Technological development has changed the way many children relate to their friends. Today, most kids have access to mobile phones and the Internet. Consequently, they interact with their friends through social media platforms. According to Kennedy-Moore, a lot of parents are unable to regulate the use of technology among their children. Therefore, perpetrators of Cyberbullying take this opportunity to spot and harass their victims.
Report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI) identifies bullying as a major problem in most American schools (Schargel). Moreover, cyberbullying contributes to the death of many kids in the United States. Vulnerable children such as those with autism are at high risk of being bullied. Schools and parents have a significant role to play in the fight against cyberbullying. This paper will discuss the measures that parents and schools can take to curb this crime.
Role of Schools
In the past, most schools used filters to regulate the contents that students shared on the Internet. Nevertheless, Schargel claims that the majority of cyberbullies know how to circumvent these filters. Therefore, relying on such measures cannot protect students from cyberbullying. One of the strategies that schools ought to use is informing students about the crime and how it is handled. Empowering students to deal with cyberbullying may protect them from falling victims of the crime.
It can also help them to cope with the challenge in case they are bullied. Transparency is critical in fighting cyberbully. Schargel posits that most cyberbullies prosper on humiliation, coercion, and secrecy. Failure to report incidents of cyberbullying to either parents or teachers allows the perpetrators to continue to commit the crime. Schools should encourage students to report instances of cyberbullying for necessary measures to be taken.
Nurturing a tradition of forbearance and mutual respect in schools can help to prevent cyberbullying. According to Battista, “Schools can provide information to students about the legal ramifications of cyberbullying as well as make it a part of the school’s policy and students’ code of conduct with regard to the use of technology”. Many children share personal information on social networks without knowing the potential repercussions.
Schools must enlighten students on the dangers of posting private information on social media. Moreover, they should teach learners how to purge confidential information online to prevent it from being exploited by cyberbullies. Many kids and youths do not know about cyberbullying and its effects. Battista argues that even though most children understand the classic behaviors attributed to bullying, schools must emphasize that online actions can also amount to harassment. Any form of online behavior either via emails, blogs, websites, or texting that can ruin people’s image is regarded as cyberbullying. Most students may not consider their actions as cyberbullying unless they know how they affect their colleagues.
Role of Parents
Cyberbullying activists encourage parents to monitor and restrict the use of the internet among their children. They argue that parents should ensure that children do not access sites that might expose them to cyberbullying. Nevertheless, it is imperative to note that parents may lack absolute control over how their kids use the Internet. Currently, many children have internet-enabled mobile phones.
It is difficult for parents to always monitor the online activities of their children. One of the mechanisms that parents can use to curb cyberbullying is initiating discussion with their children about this problem. Kennedy-Moore alleges, “Conversations that allow kids to examine issues, imagine others’ perspectives, think through consequences, and plan how to handle difficult situations are vitally important for combating cyberbullying”.
Prevention education research underscores the importance of engaging kids in learning or practicing novel skills (Kennedy-Moore). Similarly, asking children to explain how they would feel if they were victims of cyberbullying would discourage them from perpetrating the crime. Kids are not born with the knowledge of how to relate to their friends online. Parents must teach children how to behave during online communication. For instance, they should warn them against sharing information sent by their friends. Moreover, parents should discourage children from using pseudo names on social media as this encourages them to bully others. Warning kids against visiting anonymous sites may protect them from falling victims to cyberbullies.
Conclusion
Technological growth has contributed to the increase in the cases of cyberbullying in schools. The Federal Bureau of Investigation cites cyberbullying as a major cause of suicide among American children. Schools and parents have roles to play in protecting students from falling prey to cyberbullying criminals. Schools should enlighten students on this crime and how to avoid it. Additionally, teachers should encourage students to report cases of cyberbullying to the administration or parents.
Teachers must warn children against sharing confidential information on social media. On the other hand, parents must initiate dialogues about cyberbullying and help their kids to devise methods of detecting and avoiding this crime. They should also teach kids how to behave when relating to their friends on social media.
Works Cited
Battista, Ludmila. Cyberbullying: What is It and How to Prevent It?” Purdue Global. Web.
Kennedy-Moore, Eileen. “Cyberbullying: What Parents Need to Know.” Psychology Today. Web.
Schargel, Franklin. “Bullying: What Schools, Parents and Students can Do.” HuffPost. Web.