Protecting Students From Cyberbullying
Cutting edge innovation, early exposure with technology, access to mobiles/ electronic gadgets, and steady availability online for chats has expanded the rate of Cyberbullying. Cyberbullying comprises of various unsafe acts online, purposefully performed electronically. The acts are done using the electronic/computerized gadgets and via web-based networking media/devices. It can incorporate acts like badgering, maligning, cyberstalking, sexting, and trip.
Casualties of cyberbullying are usually the kids from age group 10-19. Kids frequently experience the ill effects of cyberbullying such as melancholy, tension, and social segregation, which may lead to a hike in rates of suicides among teens. Also, it can even affect the academic performances of kids at school.
In light of the effect, cyberbullying can be a torture for children, mentally harming them. And since a lot of cyberbullying comes from school, it is significant that the staff at the school, especially teachers, must address the issue of cyberbullying via proper guidance and dissemination of information on productive use of social media.
Following mentioned are a few ways that can help you in controlling the negative cyber activities to a great extent:
Guarding Students And Making Them Aware
Understanding the positive and negative aspects of the Internet is the key towards protecting our present generation of students/kids. At school, teachers can play the role of a mentor and can guide students in the right direction. By making them socially aware/ imparting them knowledge to curb cybercrimes, the rate of cyberbullying can be controlled.
Making Students Awareness A Priority:
Do not restrain the kids from using the digital devices. Instead, talk about cyberbullying and cyber crimes so that they can be cautious enough. If you as a parent, put restrictions on your kids, they will find another means to use the Internet. It is hence, a better choice to let your kids know about negative impacts and related legitimate issues of using the Internet space/social media, etc.
Giving Children The Right Values:
Educate the kids to treat others with respect and regard, both online and offline. Request them to put themselves in the spot of a person being bullied and be compassionate. Remind them that all people have the right to be treated with equivalent regard. At school, teachers can introduce bunch exercises to urge kids to cooperate with others and to support them. Schools must thrive to lessen the events of cyberbullying by planning for exercises that ingrain the kids with obligation, sympathy, pardoning, and pledge to change.
Teach Them Self-Security:
Assist and ask the kids to be secure against cyberbullying by pursuing these means:
- Set passwords for all gadgets and keep them locked. Passwords ought to be remained secret from everybody aside from your guardians.
- Be particular in making companions online. Do not ‘friend’ every person you see online. Once you add a person to your network, that person can see your feed, activities, whereabouts and every other information available about you online. Set protection settings to guarantee most extreme security while using social networking apps/sites.
- Another good conduct is to post cautiously. Data becomes open once posted, and can be sent to other people. Abstain from posting or sharing bogus or destructive data about others. Keep your parents informed about any undesirable messages that you receive through social networks from unknown or even known individuals.
Dealing With Cyberbullying:
Students must also know how to deal or react after confronting cyberbullying. They can be told to:
- Abstain from responding or fighting back to messages, as this is what the harasser needs.
- Be proactive. Immediately call your parents/guardians and inform them about any such bullying.
Support Reporting Of Cyberbullying Incidents:
This is one of the most important points that every teacher and every parent must understand. Many kids often neglect to report the maltreatment because of dread of retaliation and seizure of their mobile phones/tabs by their parents/teachers.
All the kids, however, must be asked to trust the parents. The parents must also treat them with understanding and trust. Only when the kids know that it’s alright to report the maltreatment to the guardians, they will feel empowered and safe. The same is the case when a student chooses to report any misconduct to the teacher. Teachers should not limit or trivialize the issues. Rather, make the students sit and assure them that the issue will be investigated quickly. This will raise the trust of the students.
Both the teachers and parents must let the student know how important is to spare a proof of cyberbullying (ex: screenshots of chats, etc.) to make a legal move against the culprit.
Strict School Rules:
The school staff must take steps to limit the use of digital devices within the school premises. There should be properly laid down rules against the use of mobiles. Parents should be asked to keep a check to prevent their ward carrying the mobile phones with them in the school.
