Cyberbullying has exploded in the past decade and many families fear their child could become a target.
“Crimestoppers Executive Director Rania Mankarious told NewsFix earlier this month, “[cyberbulling] numbers are growing by leaps and bonds,” which means many parents are in search of a solution.
According to Stopbullying.gov there are three things parents can do to decrease their child from becoming a victim of cyberbullying.
1. Be aware of what your kids are doing online
2. Establish rules about technology use
3. Understand school rules
Last December, Faithwire reported on the suicide of Brandy Vela, an 18-year-old high school student who killed herself to escape the social media taunting she was experiencing.
At the time of Brandy’s death, her father, Raul Vela told CNN, “Two days after [Brandy’s] funeral, somebody opened up a social media page in her name.”
“And people thought the family did it, so it started with people putting sincere condolences. After a few minutes, either four people or the same person posting four times said some things harassing Brandy about being a big fat cow, writing, ‘you finally did it,’ with a picture of a gun; writing, ‘you’re a coward, you should have done this a long time ago,’ some really horrific things.”
According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, about 28 percent of the 15,000 students surveyed in the last decade in 98 different schools said they’ve been experienced cyberbulling at some point in their life. 16 percent of individuals surveyed admitted they had committed participated in it.
To make sure your child isn’t one of the statistics, Mankarious added this bit of advice, “…it’s really important that parents [talk] to kids from a very early age even before you give them their first phone, before you get them their first computer, you need to talk to them about being good digital citizens.”
If someone you know is feeling helpless due to cyberbullying or bullying reach out to National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at the following number: 1-800-273-8255.
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(H/T: NewsFix)
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