Signs – Cyber Bullying
Article Contributed by Aliya of Family Orbit
Over the years, the Internet has become an excellent tool for all of us. But although you can’t ignore the vast benefits of the Internet, we also need to remember the dangers that are now associated with spending so many hours online. Cyber Bullying is one of them.
Our kids are spending more and more time online every day. Here and then, new social media platforms are online. We are also dealing with daily offers to download new apps and tools that would help us daily.
We have become accustomed to doing everything online, to a point where even kids can’t live without it.
However, the Internet now gives extreme power to kids.
Being anonymous and even being able to say and do things while being far away from someone, kids are now seeing an opportunity to unleash harmful behaviour. These kids are also able to see everything that they want, which makes them exposed to bad influence daily. But perhaps, this is a topic for another day.
Today, we must do what we can to protect children that might be suffering from cyber bullying.
Signs a Child may be a Victim of Cyber Bullying
Kids are, in general, very truthful. They haven’t fully developed their abilities to hide things from us just yet, let alone the ability to hide their feelings.
Because of this vulnerability, your child will display symptoms and signs if they are suffering from cyber bullying.
Here are a few things to look for:
How they behave when online
- Are your kids nervous when they receive a text?
- Are they scared?
- Are they avoiding using their cellphones in your presence?
- Or are they avoiding to tell you what they do while online?
Monitor your child’s text messages with parental monitoring tools.
Unexplained anger
Kids are very vulnerable. We, as parents, know that they can be very emotionally unstable.
However, if your usually calm and peaceful kids are now experiencing a sudden burst of anger, this might be one of the main signs that they are suffering from bullying.
Shutting down
When kids don’t know how to deal with a situation, they will often try to hide it. Because of this habit, your child might start to distance himself from you and the family. He might start to spend lots of time locked up in the room and avoiding contact with friends as well.
Significant weight changes
Sudden weight loss and weight gain might be a result of some sort of discomfort. If your child is suddenly refusing to eat or has decreased the amount of food that they eat in front of you, this might be another significant sign.
Hiding information
If your child is spending a lot of time in his room, try to pass by the door while he is there. If you notice a scare or that they suddenly close whatever tab they were using or turned off the computer very quickly, you might want to investigate the situation further.
Conclusion
As parents, it is our responsibility to look out for our kids, and the Internet gives us a gigantic extra platform to be careful about.
Because of this, the easiest way to notice if your kid is suffering from cyberbullying is by paying extra attention to them.
If you see multiple signs listed in this article, you might want to investigate their online activity. Make sure your kids are safe.
About the Author
Aliya is the marketing manager at Family Orbit. She has an overall experience of 10 years in digital marketing and has an MBA degree.
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