Is any ongoing incidence of a child being harassed, tormented, threatened, embarrassed, or humiliated by another child. Without Internet security these acts are carried out by making use of the internet, mobile phones or any other interactive or digital technology. It is normally an ongoing sequence of communications.
DIRECT ATTACKS can be defined as an attack by one child or a group of children on another. There are many methods used for this type of bullying. I will briefly cover some of them here.
· Chat Rooms are one of the most dangerous places for children to be communicating with others. The senders of messages are not always who they say they are and that leaves the communication wide open to abuse and harrassment Be aware of a child’s activities in Chat Rooms as a great deal of personal information can be obtained by undesirable individuals.
· E-mails are also used to send derogative, embarrassing, hate and threatening messages.
· Mobile Phones are capable of receiving data in a multitude of formats. Any of the available formats can be used to transmit messages ranging from lies and hate to pornography.
· Websites and Blogs can be created by anyone and used to transmit or convey really nasty and derogatory content which could be aimed at an individual child.
· Stealing Passwords will allow the perpetrator to illegally gain access to a child’s domains, e-mails and personal information making it easy to publish false statements and gain personal information.
These are just some of the more frequently used media for harassing children. Continuous harassment of a child can lead to serious consequences and could affect a child for life. Great care must be taken when children are allowed access to the internet, mobile phones and other electronic information transmitting media.
ATTACKS BY PROXY
WHY CYBER-BULLYING?
There are many reasons for cyber-bullying and range from having been bullied themselves, through feelings of inadequacy to a low self-esteem and more. It is a problem which must be addressed and handled with care in order not to antagonize the bully more and also to allow the bullied to realize the value, or lack thereof, of the effect of untrue statements that had been made. A great deal of cyber-bullying can also alleviated by increasing a computer’s internet security.
Children are often motivated to Cyber-bullying by frustration, anger or frustration. Some do it for entertainment while they are bored and have cyber tools available for amusement. Sometimes it happens by accident when a message is mistakenly sent to the wrong person and then they take sadistic pleasure in the reaction of the recipient. Some try to bolster their own self-image and social standing.
Irrespective of the reasons why Cyber-bullying starts it is a serious condition which must be discouraged and if possible stamped out altogether. Parents need to create a sharing environment for their children to the extent that the child will not hesitate to discuss any abusive or strange behavior with them. It is important that parents are involved at ground level in order for them to get the whole picture and not over-react or under-react. Children must not fear punishment for bringing any irregular cyber activity to their parents’ attention. Although child safety is of paramount importance, parents must not take matters into their own hands; they need to work through the solutions with their children. If a parent suspects their child of being a bully it is their responsibility to ensure that the child is aware of the consequences of bullying. It is certainly not something to sit and laugh about around the dinner table.
CYBER BULLIES:
There are basically 4 types of Cyber Bully:
1. The Power Hungry Cyber bully needs to uplift their own self-esteem in their own minds. For some inexplicable reason they feel inadequate and need to create an audience to show that they can control others with fear.
2. The Vengeful Angel views themselves as protectors of the downtrodden. They do not see that by coming to someone else’s rescue their methods could quite easily constitute bullying. It is very easy to victimize whilst protecting.
3. The Inadvertent Bully may start by just pretending to be tough online and responding to situations in a manner which offends someone else without considering the consequence of their words. They may be ‘role-playing’ and enjoy the reactions they invoke. They do not, intentionally, lash out, they just don’t foresee the results or harm that they can cause.
4. Mean Girls usually work in groups and they plan their attack on the unsuspecting victim. Their target is mostly another girl, or group, and occasionally a boy.
WARNING SIGNS that your child may be the victim of cyber-bullying include but are not limited to some of the following:
1. They withdraw from their parents.
2. They withdraw from their friends.
3. Their sleeping pattern changes.
4. They start avoiding use of and conversations about computers.
5. Their grades at school drop.
6. They show negative feelings, anger, worry and frustration.
7. They appear stressed when they receive text messages.
Parents need to be supportive of their child during this time. The dangers and pitfalls of cyber communication cannot be emphasized enough. The power of the internet is constantly growing and presenting more dangers for children and teenagers. Children need to be educated on these dangers before they are hurt by them. Network security is imperative if a parent is to ensure child safety.
Education at schools can help alleviate some of the dangers of Cyber-bullying. Children need to be taught how to be accountable for their actions. Children must be shown how to take control of the cyber technology and put it to good use – not be controlled by it. They need to be taught to think before they write anything and then to read it through and only forward it if they are satisfied that if they were to receive that same comment or remark, they would not be offended.
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Children must learn that it is not cool to stand back and maintain silence when they see someone else is being hurt, abused or bullied. It is imperative that children understand the concept of ‘inadvertent bullying’ and the dangers of being a ‘vengeful angel’.
The task of educating the children in the 21st Century is enormous. There are tremendous pressures thrust on them and Cyber-bullying is another enormous hurdle they need to overcome. The young children need to kindle a great respect for the dangers which present themselves in order that when they reach the teens they are more prepared for what they will encounter.
Parents must clear any obstacles to ensure an open highway to them for the children to be able to speak frankly and openly about their experiences on cyber-space. Never in all history has it been more critical for a trusting relationship to be cultivated between parents and children in the home. Nobody would willingly turn their child out into a cage of pit-bulls or wolves with no means of defense. By the same token we cannot give the children carte blanch on the internet without preparing them for the dangers and pitfalls they will encounter there.
