bullying.
Great post. Right now the law is seriously lagging behind the technology but so are parents! Most of the cyberbullying happens at home but parents feel intimidated by all the new social media and turn to schools for help. My school decided to create a blog to teach parents about Facebook and Formspring and the like and to update them about the latest social media – the positives and the dangers. It has helped to empower them. http://www.iCyberSafe.com
Thank you, Renata. Good to read that your school created a blog to educate parents and caregivers alike about the positives and dangers of technology and online use (please keep it up).
this reminds me of the news that came in a year or two ago about how a female adult friended some low self esteemed- girl. The girl was her neighbor too…but that lady had faked her identity on facebook and started ‘dating’ the girl through fb…when they found out, the parents of the girl said that they thought this was a chance for the girl to get out of being bullied…i forgot what happened after that but I think that kids should just NOT be allowed to use the internet freely…who knows who they are talking to and being bullied by…do these youngsters really need their online privacy??….absurd
I think it is the parent’s responsibility to monitor their child’s activities on the internet in order to protect them from being bullied and also from bullying others. Facebook should be for adults as well as Twitter and other social networking sites. In my house, my daughter had a diary in which she could write her most private thoughts and those would belonged to her and her alone. When it came to the internet, the rule was “Mom can look at anything! No secret passwords, no hidden accounts, and don’t let me catch you navigating away from a page when I approach the computer!” This may sound strict but it is a big world out there and impressionable children need to be protected.
Thanks for your input. You are right that parents can play a role in teaching kids to be safe online especially away from cyber bullying
I hear this issue more and more from people. In fact, recently it became a huge deal at my daughter’s school. It is very sad. The bullying is getting more complex and invisible. It is easier to pin point who the criminal is in the traditional bullying, but in the cyber bullying, sometimes it is faceless. I don’t know what I would do if my child was involved in cyber bullying or she becomes a victim of it. That will tear me apart. I could only hope that I can keep teaching my daughter values of being kind to others and hope that she would never bully others. I feel the need for schools to get involved and help parents to deal with the issue. I am afraid that parents by themselves cannot solve this issue, but parents do need to be proactive. Thanks for the great topic!
Kaho, yes it is sad but true that cyber bullying is becoming faceless and more complex than we expected. I may not be a parent but my advice to you is if you are in a situation where your child gets cyber bullied, you as a parent, not only need to take the matter to the school but also do not be afraid to get the law and the police by your side when a child’s safety is the biggest concern when cyber bullying is involved. Again, no parent wants to find out that his or her own kid is a cyber bully either. Parents definitely need to be proactive in not just understanding cyber world but also be able to deal with it.
My son is 12 and he has been bullied by the same boy for the past two years. When they moved from intermediate school to the middle school this bully’s record was “wiped clean”, which I was told, to give him a chance to have a clean slate. I was mortified at this news.
His prior school record of bullying and harassment toward my son was sealed and it did not follow him to middle school. I was wrongly under the impression that the new principal was completely aware of the torment this bully was giving to my son at the prior school. Now the bullying has carried over onto Xbox which a little easier to block out, but very cruel and painful all the same.
Last night it hit an all time high. My son became so upset and fed up with it that he grabbed the phone and called 911. When the Sheriff talked to us (at our home) he said there is really nothing we can do since school is out. We can file a complaint against him, but that’s it. The Sheriff said he will go and speak to the mother but there is really nothing else we can do about it. Due to his age (12) this is not considered as a criminal matter. What do they want to happen … the worst??? Then, they (the police and the law) will get involved??? This is not the solution. Where is the help for my son? This has been going on for two years. Talking to him isn’t clearly enough.
I am so sorry what you had been through, Dianne. I may not be a mum but I understand truly the pain and hell your boy has been going through. I was once a bully victim and trust me, I went through 10 years of bullying from primary to high school aged 7 to 17. Two years of hell for your son to endure is already too much. You and your son must not give up the fight against the bully. If the police or the school is not going to help much with putting an end to the bully’s nonsense, you can try writing to the local education board to address the issue as well as speaking to a local town judge or a law expert on the issue of bullying. There is a way to stop the bullying but it is up to you to keep seeking and fighting. You, as a mum, can try and find a kindred spirit in one or few parents whose children are in the same situation as your son. Stay strong, okay? Tell your son that you are there to support him all the way and tell him that it is never his fault that the bullying happen. Your son also needs to know that the bully is the one with the problem, not him.