Although the digital age provides many benefits in making our lives easier, it can also have a negative impact on our lives in some cases. Especially young people who spend a lot of time on the internet and use the internet mostly for making new friends, playing games, chatting, etc. can sometimes be attacked by malicious people. If this situation is not detected early, it can have very serious consequences.
What is Cyber Bullying?
Cyberbullying; It is a type of bullying that occurs in digital environments such as social media, messaging apps or gaming platforms. The common goal of bullies is to embarrass, humiliate, intimidate and annoy the person being bullied. For example; It is cyberbullying to post private photos of a person on social media, to publish fake news directly targeting the person, to systematically message or threaten a person through an organized or a single social media account, profile, phone number, e-mail address.
Although face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying have almost the same bad effect on the person, cyberbullying leaves a mark on digital platforms. This provides an opportunity to recognize and follow the process, reach out to the bullies, and ensure that they receive the necessary punishments.
What are the Symptoms of Cyberbullying?
Although adults are also exposed to cyberbullying from time to time, it is observed more frequently that children and young people are victims of this issue. Children and adults may be preferred as targets for cyberbullies because they are shy about getting help and are embarrassed to share their experiences with their parents or teachers. So how can you tell if your child or student has been subjected to cyberbullying?
First of all; observe your child's internet usage and the sites he/she spends time on. Try to chat with your child after using the internet. If you notice that your child is generally upset during these conversations, you can start to observe your child more carefully.
For example, your child has a problem if they are anxious when you ask what sites they spend time on and doesn't want to talk about it, spends less time with you and friends than before, and often has anger problems. Especially; If the notification and message sounds make your child nervous and hesitant to use the phone or computer, your child may be exposed to cyberbullying.
How to Help the Bullied Person?
When you realize that your child has been exposed to cyberbullying, instead of panicking him even more, you should first try to comfort him and make him feel that you are always there. Once your child feels safe, he or she will be closer to sharing their experiences with you. In the meantime, if your child panics and overreacts more, we recommend that you do not go over it and seek expert opinion.
If your child continues to speak, tell them that they are often very brave and grateful for sharing them with you. Explain to your child that this problem doesn't just happen to him, that many people are cyberbullying on digital platforms and that it is a crime.
Then, share the situation with the authorities at their school, with your child's knowledge. The counseling teacher at the school will provide your child with the necessary assistance in dealing with cyberbullying and guide your child on how to deal with it.
What Can Be Done to Prevent Cyberbullying?
- Prevent bullies or bullies from communicating with your child by detecting the channels that are or are likely to reach your child. For this, you can block the bullies' social media platforms, emails and messages.
- Although bullies are afraid of receiving a new message or notification, they often check websites or phones for anything new. To prevent this, limit your child's internet use and suggest enjoyable activities together during these times.
- Frequently remind yourself that you need to check your child's use of social media for their safety. Examine the content they share on social platforms, their friends, and ask your child questions about how they know these people when you come across profiles that bother you.
- Tell your child about the importance of protecting personal rights and warn them that disclosing confidential information from different people is a crime. Because the child who is bullied may want to pay for it after a while.
