“For example, we say that violence is harmful, yet television and other media often promote it as exciting, glamorous, even funny, often the solution to a so-called hero’s problem. Violence is prominent in media today that the average American child will witness two hundred thousand acts of violence before graduating from high school”.
Recently in an interview with Ross Ellis, CEO and founder of Love Our Children USA, when asked to define cyberbullying, Ross said, “Cyberbullying is social terror by technology”. Social Terror
The CyberHood Watch partners cannot stress enough the importance of “communication” with your children and your role with your child in the new Net-Generation – the digital age. Do not trivialize the social networks and the power of real time (not to mention the permanency) information used to devastate your child’s self-esteem and good name.
A viral attack can suck the life out of your child’s will to live. Ross Ellis responded to a comment made by another, who said, that kids need to toughen-up by saying to the individual, “…really, I said, are you aware that children use suicide as an alternative to get rid of the pain from this stuff.”
Parents can no longer hide behind digital ignorance or claim to be technophobic. It is unacceptable to allow cyberbullying to occur. But it is more tragic that a child commits suicide because he or she feels hopeless and like there is no escape.
Some Prevention Tips:
1. Encourage your children to keep passwords safe. Treat your password like your toothbrush – do not share it with anyone!
2. Only post or write things online and in text messages that you would be happy for anyone to see.
3. Implement family rules and procedures about what to do if someone is being cyber bullied, such as saving the message or text as evidence and telling a trusted adult.
4. Become your child’s ‘friend’ on Face book, MySpace, or MSN. Have your child show you, or learn together, how to block someone on a chat service like MSN or how to report abuse to a website or service provider. Also, be a friend of your child on their social networking site. [Responding To CyberBullying]
