Cyberbullying: How can we protect our children?
Cyberbullying: How can we protect our children?
Teaching key resilience skills
Published on 12 October, 2023
June Yong
host
When she’s not hiding out at a café or having funny little conversations with her three children, June can be found editing articles or dreaming up podcast episodes for Focus on the Family Singapore.
In today’s digital age, where children are so immersed in technology, the threat of your child experiencing cyberbullying is very real.
Cyberbullying is a form of harassment that occurs online, often targeting children and adolescents through digital platforms, such as social media, messaging apps, and online communities.
Not sure if your child is experiencing cyberbullying? Some signs to look out for include:
- A sudden change in daily routines and device use habits
- Deleting of social media accounts
- Showing strong negative emotions after social media usage or after school
- Decreased self-esteem, shown through statements like “life is so difficult” or “everything is meaningless”
Encourage your child to share their online experiences, both positive and negative, without fear of judgment.
Here are some proactive steps we can take to protect our children from cyberbullying.
1. Create a safe space for conversation
Encourage your child to share their online experiences, both positive and negative, without fear of judgment. Creating a safe space for conversation allows you to better understand their online interactions and respond effectively when issues arise.
2. Educate and empower
Teach your children about online etiquette, responsible internet usage, and the potential risks associated with sharing personal information. Empower them with the knowledge and skills to recognise and report cyberbullying incidents. Encourage critical thinking and empathy to foster a healthy online community.
3. Set clear boundaries
Establish guidelines for screen time, app usage, and online friends. Emphasise the importance of privacy settings on social media platforms and the risks of accepting friend requests from strangers. Setting boundaries helps children understand the limits of their online activities and promotes responsible behaviour.
Always be transparent about your monitoring practices.
4. Monitor online activities
While respecting your child’s privacy, consider implementing parental control software and monitoring tools to keep an eye on their online interactions. Regularly review their friend lists, messages, and posts to identify any signs of cyberbullying. However, always be transparent about your monitoring practices.
5. Encourage offline activities
Balance is key, so encourage your child to participate in offline activities like sports, hobbies, and social gatherings. Engaging in fun, non-digital experiences can help reduce the overall time spent online and minimise your child’s exposure to cyberbullying.
6. Teach resilience
Cyberbullying can be emotionally distressing, so one life skill that we should intentionally build in our children is resilience.
Emphasise the importance of not taking hurtful online comments to heart and how to seek emotional support when needed. Teach them to respond to online bullies with a protective phrase like, “So what?” or “They cannot tell me who I am.”
In conclusion, protecting our children from bullying requires a combination of proactive measures, including education, communication, and fostering the life skill of resilience.
By staying involved in our children’s online lives and guiding them through the digital world, we can help create a safer and more positive online environment for our kids, and for many generations to come!
June Yong
host
When she’s not hiding out at a café or having funny little conversations with her three children, June can be found editing articles or dreaming up podcast episodes for Focus on the Family Singapore.
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